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Food and Beverage

Brewski lets you create signature beer, wine or cider at home

Creating one’s own drinks can make for a great conversation starter at a party or when entertaining at home. And Brewski allows those who enjoy exercising their creative muscles in this area the opportunity to make beer, wine or cider and flavor it to personal tastes.

The drink creation station makes about 2.5 gallons at a time (or 30 standard beer bottles) and stores easily on a shelf or convenient counter space. Brewski offers video tutorials that explain how to create beer using the product and included brewing kit, or it is compatible with other brewing kits. Beer bottles with non-twist tops can be washed, refilled and recapped with the bottle capper.

Interested backers might also want to check out Brewie, a similar home-brewing product, but one that doesn’t offer wine and cider like the Brewski does. This campaign seeks to raise $150,000 NZD (~$112,000 USD) on Kickstarter. Early bird backers get one product for $369 (~$275 USD) with an expected delivery of July 2015.

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Food and Beverage

Tealightful timer times brewing tea, makes the perfect cuppa’

There is an art to brewing tea. Many tea shops recommend certain water temperatures and, more importantly, specific brewing times for different types of tea to get that perfectly brewed cup.

Tealightful takes the guesswork out of brewing time for tea. This product looks like any standard tea ball and the user can insert their own teabags, loose leaf tea, or herbs of their own choosing. To set the brewing time, just twist Tealightful and drop in the water. When the time is up, the ball automatically closes making sure that the tea doesn’t steep for too long. Tealightful is long with a handle that makes gripping easy and comes in white, beige, black or gray.

This is a nifty little product, plenty useful for those who love tea. All tea comes with instructions on brewing time and Tealightful makes it super simple to follow these instructions. Backers can have their very own for a donation of $25 on Kickstarter. If Tealightful can reach its $40,000 goal, backers will receive theirs by June 2015.

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Food and Beverage Home

Brewie brews beer at home both for the novice and expert brewer

Beer is a popular drink among many adults. Its brewing process, however, is a bit complicated, keeping people from being able to brew their own beer. Balancing out the ingredients and letting the beer ferment are simply too difficult for a novice to do at home.

Brewie makes it possible to brew one’s own beer at home. This large metal box comes with yeast, hops, malt and different recipes. To use, place the Brew Pad in the box and scan the accompanying card. It will begin to brew. Brewing takes about 5-6 hours for the initial cooking period and about 5-16 days of fermenting.

Brewie offers all different kinds of beer including: IPAs, reds, stouts, and pilseners. This at-home brew systems goes through 10 different steps in its brewing, so the user can add additional hops whenever they want, making it possible to brew their own kinds of beer and virtually any kind of beer there is. In addition, Brewie makes brewing beer fun for experts too and gives control over 23 parameters of the process, if the user wants.

While this machine is large and bulky, it does have some cool promise. At-home brewing usually involves a lot of accessories and work in order to create a great tasting beer. Brew takes all of the hassle out of at-home brewing. Its automatic and manual options make it versatile too, allowing it to be enjoyed by beginners and experts alike. One will cost backers a donation of $1,299 for the beginner pack. Brewie is hoping to raise $100,000 on Indiegogo.

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Food and Beverage

Brewover 2.0 coffee maker makes it cold or hot for you

Coffee is not only a great way to start out the day, but pretty much mandatory for any caffeine fanatic. There are lots of different ways to make coffee, but some are better than others.

The Brewover 2.0 combines three different methods for making coffee: the ever-popular filter method, the pour-over method and the cold brewing method. With its copper design and hourglass shape, this brewer does it all—or at least does three.

The lesser known pour-over method involves pouring hot water through a filter and directly into the cup for super fresh coffee. For those who like iced coffee there’s the cold brew method. This technique is known for producing much more flavorful iced coffee than simply putting hot coffee over ice. It involves brewing coffee with cold water over a 2-10 hour period.

There have been lots of coffee brewers recently on Backerjack, such as the Evolve 3.0 and Cafflano. What sets the Brewover 2.0 apart, however, is that it provides cold brew, something that few coffee makers can offer. One will cost backers $60 AUD (~$49 USD) for estimated delivery in May 2015. Brewover 2.0 hopes to raise $35,000 AUD (~$28,800 USD) on Kickstarter.

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Food and Beverage

Evolve 3.0 offers three ways to brew coffee, not just in theory

There are lots of ways to brew coffee and even more devices that go with each brewing method. French presses, espresso machines, Keurig machines, coffee makers and more clutter our homes all in the name of brewing that perfect cup of coffee.

The Evolve 3.0 is a three-in-one coffee maker. This simple product allows the user to make coffee using either the stovetop method, pour-over method or plunger method. With different parts, it makes it possible to enjoy a cup in three different ways depending on your mood or time constraints.

With each method, the Evolve 3.0’s kettle design makes it easy to serve the coffee. Best of all, this device doesn’t require any kind of paper filter as it uses metal filters of its own. This product is stovetop and dishwasher safe.

The Evolve 3.0 offers three great options for coffee lovers. However, in the morning the last thing anyone wants to worry about is boiling water, which the Evolve can’t do on its own. Perhaps with an integrated water heater, the Evolve will truly be unstoppable. One will cost backers a large donation of $300 NZD (~$234 USD) for delivery in October 2015. Evolve 3.0 is hoping to raise a whopping $160,000 NZD (~$124,800) on Kickstarter.

