From Munich, The Munaco Shotbrewer Stands Alone

The Munaco Shotbrewer. All images courtesy of Munaco.

German espresso equipment startup Munaco recently launched the Shotbrewer, a compact single-group espresso machine with a minimal footprint.

Occupying roughly the same amount of countertop space as commercial systems like Modbar or Mavam, the Shotbrewer is designed for either light professional or high-end home use.

Through a circular touchscreen atop the 58-millimeter group housing, users can program the pressure, temperature and duration of each espresso extraction.

The wifi-enabled machine heats up in about seven minutes, according to the company, and requires a plumbed water connection to continually refill the PID-controlled brew boiler. Installation recommendations call for power and water cords to be invisibly run through a hole cut in the counter beneath the machine.

“My passion for specialty coffee has driven me to develop every aspect of the machine without compromise to achieve perfection,” Munaco Founder and Designer Ignaz Neuhäuser, based in Munich, told Daily Coffee News.

Previously a designer of lighting products, Neuhäuser started designing the Shotbrewer approximately five years ago. At the time, Neuhäuser was in the market for an espresso machine befitting the modern environments for which he designed lighting.

“I was surprised to find no solutions that seamlessly integrated into a modern, minimalistic kitchen,” said Neuhäuser. “All devices had almost the same design. This realization sparked the vision to develop such a machine myself. I wanted to create a machine that users would enjoy both during extraction and throughout all the time they spend in the kitchen.”

Inside the Shotbrewer’s aluminum housing are a stainless steel boiler and grouphead. The custom portafilter’s dual spout features an angular design and is removable for bottomless extractions. The machine does not have a steam wand — hence the name Shotbrewer — although it can warm cups on one side of the base.

The company launched the Shotbrewer in September of last year following four years of development. Earlier this year, the machine received an iF Design Gold Award.

The machine is being sold only in Europe, for €5,900 ($6,438 as of this writing).

“In the future, we plan to ship to the USA, as this market is very interesting for coffee lovers,” Neuhäuser said, adding that he is currently working on additional features and software enhancements.

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