Every coffee lover knows the benefits of having a high-quality mug. The iKoffy GoBrew is not your average mug, though. It has a Bluetooth scale and app to guide you to make pour-over coffee like a pro. It also functions as a thermos, preserving the flavor of your drink for a couple of hours. We first heard about this Kickstarter project a few weeks ago, and the team behind it kindly sent me one to test. Let’s see what was included:
Our GoBrew came with a sleek coffee mug with a leakproof lid. I also got a bit of ground coffee to put it to the test. This looks like a standard mug but has a scale built-in. You can use it to weigh your coffee and water to get the ratio right. The scale is accurate to 0.1g. GoBrew also comes with a convenient app that guides you through multiple recipes. It was still in beta at the time of our test, but most functions worked as they should.
This smart mug is pretty easy to use. You can turn it on with a tap on the power button. There is a T (tare) button on one side that you can use to weigh your coffee and water with precision without taking into account the weight of your filter and its holder. GoBrew has a USB-C port in the back for charging.
As someone who has very little experience with pour-over coffee, I found this coffee brewer to be super easy to use. We used a cheap paperless filter for our tests but also tried a paper filter with it just to experiment. If you decide to do the same, you will want to run a bit of warm water through it before getting started.
The companion app has multiple programs for you to try, including DIY recipes. You don’t have to worry about getting the proper ratio wrong as the app guides you through the process. It will tell you how much coffee and water to add and activates a sound when you hit that. I never quite got it perfectly right but got close enough.
You can technically use the scale in this mug to weigh anything. Once you have brewed a drink, you can save it. You will be able to see brew time, water, coffee amount, ratio, and other relevant info. This coffee brewer supports pulse and continuous pouring. You can also use it for iced pour-over coffee. The app will be available for iOS and Android devices but we only tested an early version of it on an iPad. I personally prefer the DIY mode as it is more flexible.
Even if you choose not to use this to brew your coffee, you can rely on it as a leakproof mug. It has double wall insulation to maintain temperature and flavor. The LED display shows Bluetooth status, battery indicator, and weight. The base is non-slip, which is a plus.
As someone who uses fancy coffee machines to prepare my drink, I never got serious about pour-over coffee in the past. With a tool like this, it is a whole lot easier to maintain the proper ratio to make delicious coffee. In fact, you can take this shiny coffee brewer anywhere to make your drink. You will just have to bring your coffee, water, and filter.
Overall, I found the GoBrew to be very well made. The scale is as accurate as the kitchen scale I use to prepare new recipes. I tested the mug for about 10 days and the battery is still going strong. I tried hard to get the mug to leak but once it is closed properly, it will keep every ounce of your drink inside. You can drink through the lid without having to remove it. The app is still in beta and had a few minor bugs, but nothing that stopped me from following the recipes and preparing a few drinks. The only improvement I would suggest for the next version is a heating function with adjustable temperature, though that may present some engineering challenges. iKoffy has this project on Kickstarter at the time of this writing. These mugs are expected to ship in November.
