Über FAQs

1. What is the Über Boiler?
2. Why do we need an Über Boiler?
3. So, what is the history of this Über thingee?
4. Who the hell is Marco?
5. Where can I see an Über Boiler?
6. When can I have an Über Boiler?
7. What’s this Über Project site for?

1. What is the Über Boiler?

The Über Boiler is a precise water delivery system designed to deliver exact volumes of water at exact temperatures to meet the needs of cup by cup tea infusion and coffee brewing. To brew coffee correctly, there are essential guides; in particular, you must have the right water to coffee ratio and the right brewing temperature. The Über Boiler gives the Barista control to manage these important parameters.

2. Why do we need an Über Boiler?

Well, there is always a need for nice things!
There is a need for an Über Boiler because there is no cup-by-cup brewing system available which allows a Barista to accurately brew a chosen coffee by a chosen method. It allows the Barista the control to deliver Michelin-Star-Coffee.

3. So, what is the history of this Über thingee?

There is a long post about this. Essentially, me, James Hoffmann, Anette Moldvaer and Stephen Morrissey met and I agreed to design a machine to meet their specific needs as it simply didn’t exist. I honestly thought the need was sufficiently specific to Square Mile Coffee that it was developed as a custom once-off for them. The feedback from first showing has been huge. We therefore decided to continue this design project with the on-line coffee community and see what happens next!

4. Who the hell is Marco?

Marco Beverage Systems is a small Irish company specializing in the design, manufacture and sale of hot water beverage systems, primarily for filter coffee brewing and tea infusion. Marco invests heavily in R&D and training, being hugely involved in SCAE on a national and international level, co-writing and driving the SCAE Gold Cup program, for excellence in filter coffee brewing.

5. Where can I see an Über Boiler?

The plan is to have a number of ‘concept presentations’ (i.e. it’s not finished yet) between now and an official launch later this year. We will be showing it at Intelligentsia’s booth and on the WBC Coffee Booth in Atlanta in April, at Caffe Culture in London in May and God knows where after that!

6. When can I have an Über Boiler?

I honestly don’t know yet. Square Mile’s unit (the original of the species) will be installed around about Paddy’s Day – March 17th – how apt! I expect we may make some pre-launch units available to friends and partners throughout the summer.

7. What’s this Über Project site for?

The Über Project is a new take on a product design cycle. While normally a design cycle goes research-concept-develop-test-launch, serendipity has led us to a huge network of on-line coffee enthusiasts. We want to include these potential end-users throughout the lifetime of the design project.  I’d like to engage the whole on-line community to get their thoughts on the Über Boiler and what they would like in a product from performance to cost to aesthetic. I hope we can take all this feedback and present the changing design at Atlanta in April, London in May, maybe Cologne in June and possibly launch in Milan in October?