An Acaia Astra far off drift meter and timer atop an coffee system. Day by day Espresso Information photograph through Nick Brown.
One of the vital smallest new merchandise to make giant waves on the contemporary SCA Expo in Chicago was once the Acaia Astra, a far off drift meter and timing tool that integrates with current Acaia scales.
[Find DCN’s complete 2024 Expo coverage here.]
Profitable the Expo’s Best possible New Product Award within the Espresso Equipment class, the Astra in its most simple use serves as a small push-button kitchen timer.
On the other hand, the tool is extra totally conceived as an improve to Acaia’s data structure, integrating with every of the corporate’s current scales and packing a wealth of updates, options and information logging right into a small piece of o.e.m {hardware} — all with an enhanced full-color show.
Rex Tseng, the co-founder of California-based Acaia, mentioned the tool is largely designed to stay in the past bought Acaia scales — comparable to the unique Kickstarter Acaia Scale or the 2019 model of the Acaia Pearl — from turning into out of date.
Stated Tseng, “What we’re in reality looking to do is extend the lifespan of our merchandise.”
One of the vital Astra’s number one options is a predictive coffee shot timer, wherein two horizontal bars graph out the true weight of an coffee shot output and the expected weight must the person prevent the shot straight away. For instance, if a person is looking for 40 grams of coffee output, the timer would possibly ship a flashing caution at 38.2 seconds, indicating the appropriate time to chop the shot to achieve the function.
A 2nd main function of the Astra is designed for precision in handbook pourover ratios, accounting for water that may well be misplaced thru absorption within the clear out or espresso mattress. The tool can paintings in tandem with two Acaia scale fashions, the Pearl and the Lunar, to check overall water quantity weight to the true completed brew weight. Drift charges into and out of the cone are measured and displayed in actual time.
Day by day Espresso Information photograph through Nick Brown.
For each the coffee timer and pourover purposes, the Astra serves as a big data-logging improve for the present scales, storing probably 1000’s of person makes use of, which may also be set as fast reference issues or downloaded and saved for comparability. The computing presented during the Astra may just now not be accomplished through firmware updates to current merchandise, Tseng mentioned.
The tool is designed for high-end house use or mild business use wherein precision is paramount, or for higher-volume business use for coaching or quality-control functions, in step with the corporate.
“Consider you pull 100 pictures to your system — you’ll be able to do this and simply overlook in regards to the Astra,” Tseng instructed DCN. “It’s going to stay saving records, after which sooner or later one day you’ll be able to pull it out and use it.”
A prototype model of the tool sat upon a wi-fi charging base that may be connected to any magnetic floor, such because the case of an coffee system.
Tseng declined to divulge the estimated worth of the Astra, however mentioned the corporate plans to roll out the overall model on the market within the 3rd or fourth quarter of this 12 months.
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Nick Brown
Nick Brown is the editor of Day by day Espresso Information through Roast Mag.
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