Of all the many releases that have already seeped out of the halls at Host Milan and into cyberspace, the new Modbar Tea is the one taking over the timeline. Taking place over the weekend (and technically ending today), Host is one of the premier hospitality trade shows in the world, and coffee has a significant presence there, with a ton of hot new tech. And yet, it was a coffee company’s take on tea that set the internet ablaze.
One of the highlights of the Modbar Tea is that it doesn’t require its own standalone module. Using already existent Modbar Espresso AV systems, the Tea relies on a specially-designed tea portafilter to give users full control of the brew process, including an adjustable nozzle to control flow rate. The firmware has also been given an update, allowing for tea recipes to be programmed and saved volumetrically or by weight.
Per Modbar’s website, the multi-function lever allows for tea to be made without a dedicated module by letting the barista toggle between four different actions (tea, espresso, rinsing, and manual brewing). This may ultimately be the biggest improvement that the Modbar Tea can offer: the ability to seamlessly integrate tea making into the barista workflow. No need for a dedicated space and reduced steep times allows for a cafe to treat their tea with the same level of care as they do their espresso, even during a rush.
Another potential benefit is how the tea portafilter could be adopted for use with traditional espresso machines. Modbar is part of the La Marzocco umbrella, so it wouldn’t be all too surprising to see Tea crossover to other espresso machine lines, like the pressure-profiling Strada.
For more information, visit Modbar’s official website.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
