New Avensi Aerating Glassware Set Makes a Crowdfunding Splash

The carafe, glassware and ceramics currently featured in the Kickstarer campaign for the Avensi Wave set. All images courtesy of Icosa Brewhouse.

Coffee brewing equipment and drinkware company Icosa Brewhouse has expanded its Avensi line of coffee-specific glassware with Avensi Wave, a set focused on swirling and aeration. 

As of this writing, a Kickstarter campaign to support initial production of the stylish Avensi Wave glasses raised more than $175,000 with more than a month remaining.

Building upon the original line of Avensi glasses, where swirling was also a focal point, the Wave glasses add interior protrusions that cause additional turbulence, aerating the brewed coffee or espresso. 

“Aerating coffee is inspired by the world of wine and whiskey, and in that world it’s a very important part of the development of flavors and aromatics,” Icosa Brewhouse Co-Founder Johnny Loh told Daily Coffee News. “When we originally thought about how we could design a cup that would get people to intuitively interact with their coffee in a different way, we theorized that aeration would be a big part of it.”

Icosa Brewhouse was founded in Toronto in 2016 by Loh and his friends Vance Lee and Vincent Lee. Three years later, the company turned to Kickstarter for a boost in the run-up to producing the first line of Avensi glasses.

The new Avensi Wave series includes the 120-milliter-capacity Alto tasting glass and the 75-millimeter Aeresso glass. A limited edition ceramic version of the Aeresso espresso cup that is hand-made in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is available in a variety of finishes through the Kickstarter campaign. Manufacturing of all glass Avensi products occurs in China.

Avensi wares are available in wholesale quantities, and are intended for use both in cafes and in homes.

“Our vision is ‘An Avensi cup in every cafe’,” said Loh. “All too often I’ve heard how specialty coffee shops want to be able to do justice to their special coffees, much in the same way that the wine and whiskey industries have been doing for decades.”

Both of the new stackable, single-walled designs taper towards the top to concentrate aromas while pairing with with a carafe called the Cyclone Carafe. The carafe has interior aeration protrusions of its own, as well as an “aroma peak” that rises up from the center of the base to further diffuse aroma as fresh brew accumulates, according to the designers. 

“A key part of the design and intended use case of the new Avensi Wave cups is that it’s meant to be used for smaller pours and sipping, much like Gongfu tea or whiskey in a Glencairn glass, which focus on sensory and flavor,” said Loh.

Swirling and single-wall construction are designed to let drinkers cool their coffees quickly, while users who prefer to maintain heat for longer can pour less and leave more in the carafe, or use an included cork sleeve around their glass.

“Our focus was on designing a collection that was not just beautiful to look at,” said Loh. “It had to have a clear functional benefit that allows coffee shop owners and retailers to share a different drinking experience with their customers and connect with them more deeply.”

Icosa Brewhouse plans to open up online sales of the Avensi Wave products later this summer, following fulfillment of pre-orders tied to the Kickstarter. Market prices have not yet been announced. 

Comments? Questions? News to share? Contact DCN’s editors here.