The Future Of Coffee Is Here: And It Tastes Fantastic
In a Nutshell
Cometier, the world's first facility in Gloucester, Massachusetts—birthplace of flash freezing—brews ultra-fresh coffee at 10x strength from top global beans, then flash-freezes it with liquid nitrogen at -321°F into recyclable capsules that preserve unmatched flavor and aroma for months, tasting like coffee brewed that day. Tastings of blends like George Howell's Alchemy, dark Guatemalan, light El Salvador Santa Rosa, and premium Panama Geisha reveal extraordinary nuance, outperforming home brews. Backed by $100M and linked to Clarence Birdseye's legacy, Cometier positions specialty coffee for explosive growth akin to craft beer's rise from niche to 27% market share.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Researchers at MIT suggest limited attention spans due to TikTok dopamine chasing. Data indicates beautiful buildings like this do nothing anymore. Nerds never lie. Tom Brady reference. Content from New England includes world's fanciest coffee, drones, submarines, cures for cancer, brains in vats, lobster roll. 30-second engagement rate soaring, feeding the algorithm.
Gloucester, Mass., fishing city, site of movies like The Perfect Storm and Manchester by the Sea. Commercial flash freezing invented here. Clarence Birdseye started General Seafood Corporation in 1925 with double belt freezer contraption. Flash freezing remains crucial.
First brew and flash freeze coffee facility on the planet. Former seafood processing facility with crab legs around building and fish smell 10 ft outside. Matt Roberts, co-founder and CEO of Cometier (pronounced Cometier from Gloucester). Alex Kaplan, head of coffee product. Both coffee obsessives.
At Princeton, opened coffee shop, worked on coffee farm in Colombia, youngest Q Grader in world at 19. Started with frozen ice cubes for iced coffee. Met George Howell, godfather of specialty coffee, who spit out early prototype. George served single origin from Borena region of Ethiopia, blew his mind. Flash froze fresh brewed samples with dry ice. 6 months later, melted samples tasted like freshly roasted, ground, and brewed that week. Discovered best way to preserve coffee.
Delivers best tasting coffee from flash frozen capsule. Scientifically proven to capture flavor and aroma unmatched by other formats. Starts with beans from best farmers and roasters worldwide. 900 lb of freshly roasted coffee beans. Grind and brew at 10x strength with advanced equipment. Grinder in secret room. Flash freeze with liquid nitrogen at -321°F moments later, locking in fresh flavor and aroma.
Capsule is frozen puck like super espresso shot. Melt into 8 oz hot water. Or melt and mix for iced coffee, latte, espresso drinks. Fully recyclable capsule. Capture spent grounds; Black Earth Compost recycles into fertilizer. Capsules rinse clean, recyclable with cans. Metal recycles forever.
Alchemy: George Howell's medium roast blend from Brazil, Kenya, Costa Rica, Ethiopia. Comforting and familiar. 8 oz at 200°F, no machine. First sip ever: "Really good."
Dark roast Guatemalan from Queuetango (or Tanango): Intense, rich, fudgy dark chocolate notes. Slurp to get aromatics; thousands of aromatic flavors, nuance.
El Salvador Santa Rosa: Single origin, lightly roasted, tea-like, light and delicate. "Chill."
Finca Deborah Enigma Geisha from small region of Panama, highest quality geisha coffees. "Never smelled a coffee that smells like that. Never tasted a coffee that tastes like that." "Does not taste like what I make at home; different drink."
Raised over $100 million; $85 million into facility renovations. Capacity: 200 million cups a year. Secret room full of stainless steel.
Beach outside Bowaortport Hotel, site of original Birdseye plant. St. Peter's Festival greasy pole competition: third-generation Gloucester citizens run down greased pole to grab flag. Ex-fishermen after beers. Focus, footwork equals flight. Some train in backyards; winners fulfill lifelong dreams.
Quit job, started company with credit card, four roommates. Spent time in kitchen making iced coffee; roommates thought intervention needed. Graduated top of class. Tough first 4-5 months before angel funding.
Cayman Hodges' great-grandfather Wetmore Hodges organized General Foods Company and General Seafoods Corporation in Gloucester. Associated with Clarence Birdseye, developed Birdseye freezing process. Sold companies and process for $22 million before 1929 ($451 million today). "Holy shit."
Jim Koch pioneered craft beer, crowdfunded IPO for Boston Beer. Innovative marketing to bars. 20 years ago, craft beer didn't exist; now 27% of dollar sales. Specialty coffee 15 years behind. Most see coffee as brown bitter water needing cream and sugar, like beer was water with foam. Young people drinking less alcohol; caffeine positive for health, productivity. Rise of third space like Starbucks. Less alcohol drinkers into coffee. Cometier well-positioned.
Lobster roll heaven. Transition to autonomous weapons in Quincy, Mass.
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