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Kickstarter

Coffee Compass Founder Launches New Company, Kickstarter Campaign

October 27, 2021 By Guest 1 Comment

Coffee Compass cofounder Michael Butterworth is launching a new company. Etkin Design is a new Istanbul-based firm designing and manufacturing porcelain coffee makers and accessories. Its first product is the Etkin Dripper– a large format coffee dripper optimized to make up to a liter of coffee. The dripper is a collaboration with Selim Caner Eldeniz of the Istanbul design studio Modesign.

The product is now live on Kickstarter, where the start-up is trying to raise $10,000 to help cover the initial production run of Etkin Drippers. Backers will be amongst the first in the world to receive the new brewing device. The product recently debuted at the SCA Expo in New Orleans to an enthusiastic reception.

“Most pour-over drippers tend to clog at larger brew volumes, causing brew times to go too long. This produces more bitterness in the cup. Our design produces a sweeter cup with less bitterness,” says Butterworth.

The dripper is made from the highest quality Turkish porcelain in Kütahya— Turkey’s porcelain capital. The inspiration for the Etkin Dripper was born out of sheltering in-place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Like most of us, I spent much of 2020 lock-downed at home. More than ever, brewing coffee by hand became an important ritual each day. But since my wife and I can drink a lot of coffee I often was brewing 3-4 pour-overs a day,” says Butterworth. “I looked for a larger format coffee dripper, but was disappointed I couldn’t find a flat-bottom one.”

The Etkin dripper is compatible with 8-12 cup basket filters, though the company is also developing their own custom filters, along with mugs and a carafe.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Etkin Design, Etkin Dripper, Kickstarter

Miir Launches Kickstarter for New Pourigami Brewer

May 9, 2019 By Michael Leave a Comment

Miir PourigamiDoes the world need another pour-over dripper? If you asked us yesterday, we would have said no. Between the Kalita Wave (our daily go-to), the Hario V60 (the device that started it all for us), and the million other conical and flat bottom drippers out there, there’s enough brewing devices to keep coffee bloggers such as ourselves gainfully employed writing reviews and tutorials that explore each gloriously subtle difference. And if you, say, wanted to crowd-fund a new pour-over device? Forget it. That shipped sailed years ago.

Well, that’s what we would have said right up until the point we watched the video for the Miir Pourigami, a collapsable brewer currently being crowd-funded on Kickstarter….

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Filed Under: Stories Tagged With: Kickstarter, pour-over coffee, pour-over drippers

This New Smart Grinder Just Raised $100,000

August 1, 2016 By Michael Leave a Comment

Voltaire Smart Grinder

Whether it’s a neighborhood café trying to scrape together the capital for a roaster or an aspiring inventor looking to fund the first round of production, coffee projects are no stranger to Kickstarter. But only the more ambitious set their make-or-break goal at a cool 100 grand. But then again, the Voltaire Smart Grinder is not your typical coffee Kickstarter project. …

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Filed Under: Stories Tagged With: grinder, Kickstarter

Handground: the World’s First Crowdsourced Coffee Grinder

February 8, 2015 By Michael 5 Comments

Handground
A new hand grinder is poised to change the way you brew coffee. Handground is the world’s first crowdsourced coffee grinder. Company founders Daniel Vitielo, Brandon Warman, and Joaquin Herlein explain, “We were attempting to apply a Japanese principle called Kaizen to our coffee routine… Since Kaizen means continuous improvement we started to look for better options. Yet after searching the market and seeing the same ancient designs being repeated over and over we finally thought, we can do better.” Handground enlisted the input of over 1,000 coffee professionals and home enthusiasts worldwide during each step of the design process. Everything from the overall aesthetic, the ergonomic crank, and even the name of the company was voted on by the panel of contributors.  The collaborative effort has clearly touched on a perceived need in the coffee community. Their Kickstarter project was fully funded on its first day and show no signs of slowing down. …

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Filed Under: Stories Tagged With: grinders, Handground, Kickstarter

When it Comes to Travel Mugs, Corking is A-OK

June 19, 2014 By Michael 1 Comment

cork travel mugHere at the Compass we’re fans of well extracted coffee, craftsmanship, and entrepreneurs who are willing to take a risk to follow their dreams. We’re not fans of unnecessary waste, and there’s no denying coffee shops leave a large carbon footprint in the form of disposable cups. Besides, we just can’t get past that paper taste that doesn’t compliment our coffee’s delicate sweetness or acidity.

We’re sure a lot of coffee aficionados share our troubled conscience every time we order to-go, but let’s face it, who has the time to dine-in these days? If only travel mugs were better. Plastic tastes horrible, not to mention the health scares. A stainless steel thermos is great for commuting, but makes a poor drinking vessel. Ceramic is a time-proven classic, but unless you’re Daenerys Targaryen, good luck picking it up without a second degree burn.

Robert Knox of Whitefish, Montana understands your dilemma, and has developed a product with you in mind….

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Filed Under: Coffee Product Reviews Tagged With: Cortiça, Kickstarter, travel mugs

You Can Back Flatlands Coffee on Kickstarter

May 26, 2014 By Michael 2 Comments

Flatlands coffee

One of the reasons we started the Coffee Compass was to bring attention to the many quality-focused cafes that are currently flying under the radar. Granted, the coffee scene in New York or London doesn’t really need the press, but the American heartland is filled with a growing number of committed baristas at craft coffee shops that deserve to have their story told. Depending on how their Kickstarter campaign goes, Flatlands Coffee in Bowling Green, OH might be the next one….

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Filed Under: Stories Tagged With: bowling green, Flatlands Coffee, Kickstarter, Ohio

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