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Every great product has a great backstory, and the xPod is no different. It literally took a team of 3 PhDs, 50 designs and a whole lot of coffee to perfect it.
Our team of engineers, coffee professionals, designers, and user experience experts worked tirelessly to create a product that not only results in the perfect cup of coffee, but is also good for the planet and packed with features.
Our main inspiration for the design was you. Your expectations motivate us to design something that is not only unique, but also meets your needs in terms of quality and sustainability. And since you are such a big part of the creative process, we wanted to give you a behind-the-scenes look at the design process of the xPod.
Before we began designing the xPod, we considered what we wanted to achieve. It all boiled down to a simple question: how can we make the perfect cup of coffee?
We knew that to create something truly special would take time, focus and a lot of tests.
We wanted to create something truly special, something that would reflect how we feel about coffee: passionate, innovative and modern. How did we do it? By asking the right questions. Imagine our heads full of questions like what is the right size? The height? What is the perfect flow rate? Which geometric shape will work best and how can we create the perfect ridges and valleys for an optimal coffee extraction? How could we do this in an eco-friendly way?
Answering these questions one by one led us to reimagine the coffee pod from the ground up, and that’s how the xPod was born.
It all started with the material. Most other companies use aluminum, but we knew it wasn't an environmentally friendly option, so we looked for alternatives. One of our core values is to be as sustainable as possible, so we decided to use a material that is 100% biodegradable and plastic-free: sugarcane fiber, also known as bagasse.
This decision came after researching and testing different materials. Bagasse is a by-product of sugar processing, which means it requires less energy to manufacture. It's also durable and immune to high temperatures, making it the perfect material for coffee brewing. Plus, it provides superior shock and vibration cushioning, so your pods will always arrive in perfect condition.
Our choice of material was just the beginning. We also had to consider the shape, size and functionality of the pod. We drew inspiration from the Kalita Wave, a manual pour over coffee brewer that features a sealed bottom with three small holes. The flat, holed bottom of the brewer allows for even distribution of water and coffee grinds, resulting in a balanced cup of coffee.
We applied this same concept to our pods, but the three holes resulted in a very slow water flow rate. It was clear that we were not there yet. So, we went back to the drawing board and started brainstorming. We succeeded in finding the perfect design of holes and their placement to allow for optimal extraction.
But then we had another problem! We realized the size of the pod was too small. We went back and forth on this one, testing different sizes until we found the perfect capacity for a single cup of coffee.
After nailing down the perfect material, shape and size, we finally had a working prototype. But the journey wasn't over yet. We still had to test, and test, and test again, until we got to where we are today: the perfect cup of coffee, in a pod that is good for you and good for the planet.
But that's not all! The xPod is much more than a capsule that holds the whole beans. It's also a dripper with built-in filters, such as using high quality filter paper imported from Japan, so you can enjoy your favorite pour over coffees without any hassle or waste. And if you have green fingers, you can even use your empty pods as seed starters for windowsill!
The xPod is the result of countless hours of research, testing and refinement and we are truly proud to offer you a product that not only makes great coffee, but is also eco-friendly and packed with features. We hope you enjoy your xPod as much as we enjoyed making it!