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Food and Beverage

Cafflano combines full coffee shop in one mug; brews java on the go

Coffee is far and away the most popular way to start out the day all around the world. There are a million different ways to prepare it, but those who want their java just so must either do it themselves at home or hope that a barista knows how to make their preferred beverage.

Cafflano is an all-in-one coffee maker that brews fresh coffee anywhere. Cafflano features five parts: a grinder, drip kettle, filter, dripper and tumbler. While it looks like just a regular travel thermos, it actually packs quite a punch. With this product, its possible to enjoy the freshness of newly ground beans without having to pay the price either in time or money. Made from stainless steel on the inside and silicon on the outside, this product is durable and sure to keep coffee hot.

This is one of the fancier travel mugs that Backerjack has seen. Most opt for a K-Cup type model, like the Hey Joe travel thermos. Cafflano offers freedom from cartridges, though may take more time and effort to prepare coffee with. One will cost backers £36 (~$56) for estimated delivery in February from London. Cafflano is hoping to raise £1,000 (~$1,500) on Kickstarter this time around as it was unable to find success in July 2014.

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Food and Beverage

Degono tea and coffee press promises to retain true grit

There’s something about the smell and taste of freshly brewed coffee or tea that just makes the morning (or evening wind-down) more pleasant. Degono offers a product that not only brews the best morning beverages, resembling a French press, but also simplifies clean-up with its “grounds away cleaning system,” setting it apart from other coffee and tea makers. The grounds are trapped between two filters, one at the bottom and the other on the top. This coffee press also works well with loose tea, allowing the user control of how strong their tea will be through the use of the unique filtration system. In addition, Degono is dishwasher safe.

It’s not clear if brands other than Degono brand coffee or tea can be used in the product or not. Coffee loving backers may also want to check out the Artist, Bruvelo, and Brewover campaigns. This campaign seeks to raise £27,980 (~$44,000). Early bird backers get one product for £20 (~$31), with an expected delivery date of May 2015.

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Food and Beverage

Coffee Cuppa takes you from grounds to sipping lickety-split

Here is the perfect item for coffee coinsures who find the instant stuff to be an affront to their taste buds. Coffee Cuppa allows for the real deal to be available in minutes without having to brew a complete pot. The grounds go in the small coffee holder gadget, which goes in one’s favorite standard sized coffee cup. Then just pour hot water over the gadget. Grinding the coffee beans will still be necessary. If the plan is to have the real stuff available at the office or some other location away from home and there isn’t a grinder there, a bit of preplanning will be necessary, as well as sealable storage baggies for toting. It’s not clear if the gadget is airtight to preserve freshness and prevent grounds from escaping during travels. For £10, early bird backers get one product with an expected delivery of November 2014.

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Food and Beverage Travel

Mojoe satisfies the need for mo’ joe on the go

MojoeFor most, when mid morning hits, it’s necessary to get a caffeine fix. For those who don’t have access to a coffeemaker, a trip to the local café is the only option, which can get costly and time-consuming in the long run. For on-the-go brewing, try Mojoe, a portable single serving coffee maker. Simply load up the filter with your own coffee and put sugar and cream in on the other side for a fresh cup of java. Mojoe is similar to the Hey Joe Coffee Mug, but has the added benefit of letting the drinker use their own coffee, making it more cost-effective and convenient. One Mojoe costs $89 for delivery in December 2014. This portable brewer hopes to raise $50,000 on Indiegogo.

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Nutrition/Hydration Travel

Hey Joe, where you goin’ with that brewing mug in your hand?

The Premise. Coffee can, unfortunately, make or break a meeting, lecture or work event. Without it, it’s hard to focus and getting anything done becomes extremely difficult. While most schools and offices recognize this by providing cafes and coffee carts in house, that cup of java is not always right at hand.

The Product. The Hey Joe Coffee Mug is a convenient way to get that caffeine dosage for hardcore coffee addicts. It looks like any normal travel mug and is tall and black. The mug comes with small cartridges of coffee and with the push of a button will brew a cup of coffee. It is designed so that drinkers are welcome to use their own coffee as well. The temperature can be regulated with the push of the power button and the coffee brewing is powered from a rechargeable battery on the bottom of the mug. Cleaning is easy since the coffee is relatively contained. One simply needs to fill the mug with water and soap and then press brew sans coffee cartridge.

The Pitch. The campaign video really stresses the environmental friendliness of the product. It goes through statistics for how many disposable coffee materials people consume and how the Hey Joe Coffee Mug cuts down on that waste. In addition, the coffee cartridge package comes with seeds so that when the coffee grounds are used, one can plant them to grow into flowers. Hey Joe is looking to raise $20,000 in a 30-day Kickstarter campaign.

The Perks. Early birdies will receive the travel mug for $39. For $49, backers will receive the mug in black. At the $69 level, backers have the choice of color for their mug and also get 40 coffee cartridges so that they can start brewing. Reward tiers go all the way up to $10,000 with estimated delivery in November 2014. 

The Potential. Coffee convenience has become a thing of concern in recent years. The ever-popular Keurig machine has made it possible to brew one cup at a time easily. This type of machine, however, leaves behind little plastic cups of waste. Other products, like the highly touted AeroPress still requires a source for hot water. The Hey Joe Coffee Mug is the first of its kind that can brew on the go and regulate temperature. This product will certainly be a staple for all caffeine addicts with hectic schedules.