All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links.
The TopBrewer is the ultimate coffee machine for the minimal denialist. Instead of having your eyes dirtied by a scattering of coffee related gadgets across the countertop, the sole visible part of the machine is a tap which arcs elegantly up from the depths of your kitchen and delivers both coffee and milk.
Even better, it can be remote controlled by your iPhone or iPad.
Of course, the beautiful Eloi of the dispenser is powered by a hulking Morlock below the surface, in this case a combination of refrigerator, heaters, grinders and brewers. The TopBrewer heats fresh water for every cup (taking just 45 seconds from a cold start) and coffee is ground to order. Milk is heated and frothed for lattes, cappuccinos and even the odd machiatto.
More: The unit is self-cleaning (it flushes the milk pipes after every use, for example), uses zero energy in standby mode and has two grinders for speed.
And then there's the (unreleased) iPhone app. You can create a custom brew or just hit the button for whatever coffee you want to drink right now, from espresso through hot water to warm milk. And when the beans run out, you can order more right from the phone.
The only thing you need to remember is to put a cup under the pipe.
All this high-tech gadgetry makes my own coffee setup feel a little like a Mad Max scrapyard. I have Bodum Bistro burr grinder (very good), a Presso manual espresso machine (an amazing device) and a cordless electric kettle. It might be messy, but it makes the best cup of coffee I have ever had, and the combined cost is less than $300. The price of the TopBrewer has yet to be announced, but you can bet it's going to cost a little more than that.
