Details
Roles
Kent Limanza – Designer, Programmer
Hans Tan – Thesis Supervisor
Fields
Year
Aug 2023 – May 2024
Meet the Designer
Project Summary
BrewTrack is a refined brewing tool that marries a smart sensor and an engaging digital interface, empowering coffee aficionados to perfect their pour-over techniques. Attached to any kettle, it tracks pouring speed and angle, feeding data into a webpage where users can analyze, compare, and share their brewing methods. Ideal for both beginners and experts, BrewTrack enhances their coffee brewing journey.
As taste is subjective and the perfect coffee is personal, having a tool that lets you compare your pouring technique – to your past self and others – helps hobbyists to reflect and work towards their idea of a perfect coffee.
Prototype
I used the M5Stack CoreS3 featuring an ESP32 chip and Bosch BMI270 sensor within the current prototype. The ESP32 will send the motion data wirelessly into a webpage on your phone.
The code is not ready for distribution but it is meant to be open-source, where users can use off-the-shelf components as an affordable way to improve their coffee pouring.
Process
It started with my passion for coffee, especially making my own pourover coffee at home. When I started in late 2020, it was extremely difficult to learn from other hobbyists or take coffee classes. One of the biggest hurdle for me to overcome is to get the “feel” for pouring coffee.
As part of my research, I researched the vast world of coffee and the intricate details from the hobby. One part that I identified to be lacking is the motion of pouring itself, there aren’t much support and educational tools available for beginners to start their journey with.
This is also when I researched further about the “coffee app” scene, only to find out there is an abundance of similar apps. These apps are focused on documenting your brews but they all overlooked the pouring motion itself.
So I embarked on this journey to create a phygital tool to assist beginner coffee enthusiasts.