Technology

The rise of Super Ts

Eversys is making waves with a Super Traditional range which is designed to empower customer decisions and take coffee preparation into a new era.

In today’s world, people want the option of choice, from the way they build their burger or check-out at a supermarket, to customising a new Ferrari. In the coffee world, it’s no different.

“We need to give people what they want, and empower consumers to create what they want,” says Eversys Commercial Director Kamal Bengougam.

To do this, Eversys is confident the evolution of super traditional coffee machines, or Super Ts for short, will deliver this commitment.

Eversys’ Cameo C’2 and new Cameo X, a 10th anniversary edition, unveiled at Host Milan in October are two such examples from the Super T category that embrace attractive design resembling a traditional espresso machine, and the ability to create quality products without fuss thanks to its super-automatic functions.

The Cameo X, which Bengougam says models the smooth lines of a super car, features two new pieces of technology. These are Eversys’ 1.5-milk, where milk is dispensed through the steam wand already pre-steamed, and a static brewing chamber with an electric current to even out coffee grounds, just like a barista would manually.

“The Super Ts are all about the visual, emotional attachment, and technology that enables the barista to improve the cup with greater consistency and better repetition,” Bengougam says. “At Eversys, it’s always been our vision from the start to differentiate ourselves by developing tools and technology that get us closer to providing that traditional experience.”

Until recently, Bengougam says super-automatic equipment offered little more than convenience and a product which was “poor competition” to Italian manufacturers of cool and aspirational machines – like a Citroen 2CV competing against an Alfa Romeo.

Traditional equipment has been at the forefront of retail, with customers looking for conversation and craftsmanship, but now, Bengougam says the industry is on the verge of a power shift in favour of automation.

In order to maintain their superiority, Bengougam says traditional manufacturers have resorted to building automated systems of their own, such as automatic milk frothing equipment, telemetry controls, sophisticated grinder technology, pre-set temperature controls, brewing modes, and electronic stability monitoring with scientific methodology and reliable precision.

Super-automatic machines have been developing too, and are far more sophisticated than their earlier conceptions, with in-cup quality greatly enhanced, as have design lines, adding a bit of authenticity and removing the stigma of old.

As such, Bengougam says super-automatic equipment is proving to be the new competition to the leading traditional brands of machines and providing viable competition for the Mercedes and Aston Martins of the world.

“In the absence of clear delineation between automation and tradition, there lies the opportunity of change, the creation of a new market segment, which we at Eversys call the rise of super traditional machines,” he says.

A super traditional machine can adapt to its environment and purpose, ranging from specialty coffee shops in Australia run by expert baristas through to a self-service petrol station on the outskirts of Siberia.

In August 2019, Big 7 Travel listed Simple Kaffa in Taipei the best coffee shop in the world, with The Barn Roastery in Berlin rated second and Mel Coffee Roasters in Oaska in third. What’s impressive, Bengougam says, is the fact that Simple Kaffa – the creation of 2016 World Barista Champion Berg Wu – is using the Eversys Cameo C’2 1.5 step machine.

“I think the fact that the number one coffee shop in the world is using the Cameo tells us that café owners are looking at what the machine does, not how it does it,” Bengougam says. “The whole culture of coffee is changing because young people are thinking about coffee differently, and businesses need to adapt their trends. If they don’t, they become dinosaurs very quickly.”

Far from becoming extinct, Eversys has taken its Super T range one step further with the launch of Ghost at Host Milan.

“You can’t see the inner workings of the machine – hence the name Ghost – but it has all the interfaces you need to customise your product while retaining consistency and enhancing productivity,” Bengougam says.

He adds the Ghost is more consistent than two baristas working behind a traditional machine using different techniques. In terms of quality production, it links back to the beans, temperature control, and brewing infusion time, among other things, most of which can be programmed and controlled on the Ghost.

“If you want to retain standards, a machine like the Ghost will deliver more consistency than a person can who simply push a button and froth milk. That can be replaced by a machine and I have no sense of guilt in creating that environment,” Bengougam says.

“I believe Ghost really will create quite the wave. It’s like a coffee shop in itself in just two square metres, therefore the relative cost of real estate is very small, and you don’t need a barista so labour costs are lower.”

With automation heavily integrated into society, Eversys Ambassador Matthew Perger believes now is the time when consumers will start to accept the new method of coffee production and the role it can play in the future of cafés.

“Since the unveiling of the Cameo at Host Milan in 2017, I’ve been to about nine countries educating people on the ability of the machine. At first people were curious and maybe a little reluctant, but on second visits, especially to Amsterdam, there was definitely more acceptance,” Perger says.

“In many ways, Super Ts are still unexplored territory. We’re seeing them put into places where super-automatics weren’t before, and places where no barista service is needed, such as an office or high-foot-traffic places like hotels, where you want the control of what’s coming out of the machine, but on-the-go. It’ll continue to test the future of customer service, coffee quality, and consumer expectation, but the thing that really transforms this landscape, is that well-made coffee is no longer an exclusively hand-made product. Once you realise that, the business model has to change.”

As Perger puts it, “humans cost money”, so there is a need to deliver value from the traditional side of the market otherwise customers will start to question why they’re paying $5 for a latte when they can spend $2 for the same tasting product.

“I think there may be a few less coffee shops in the future, but the ones left might be a bit better. If you want to survive in the slightly smaller market of human-made services, what you offer will have to be better,” Perger says.

“I think the barista trade will have to become more professional, like a sommelier is, in order to justify its existence. The repetitive labour will be replaced by a machine and I think that’s a great thing. People are worried about losing the barista profession, but personally, I’d love to see the profession improved and customer service better developed.”

Bengougam is confident that the cafés of the future will resemble Starbucks’ and McDonalds’ successful integration of both do-it-yourself orders and sit-down café experiences, and that the Super T will be the ideal machine leading this environment.

“We’re just giving the consumer choice: the choice to determine what he or she wants to drink and become their own barista, not the way an expert wants to make it,” he says.

“There always needs to be someone to set the lead and be the ground breaker, just like Jackie Robinson becoming the first African American baseball player. I’m confident Eversys can be that. We want to do our own thing, and we think we can play in the big league.”

For more information, visit www.eversys.com/en/

Leave a Reply

Send this to a friend