If you have ever had the privilege of visiting or seeing images of the city of Barcelona, you will know that it has a unique beauty centred around a celebration of innovative design. We chatted to Juan Ortiz, one of the Founders behind Wolf & Miu as they turn their attention to coffee equipment.
What made you turn your attention to coffee products?
The story began with our deep admiration for the coffee community.
Wolf & Miu is a design brand focused on creating products to enjoy and connect with the simple moments in life. We design products that accompany us in the rituals that bring calmness and joy: cooking our favourite recipes at home, reading a book in the comfort of a good light. It was from these simple yet meaningful rituals that we fell in love with the coffee community: A community of people who appreciate the value of time, dedication, and details. In the coffee community we find a place where our values ​​as a brand resonate.
So we could say that our attention was first drawn by the coffee community, its rituals, its love and passion for detail and quality. Once in love, the obvious result of being designers was to create products that would address this community and all those who value personal time, harmony and beauty in their spaces. Then the Quindio Collection was created.
What kind of research and development goes into creating a new coffee product like these?
We could divide the research & development into two parts: The functionality and technical aspects & the materials and production.
Functionality is the foundation on which all other factors were built. To create Quindio we did an exhaustive research that took months, and collaborated with renowned baristas and coffee roasters from different parts of the world (such as NOMAD coffee from Spain), in order to achieve detailed technical definitions: such as the indicated number and size of ribs, and the characteristics of the outlets in the dripper. Also details such as the impact that the double wall would have on the retention of temperature, and the study of the water flow to achieve a balanced extraction. Research and collaboration with coffee professionals aimed to define the appropriate technical aspects so that both enthusiasts and those who are new to the world of coffee can enjoy a balanced cup of coffee brewed with Quindío.
One of the most important pillars of the brand is the direct collaboration with local and independent craftsmen. Under this approach, the production was based on creating synergy with ceramic and wood craftspeople who were willing to accept the challenge of producing Quindio. Although its lines are sleek and simple, each piece in the set has a high technical complexity, which required even more months of tests to make the theory behind the technical study materialize.
At one point, these two parts were no longer divided and it was a joint and iterative collaboration between coffee experts, craftspeople, and us (Juan and Patricia) as the designers of the brand.
How many iterations did you come up with before the Quindio Collection could be launched?
Wow, it's hard to say because there were so many that we can't keep count! We cannot say for sure how many iterations we did until we achieved the final product, but if it is of any use for the calculation we can say that we have a whole ceiling height rack of more than 3 meters wide full of tests, prototypes, studies of materials, etc. The development of Quindio, from the beginning of the research, through the material development of the parts to the current model, took more than a year. The same is happening now with the launch of our new line of double-walled sensory Mugs: It all started with an idea that changed thanks to the feedback we received from both coffee experts and our artisans.
The result in every product development is always a product that looks very different from what we originally intended, but is certainly much more interesting, beautiful, and functional.
QUINDIO POUR-OVER COFFEE MAKER
The Passion for Craftsmanship, Advanced Product Design & Coffee Rituals.
The boutique design company Wolf & Miu, one of the pioneers of the slow-production movement in the vibrant Barcelona design scene, is introducing Quindio, a pour-over coffee maker collection produced in limited batches. Handmade from natural materials by local craftspeople, the Collection is a unique intersection of passion and dedication from different disciplines.
Quindio is a piece for the daily coffee rituals, for being proudly displayed in any interior space. Clean-cut and intentional, the coffee maker has been meticulously designed to invite for a pause and enjoy the space, stillness and simplicity; to inspire presence and harmony through its shapes, lines and the warmth of its materials.
“The Quindio spirit is based on a collaborative philosophy, where advanced product design meets traditional craftsmanship and coffee science. This approach has led us to develop the collection in synergy with some of the best baristas from Europe; as well as local craftspeople from Barcelona who master the art of transforming natural materials into beautiful, complex and functional pieces", says Juan Ortiz, founder of Wolf & Miu.
Each coffee maker is numbered and part of a production batch with limited pieces. The way the elements interact allows to easily extract a rich, consistent, full-bodied cup with every brew: A dripper designed to use with standard #2 or #4 cone filters -which can be found just about anywhere- provides the ideal flow thanks to the set of ridges along its wall and the two outlets at the bottom, while allowing greater thermal stability and heat retention in the brewing process thanks to its double wall design. A 650 ml server with a wooden lid that keeps the coffee warm for longer. And a solid wood stand that insulates the server and works as a double platform when brewing only a single cup.
“The pour-over coffee ritual is a process that requires time and is done out of passion. We believe that there is a profound relationship between this ritual and the vision under which we design our products: Pieces that take time to produce, created by the devotion of all craftspeople involved. We find a natural connection between the coffee ritual and the value placed on things that are made with dedication, passion and love”, explains Patricia Kuhn, Co-founder of Wolf & Miu.
For the passionate, for those looking to experiment or hone their pouring skills, and who find value in the details and the simple pleasures of life; the Quindio collection is now available in its Vespre-Walnut and Alba-Oak versions through www.wolfmiu.com.
