# Marco Uber Boiler



## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

These look really cool and I'm wondering if anyone on here has used one for making brewed coffees. What are the key advantages? Seems to me the following, although I haven't checked these:

- Digital control of temperature so consistent brewing temp without fiddly thermometers

- Digital scales built-in

Right? Anything else?

Ta


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## lookseehear (Jul 16, 2010)

Add to the list:

- It looks totally badass!

- It has Uber in the name - it has to be good!

I've lusted after one of these for a good while, but being perfectly honest the only reason I can see that the temperature needs to be that precise is for french press or aeropress. If you're making drip it's probably going into a pouring kettle anyway, if you're making syphon it's being heated anyway. It also means that you have to be really careful to preheat absolutely everything.

I guess the benefits come when you work out how much the temperature drops when you transfer the water to a pouring kettle and then from the kettle to the coffee - at least it's repeatable! The scales again are great but still mostly for french press and aeropress (eva solo too I guess) as it's probably more convenient to use standalone scales for other brew methods.

All that being said, I still really want one!


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

If there's anyone out there who has one, any chance you could shed some light on how it is used in practise. As a kettle filler, as Luke says? Direct pour into cones/ plunger etc? I know it has a manually controllable flow rate so the latter seems likely but in that case wouldnt it be a bottleneck in a coffeeshop?


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## CoffeeMagic (Aug 7, 2011)

Mike, I have been watching some news about the Uber Boiler via a roaster I used to do business with. They have a blog which was documenting their trials - http://blog.fivesenses.com.au/tag/uber-boiler/

Have a look around the site as there are other various links to articles and video. Hope it proves useful.


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

Cheers Ron. Will bookmark it to follow new posts.


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## CoffeeMagic (Aug 7, 2011)

No problem. Are you considering the Uber for your own business?


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

Absolutely, but only if it adds tangible value rather than just cool-factor.


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## seeq (Jul 9, 2011)

How much filter coffee are you thinking you will sell? I think Luke summed it up pretty well to be honest. Certainly for you it's a want rather than a must have..... pretty good want though


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

Bit like a Versalab M3. I reallllly want one


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

I'm hoping we can manage to have a little brew bar and build a reputation for the best coffees in the highlands, if not Scotland, and I see brewed coffee being a large part of it tbh. But if we can manage with standard water boilers and thermometers without it being too onerous then I agree that an Uber seems lacking in enough benefits at this stage. Surprised nobody has popped up as a staunch advocate of it, and that is quite telling in itself.

Ta.


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## SeamusMcFlurry (Jul 9, 2008)

I use an Uber at work every day







.

It works well with pourover. For coffees such as Yirgacheffe, which work best at a certain temperature, it ensures that the temperature at point of contact remains consistant, rather than beginning too high and ending too low. Compared alongside a pouring kettle, the pouring kettle begins around 93C, and ends around 87C. The Uber pours at the temperature you set, with a measurable temperature drop as the water falls from the font, ensuring that the coffee extracts at the same rate throughout the pour.

Hope that helps


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

It does. Thanks







So does it have some sort of auto-rotating spout for pourover or is it just straight down the centre of the grinds?


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## RolandG (Jul 25, 2010)

Okay, since you're looking for an advocate









The Uber-Boiler does exactly what it sets out to do - but that isn't to be a fixture in every shop. The Uber Project is about seeing what the technical limits are. The Uber Boiler does a great job - it delivers hot water at a very tightly specifiable temperature, at a very well controlled rate, onto scales and with a timer. That's great for brewing coffee, but it isn't strictly necessary by any means.

That said - is a top of the range espresso machine necessary? A two thousand pound machine can make great coffee. An eight thousand pound machine is undoubtedly better - but can't be said to be essential for most shops by any means. That's not an objection to having a top of the range machine or an uber boiler, but you need to recognise that it's not essential for tasty coffee by any means.

A hot water delivery system is essential for a busy brew bar (with a pouring kettle, scales and a timer







). I certainly think (though I have no hard evidence here) that the development of the Uber Boiler has/will have a beneficial effect on Marco's more standard range of hot water delivery systems.


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

Thanks for stepping up, Roland









I think your third para has is for me. It does seem to be "top of the range" (at least perception-wise), and once a product ticks that box it often becomes something you can no longer appraise upon tangible benefits alone.

You've also reminded me of those James Hoffman videos about how it was conceived etc, and whilst it was ultimately to meet a business needs, the project does appear (to me anyway) to have been driven by mountain-climber's syndrome... "why climb it?" .... "because it's there."

But even so, I think it's still important to know what the practical benefits are from a user's perspective, and that was what I was trying to establish. I hope nobody thinks I've been down on the product. I just want to learn more so I can get a view before speaking to someone from Marco.


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## lookseehear (Jul 16, 2010)

I think the biggest thing the uber has going for it at the moment is that it is the best system currently available.

If you were opening a shop which absolutely had to have a synesso, slayer or a LM strada machine then to me this is a similar kind of necessity. As Roland said, a cheaper machine will allow you to make great coffee, its up to you to decide whether the benefits in the cup are worth the outlay.

Looking at it from a business perspective, the success or failure of an independent coffee shop in the west end of London doesn't depend on whether you've spent £5K or £10k on an espresso machine. If your sales are good enough to cover the rent then its probably a non issue and you can be a bit 'frivolous' perhaps with the equipment. If you are in a low footfall area, those purchases start to stack up, and from a value for money perspective its probably not worth it.

Its probably important to note however that I don't have a clue what an uber costs, or how good or expensive the alternatives are!

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

Continuing the search for info on the Uber Boiler I came across this review. Very interesting reading... as well as highlighting some of the features it points out some of the downsides in comparison with alternative water delivery solutions for coffeeshops.

http://onocoffee.blogspot.com/2010/06/lost-in-time-marco-uber-boiler.html


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