michael jackson news: Former Apple, NASA Engineers Make $11,111 Coffee Maker

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Former Apple, NASA Engineers Make $11,111 Coffee Maker

Sep 29, 2012 6:01am

(Image Credit: Blossom Coffee)

A group of engineers who previously worked at Apple and NASA created an $11,111 coffee maker that measures the liquid?s heat as it brews to maintain the ?perfect? temperature.

Blossom Coffee?company is the brainchild of coffee fan,?Jeremy Kuempel, and two colleagues. Kuempel is an MIT engineering graduate who previously worked on Apple?s iPad and at electric-car maker Tesla.

The company debuted its first luxury product?at Tech Crunch?s Disrupt Conference earlier this month and is taking pre-orders for about 10 of the Blossom One Limited, which are intended for commercial use and will be available in the spring, the company said.

The Blossom One Limited is about the size of a traditional desktop computer, measuring 7 inches wide. So far, restaurants, cafes and private individuals have inquired about owning one.

When asked if he?s a coffee drinker, Kuempel answered, ?I?m obsessed with it.?

PHOTOS: $11,111 Coffee Maker Available for Pre-Orders

The company wanted to keep coffee as ?front and center? as possible, so the machine?s design only allowed the coffee to touch glass and steel, which are inert materials that won?t react with it.

?We started with the coffee and designed around it,? Kuempel said.

It also has Wi-Fi capability and a camera for a QR scanner. Why a camera?

Kuempel said the company is working with high-end coffee bean providers to one day allow users to scan a QR code on the coffee bag. That way, the coffee maker will know exactly what type of coffee it is and how to brew it.

?This is how crazy we are about coffee, design and service,? Kuempel said.

Blossom Coffee also is hoping to embody its enthusiasm for coffee in its level of customer service.?Built into the price of the coffee maker is a one-year parts and labor warranty that will bring a company representative to your door for any problem.

?We will be there to fix it, and we won?t charge you for it,? Kuempel said.

In addition, the coffee maker has a lifetime defect-free guarantee saying that it is free from errors; or, in other words, that the ?machine will do what we say it will do,? Kuempel said.

Not only that, but the company will work with clients to build a coffee maker that is perfect for them, including the device?s exterior. The company aims to?match whatever wooden material is requested.

Kuempel said, ?A lot of coffee houses feature wood in their design. We will go to lengths to find the exact same wood.?

What about marble or glass?

?We can?t promise it, but we will investigate it? and do whatever we can,? he said.