Xiaomi is already trying to make everything from cars to robot AI models, in addition to its smart home tech. Is it any wonder that the Chinese brand also has your daily rituals in its sights? The company has introduced its first capsule coffee machine, with plans to bring it to locations around the world.
The Xiaomi Mijia Capsule Coffee Machine isn’t confirmed for South Africa yet, but its appearance on the company’s global website makes it a distinct possibility. It targets Nescafé and Keurig as competitors, rather than the snooty folks at De’Longhi, but that’s fine. Not everything has to be properly bespoke. Besides, Xiaomi already made one of those.
Xiaomi how to make coffee
The company’s Mijia machine uses coffee capsules (or pods, depending on the brand you purchase). They look to be the generic sort, so coffee fanatics could stick their preferred brand into the Mijia’s magnetic holder. Assuming the Chinese company isn’t also getting into the pod-making business, anyway. The machine itself doesn’t do much that others of its type don’t already do. The main question is: How fast can it do it?
Xiaomi reckons that the Mijia can heat up in 25 seconds, spitting out one of two coffee sizes (40ml or 110ml) shortly afterwards. That’s thanks to a 1,360W heating system, with pressure provided by a 19-bar ULKA pump. The attached tank holds 650ml of liquid, or around six full cups, before you need to top up.
The machine controls for temperature (it bloody better) via an algorithm and an NTC sensor. Once you’ve chosen your size (selected via a long-press on the Mijia’s single button), it’ll remember it until further notice. After that, the process becomes: load capsule, poke button, sip magic bean juice.
There’s no sign of the Mijia machine on sale anywhere just yet, with launch details and pricing still a mystery. But if you’ve already stocked up on the company’s smarter home tech, chucking a coffee machine into the mix probably won’t hurt.
