If Apple were to design the best coffee maker for fans of cold brews and nitro coffees, it would probably be the $695 Cumulus machine.
I recently had the chance to check out the Cumulus coffee maker in-person, and yes, the first thing that struck me when I saw it was the sleek, minimalist design. But at a price of $695, it’s definitely more of a splurge compared to your average Keurig coffee maker. That said, it just might be worth it when you experience what happens beyond the good looks.
The main draw of the Cumulus machine is its ability to brew cold cups of coffee and shots of frothy espresso near-instantly. What impressed me, though, is what the brand calls “Cold Cloud” technology.
Essentially, it can pull nitrogen from the air to create a frothy, creamy nitro cold brew that’s served just like a properly-poured pint of Guinness.
Upon locking in the proprietary dark roast pod, setting the Cumulus machine to the Nitro setting, and hitting start, 10 chilled ounces brewed into a glass within a minute. The brew came out with those signature cascading bubbles, settling into a beautiful, velvety foam on top.
Simply put, it was as satisfying to watch as it was to, eventually, drink.
That pod I mentioned comes in the form of an adorably compact, keg-like container. There are currently eight different pod variations to choose from, including a decaf option. You can only order these pods directly from the Cumulus website, and they cost up to $60 for a sleeve of 10 pods.
Most pod packs are, however, priced around a more reasonable $25 to $27. Each serving works out to around $2.50 to $3 per cup, which might be a bit more than your typical drip coffee, but it’s also half the price of a grande-sized Nitro Cold Brew at my closest Starbucks location in New York City.
Now for me, where’s there’s coffee, there’s opportunity. Opportunity for what, you may ask? Why, espresso martinis, obviously.
Espresso martinis are always a fun choice, but I’ve always hated waiting for the espresso from my manual espresso machine to chill before mixing the drink. The Cumulus machine’s ability to brew chilled espresso empowers instant gratification.
With a splash of the brand’s all-natural syrups, and voilà, I was treated to an incredibly tasty espresso martini that was as good as any I’ve had at a bar.
While $695 is a lot to ask for a product that’s only compatible with proprietary pods, I think Cumulus is onto something. Cold brew and nitro brews are ridiculously popular, but there’s a lack of solutions for making these styles of drinks at-home in a timely fashion. Plus, it’s not just premium manual espresso machines that are in that price range these days. The Nespresso Creatista, for example, costs $699.
Personally, as a cold coffee-only drinker (my current setup is an endless cycle of brewed Nespresso cups and grocery store concentrates sitting in my fridge,) Cumulus seems like the ultimate caffeine machine. Taking its features and tech into consideration, it’s truly just a bonus that it’d look fabulous on my counter.
