The Squeaky Esplorer espresso cup. All images courtesy of Squeaky.
Thailand-based specialty coffee accessories maker Squeaky is launching a novel espresso tasting cup designed to separate the layers of a shot for clearer evaluation.
Called the Esplorer, the glass cup debuted last week at the SCAJ World Specialty Coffee Conference in Tokyo.
It features a central partition, a silicone valve at the bottom and a stainless steel base. After pulling a shot into one side, users twist the base to open the valve, draining the lowest contents into the opposite side before twisting it shut again. One side holds the latter portion of extraction with crema, while the other contains the earliest crema-free liquid.
“The Esplorer Cup is a new way to experience espresso, a reimagined shot,” Squeaky Co-Founder Kullapha Sangaunkiat told Daily Coffee News. “It’s not about chasing ‘the single most delicious taste,’ but about letting drinkers see the layers and choose how they sip.”
Screenshot
Beyond flavor stratification, the Esplorer’s primary focus is isolating crema. While crema elevates volatile aromatics, it also adds bitterness and astringency. Its more subtle effect, Sangaunkiat said, is coating the palate and muting sweetness and finer flavor notes.
“Without crema, the black liquid only is cleaner, clearer, sweeter, and the coffee’s flavor notes show more distinctly. Its body may be lighter, but balance and definition are improved,” said Sangaunkiat. “Separating crema makes sweetness and hidden flavor notes ‘pop.'”
The Esplorer encourages sampling both sides individually or sipping from the partition ridge for the full traditional experience. Users can also fill each side with different coffees for comparison, adjust the valve for custom blending or experiment with hot/cold splits.
Squeaky — whose playful accessories have won multiple SCA Best New Product awards — positions the Esplorer as a tool for sensory education, for research and development and quality control, and for cafes seeking to communicate with customers about flavor nuances.
“It’s also for home baristas and coffee enthusiasts eager to explore espresso more deeply, and for professional coffee competitions,” Sangaunkiat said. “Baristas can present three perspectives from one shot or create signature drinks that control separation and recombination of flavor.”
Preorders for the Esplorer Cup opened at $45, with shipments beginning by late November. A Tritan version will sell for $30.
Sangaunkiat also emphasized the importance of ordering authentic products from their makers and avoiding cheaper imitations.
“We want to emphasize, supporting counterfeits or copies means undermining the heart of the inventor who invests passion and effort into creating these innovations,” Sangaunkiat said. “Please support original products so we can continue developing new ideas for the coffee industry.”
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Howard Bryman
Howard Bryman is the associate editor of Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine. He is based in Portland, Oregon.
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