The Cumulus Machine Review: Fast and frothy cold brew

But, a word about oxygen. The device essentially pumps pure air (79 percent nitrogen, 20 percent oxygen) into the coffee rather than using nitro cartridges. This is cool, but exposure to oxygen is the known enemy of fresh tasting coffee. After the nitro evaporated, side-by-side taste tests showed more flabby oxidation flavor in the nitro than the non-nitro bases.

But fresh out of the machine, this doesn’t look like much. What you notice is bracing, fun bubbles that add to the perceived sweetness. Those bubbles cover a lot of sins, building a thick head on a cold beer that looks for all the world like a well-poured Irish stout.

A WIRED editor, looking at a photo of Cumulus’ abundant nitro, jovially suspected chicanery. “I swear they used Guinness for the promo shots,” he wrote.

The espresso is also effervescent – equipped with a thick and genuine cream, formed by the pressure exerted by the powerful compressor of the device. It was the Cumulus espresso’s own natural foam that led to my beautifully frothy martini, a result that eluded me with both hot and cold espresso.

A big tip of the hat to cocktail consultant and educator Josh Seaburg, of Virginia Citizen Cocktail Modelsfor a good espresso martini recipe to try this stuff. For the record, this involved 1.5 ounces of vodka, 0.75 ounces of coffee liqueur like Mr. Black, and half an ounce of simple syrup, mixed with an ounce of cold espresso. Mix, shake, pour. The device only makes double shots, so one capsule provides enough cold espresso for two cocktails.

Who is the Cumulus for?

On the one hand, the Cumulus is an impressive piece of engineering – one that succeeds on many fronts where other device manufacturers have failed.

But it’s not a device for coffee snobs. It lends itself best to those who appreciate the convenience of a Keurig and aren’t overly fussy, or those who naturally load up their cold brew with milk and sugar or other flavors. Cumulus doubles down on this con flavored syrups ranging from Orange Piloncillo to Cinnamon Demerara.

Photography: Cumulus