xBloom Studio Focus #1 - Introduction

The first xBloom Studio in Quebec

Having visited the SCA Expo 2022, I had already seen the xBloom Original a few times and I had obviously been a victim of their heavy media hype since the launch of the KickStarter version.

I was skeptical of the extraction quality and didn't like the concept of xPods at all. To me, it was yet another pod machine, perhaps with a little specialty coffee twist. Overall, the xBloom Original was a missed opportunity for true coffee lovers, but a good product for the more affluent who want "drinkable" coffee.

Honestly, I think I was kind of right. The xBloom Original was a success, but mostly in terms of media hype, not necessarily sales. The xPods are still hard to find depending on the region, and the freshness of the coffee is questionable.

Fast-forward to late 2023, and my friend Mario shows up at Nucleus with the brand-new xBloom Studio, the first to set foot in Quebec. Mario was a representative for the xBloom importer at the time, spreading the good news to roasters like a missionary.

In a nutshell :

• New focus on the Omni Dripper (which allows you to use your own beans)
• New pouring system that fixes the problems of the original
• Can now be connected to an external tank
• Built-in scale, grinder with variable RPM, etc.
• The price drops from $1250 to $800 CAD!

Mario prepares us a coffee with our Finca Antonio Recinos, a natural pacamara that was on the menu at the time. He clicks two or three buttons, and three minutes later, we taste our own coffee prepared with the first xBloom Studio in Quebec.

That cup will always be etched in my mind. Not necessarily because it was the best coffee I've ever had, but because it was the first time I'd enjoyed coffee made by a machine. I can't say if it was the day that was particularly cheerful, the coffee that was at its peak of aroma, or Mario's joie de vivre, but the impression I had was that a barista had prepared me an excellent pour-over while I enjoyed chatting with my friends.

In short, I understood that the xBloom was going to revolutionize how people enjoy their coffee.

But I wasn't 100% convinced yet.

The arrival of the Studio at Nucleus

After a bit of hesitation, we decided to buy a Studio to put it in the Nucleus lab and start using it in our routine, to make some tasks easier and to understand the machine better.

Initially, we used it to make a small pour-over in the morning. The small NFC card allows us to quickly activate the machine's basic recipe: a classic 3-pour, a little stirring, and a time of about 3 minutes 30 seconds.

And for a long time, it stayed that way. I didn't feel the need to go any further or bother to pour over manually; it was satisfying.

Addiction

Around mid-2024, I was heavily exploring the world of espresso. At home, it was always espresso: from the classic 1:2 30s shot to the fruity cortado, including the turbo shot, the slayer shot, the filter 3.0, and everything that can be made on a modded Bianca.

In the lab, it was always filter coffee with the xBloom. At that point, I had started testing a few recipes and sometimes used grinders other than the integrated one. But one thing is certain: our kettle was gathering dust. We even used the xBloom when we were cupping 2 or 3 coffees (more than 3 coffees starts to get a bit long).

I eventually got tired of espresso, or rather, I got sick of it temporarily; it never lasts long. But when I wanted to make filter coffee at home, I thought of the xBloom again. I had become accustomed to pressing one button and getting an excellent pour-over.

I finally realized that I was tired of making pour-overs. Having to heat water, try recipes, pre-wet my filter, stand around waiting for each draw-down, grind my coffee in single doses, ensure no retention, measure my extraction, etc. etc. I was tired of it.

I realized that the pour-over workflow had grown so large that it was taking me away from my true passion and the real pay-off: enjoying a good coffee on my balcony, taking the time to taste it, appreciate it and relax.

Obviously, I bought myself a second xBloom to put at home ;)

The geek in all this?

I can see you coming: coffee appreciation also means controlling it, understanding it, and preparing it yourself.

I'm not saying the opposite, obviously.

I learned to love coffee by having fun with it, testing every possible variable, and learning. It's a canvas for any intellectual adventure enthusiast. I'll never stop learning and trying to make my coffee better.

But, most of the time, I enjoy having access to all my knowledge and experiments at the touch of a button.

After developing the best recipes and fully understanding the xBloom, all that remains is the appreciation of an automatic pour-over, prepared my way.

Focus xBloom Studio: Understanding xBloom and exploring extraction

This is the topic of this blog post series.

After many theories and experiments to prove or disprove these theories, I want to present my analysis of the xBloom Studio and help you understand how to use it to its full potential.

Through xBloom, we obviously explore general extraction concepts, but applied a little more in context.

This series is intended to focus solely on using the Studio with the Omni Dripper 2. I do not wish to promote xPods for environmental, quality, and accessibility reasons.

And of course, Nucleus is now a reseller of the xBloom Studio in Canada. I'm offering this information publicly for all Studio owners and I invite aspiring owners to continue reading and consider Nucleus for their purchase, it's the best way to encourage us and enter a community of coffee geeks. Plus, we'll give you 2 bags of exceptional coffee with the purchase of the Studio and free shipping, hard to beat that ;)

In short, I hope to bring value to the Studio user community and raise the profile of this product that has changed my perception of coffee and allowed me to appreciate it on a whole new level.