We love a well-designed piece of coffee gear, and while we are all for the meditative nature of hand brewing, we don’t hate a little automation in our brewing as well. And the new automatic v60 brewer by Hiroia delivers on both accounts. The Hikaru v60 Smart Brewer combines automation and customizable programming to bring a little elegance to your pour-over setup, and it’s live on Kickstarter now.
One can’t help but gawk a little bit at the design. The circular opening where the brewing device goes is reminiscent of oculus-type windows found in Japanese tearooms and gives the device a sort of architectural elegance. The “atmospheric indicator LED” lights inside the ring flash in different colors and sequences depending upon where in the process it is, adding a touch of flare to your brewing.
But underneath the hood, there are some very cool features. Designed by Hiroia, “an innovative subsidiary invested in by Hario [specializing] in smart coffee equipment,” the Hikaru gives users control over all aspects of brewing. Using the connected smartphone app, users can customize their brew temperature, total water output—thanks to a built-in Jimmy scale—and choose from 10 different flow rates, giving users control over what Hiroia calls “variable turbulence extraction.” Other features include a 700ml water tank, a quick alignment system to make sure the brewer is positioned properly under the shower head, recipe sharing via the app, and nine different presets to get you started.
Only recently added to Kickstarter, the Hikaru has already smashed it $10,000 goal, netting over $150,000 from over 300 backers in just a few days. But there are still tons of good deals left for interesting parties. Would-be backers can snag a Hikaru v60 Smart Brewer of their own for $419, 35% off the $649 MSRP. But hurry, the deals are going fast. Campaign rewards are scheduled to start delivery in December of this year.
For more information or to order you own Hikaru v60 Smart Brewer, visit the Hiroia Kickstarter page.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
All media via Hiroia
