KARAMUZ

Slowpresso is a brand new Polish device which enables brewing ground coffee in a simple way. No need for electricity, zero waste from used capsules, and no coffee grounds left in a cup. On top of that Slowpresso takes up no more space than an ordinary mug.

- Website - https://slowpresso.pl/en
- Step-by-step instructions - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GHTUtUI4oo&t=3s
- Instagram - https://facebook.com/slowpresso
- Facebook - https://instagram.com/slowpresso

Slowpresso is aimed at those who want to enjoy tasty, strong coffee at home, at work, in a tent or at a picnic, but don’t want to invest in expensive coffee machines or resort to instant coffee.

The device consists of three ceramic pieces: a dripper, a pot and a lid which will all fit easily in any kitchen cabinet. The set is accompanied by paper filters.

Coffee made in Slowpresso is thick and dense, which is why you can drink it as a single shot, or use it as a base for any type of coffee, be it milk coffee, or black. Carefully chosen proportion and the shape of the dripper are responsible for the thickness and the flavour of the coffee. They are a joint effort of Stefan and Justyna Karamuz, a father and a daughter who came up with the idea and prepared this project.

‘Presso’, which we adopted in the name of our device, comes from Italian ‘espressivo’, or expressive. That’s what coffee from Slowpresso is like: strong, full-bodied and thick. This consistency is what the alternative brewing methods were lacking, says Stefan Karamuz, a qualified physicist who has been working in the IT sector since the 1990s. Stefan loves his coffee and has inspired his daughter to create a new device for brewing coffee.

★★ Slow coffee brewing ★★

When you brew your coffee in Slowpresso all you need to do is to fill up the preheated dripper with ground coffee, moisten it, then carefully pour hot water over it and leave it under cover for a few minutes (5-7 min). You will have enough coffee for two from one brewing.

★★ How it came about: from a lost sieve to Slowpresso ★★

There would be no Slowpresso if it wasn’t for a simple, plastic small sieve which Stefan Karamuz would use throughout the 1980s to brew his coffee. He would often serve it to his family and friends, and the coffee had such a distinctive flavour that everybody simply called it ‘Stefan’s coffee’.

And the sieve would probably still be in use today if it hadn’t disappeared one day.

Stefan started his quest for a new sieve which would enable him to brew a perfect coffee. This coincided with a new hobby of his daughter, Justyna Karamuz.

At the time this archaeologist fascinated with ceramics was a full-time UX designer and web designer. She would focus on her hobbies after work, learning wheel throwing in Stanisław Tworzydło’s art studio.

When approached by her father, Justyna tried to recreate the plastic sieve in ceramics. Together they had produced numerous prototypes of various dimensions and proportions, while constantly testing, checking the brewing time and searching for the flavour of the old ‘Stefan’s coffee’.

Apart from the dripper, Justyna had also set out to work on designing a perfectly fitting mug and lid which were essential to keep the brew hot. And, as a UX designer would, she started to produce new versions and to sell them, mostly to friends at first, simultaneously asking them to test them in everyday use. Thanks to this, tried and tested Slowpresso is now available for purchase for everyone.

Professional baristas have also appreciated the taste of ‘Stefan’s coffee’: it is not only individual customers that have been able to enjoy Slowpresso, but also customers of two coffee bars serving so called speciality coffee.

Working with clay has excited Justyna so much so that these days she focuses solely on Slowpresso and her own other ceramic projects.

★★ Slowpresso versus other methods of brewing coffee (comparison) ★★

Slowpresso is an alternative method using dripping: the device is a type of a dripper, just like V60 or Chemex. The difference is that thanks to a unique design of the dripper, coffee brewed in Slowpresso is thicker, stronger and closer to the one made in a coffee machine.

★★ People behind Slowpresso ★★

Justyna Karamuz: UX designer, specialising in new technologies and ceramics. Having worked in IT for many years, Justyna has decided that designing ceramic objects is her way of living. She loves great coffee and tea. Functionality and usefulness of the product are as important to her as its aesthetics and quality of workmanship involved.

Stefan Karamuz: a scientific mind who enjoys his cup of coffee. A qualified physicist who has been working in the IT sector for many years. Stefan looks for simple, good solutions in any area he might be active in. He enjoys his proper, strong coffee, and for many years he has been searching for his own way of brewing coffee, which is how Slowpresso came about.