At the 2025 World Barista Championship in Milan last month, Philippines Barista Champion Michael Harris topped the scoreboard for espressos on Day One, allowing him to place third in that round and move onto the Semi-Finals. So what was his secret? Some rare coffee that has undergone an experimental processing? There’s that, coming via an anaerobically fermented blend of Philippines Liberica and Colombia Eugenioides.
But everyone at this stage of competition has some unheard of coffee. What Harris had that no one else did was The Better Vessel. Created in part by Harris, The Better Vessel is a new barista tool that removes the crema from a shot of espresso, and it’s on pre-sale now.
While important to a shot, especially in competition, crema can impart bitterness. Thus, removing it would allow the sweetness to be more prevalent, improving the drinking experience for an espresso. Designed in collaboration with his coach, the renowned Federico Bolanos of Alquimia Coffee, as well as Bolanos’s son, The Better Vessel made its debut on the World Barista stage this year, to much fanfare.
It works as an intermediate vessel between pulling a shot and serving it. The espresso is pulled directly into The Better Vessel, which then sits atop the demitasse. From a spout at the bottom, the espresso moves from the Better Vessel into the cup, leaving behind the crema.
During the espresso course at his WBC performance, Harris stated that The Better Vessel “will help revolutionize how espresso will be served and consumed around the world.”
And it’s more than just crema removal per se. According to Harris, because there is no crema, The Better Vessel allows cafes and home users alike to pull longer, higher extraction shots that would otherwise taste bad due to the added harshness of the crema.
Currently on pre-sale for ₱3,880 ($66 USD) on the Henry & Sons website, The Better Vessel is still a 3D printed prototype, but it is made of food-safe materials, “fully functional and tested in professional settings.” Once the injection-molded versions go into production, the early adopters who bought the 3D printed Better will receive an updated one for free. Prototypes are expected to begin delivering early next year.
So you may never have any of the super fancy coffees you see all the World Barista Championship competitors use, but at least now you can prepare your shots like one. Or you could just scoop the crema with a spoon (bonus points if it’s a freezer cold spoon, to lock in the volatile aromatics just like the champs do), but where’s the fun in that?
For more information, visit the Henry & Sons 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.
