We’ve seen cold-brew coffee makers before, but they still require that you plan ahead — as in 12 to 24 hours ahead — to make your less-acidic cup of java. The newest project from GE subsidiary FirstBuild is Prisma, a coffee machine that spits out cold brew in 10 minutes or less.
That’s huge, if the company can actually deliver on what it says is a 98-percent reduction in brew time. The Prisma’s design is a result of its Cold Brew Challenge, and the next step is to put the project on Indiegogo. FirstBuild is all about making things for small but enthusiastic markets, and cold brew definitely has a following.
As of August 2, FirstBuild has officially launched the Prisma Cold Brew coffee maker via the crowdfunding site Indiegogo, hoping to raise even more funding for its innovative machine. While sold on Indiegogo, early adopters need to shell out just $229 for a fully operational Prisma brewer — or 20 percent less than its $299 full retail value. Perhaps its lone downside is the fact FirstBuild doesn’t expect to ship units to backers until September of 2017.
There aren’t a ton of details about how Nick Allen’s hourglass design works. He won the challenge for the Prisma, which was developed by Justin Brown, a senior design engineer at FirstBuild. The Prisma uses filter guard, so you can stir the coffee grounds, which is a crucial step in making cold brew. The filter system lets you use very finely ground coffee and a vacuum pump that sucks out the air. “It allows water to come in contact with it on a microscopic level. It really increases the extraction,” Brown tells Engadget, who got a preview of the prototype. GE is planning to kick off its Indiegogo campaign for the Prisma on June 28. The final product could cost anywhere from $250 to $500, according to Brown. Like we said, it’s not meant to be a mainstream coffee maker — but if you drink a lot of iced coffee in the summer and snag an early bird deal, it might be worth it.
This isn’t the first time FirstBuild has turned to crowdfunding for a device. The Paragon induction cooktop had a successful campaign last year, and FirstBuild is now selling the countertop appliance on its site for $299.
Updated 8/2/2016: FirstBuild officially launched the Prisma via the popular crowdfunding site Indiegogo.
