xBloom Coffee Machine Review: This Changes the Game!

In today’s xBloom Coffee Machine review I’ll be taking a look at a brand new pod machine. Yes, you read that right – a pod machine. “Hold on a minute,” I hear you saying. “You always talk trash about coffee capsules!”

Well, as it turns out, the xBloom Coffee Machine isn’t your run-of-the-mill capsule coffee maker. In fact, it’s a bean-to-cup machine that uses fully compostable capsules filled with quality coffee beans from reputable third wave roasters.

What’s more, this innovative device has more than a few special tricks up its sleeve.

Promising exceptional pour-over coffee with the bare minimum of fuss, the xBloom has caused quite a stir in the coffee world. However, I’m really not sure about who this machine is for. After all, at $719.00, it represents quite the financial investment. Anyway, let’s get the ball rolling on my xBloom Coffee Machine review, and by the end perhaps we’ll all be sold on it!

A unique coffee machine

xBloom Coffee Machine

There’s nothing else like it

High quality materials

Beautiful design

Innovative brewing system

Compostable pods

Sophisticated app

Makes incredible coffee

Very expensive

CHECK PRICE

Overview: xBloom Coffee Machine Review

Like a lot of new and exciting coffee gear, the xBloom Coffee Machine started out as a Kickstarter campaign. However, it’s now available to buy on their website for the aforementioned eye-watering price of $719.00.

So what’s the big deal with this thing? Well, as I already mentioned, the xBloom promises to deliver single servings of high-quality pour-over coffee at the touch of a button. That means no coffee scale, no gooseneck kettle and no standalone coffee grinder. What’s more, you don’t even have to think, seeing as each xPod has a unique brew recipe embedded in a chip on the bottom.

I’ll get into more detail about how this whole pod system works a little later. For now, though, you should have already cottoned on to the fact that the xBloom Coffee Machine offers an innovative way to make great coffee.

Incidentally, if you’re worried about getting locked into a system wherein you have to buy the manufacturer’s pods, you can rest easy. As it happens, you’re able to use your own coffee beans thanks to the included permanent dripper. With that said, the manufacturer’s aim is obviously for you to buy into the whole xPod thing.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m extremely impressed by the xBloom Coffee Machine. It’s incredibly beautiful to behold and over engineered to the max. Still, my question remains: who is this boutique drip coffee maker for?

Is it meant to lure people away from the convenience, speed and affordability of the dreaded Keurig or Nespresso machine? Or is it attempting to entice coffee nerds away from their precious manual brewing routines? I’m a little confused!

xBloom Coffee Machine Features

The xBloom is packed with features, including some I’ve never seen before. Still, that’s not to say the manufacturer hasn’t missed the mark here and there. Let’s continue this xBloom Coffee Machine review by delving into what makes the thing stand out from the drip coffee maker crowd.

Size and Design

No matter what your personal taste might be, there’s no denying the xBloom Coffee Machine sports an impressive and unique design. Featuring anodized aluminum construction and a sleek, modern silhouette, everything about this coffee maker looks and feels premium.

What’s more, the elegantly backlit display reminds you that this baby is as high-tech as they come.

As you can see from the photos, the xBloom is tall and slim. While that gives the machine a relatively small footprint, there are a couple of drawbacks. For starters, the xBloom reaches almost 17 inches (43 centimeters) in height, which could be a problem if you have overhead cabinets in your kitchen.

Plus, seeing as the coffee maker body is so skinny, the water reservoir is just too small. In fact, the tank holds a paltry 24 ounces (700 milliliters) of water, which is just about enough for two cups of coffee. While I’m all for using fresh water to brew, I would have liked to have seen a slightly larger capacity reservoir.

xPods

I guess I can’t get any further into this xBloom Coffee Machine review without talking about xPods. After all, the pods are an integral part of what makes this coffee maker so special. Anyway, xPods are about as different from traditional coffee capsules as you can get.

Here’s the deal: xBloom has partnered with dozens of highly respected coffee roasters, each of which supplies a specific brewing recipe with its coffee beans. The recipe (including water temperature, grind size, bloom time and loads more) is stored in an RFID chip on the bottom of each pod.

Once you scan the chip, the machine instantly has access to all the information and adjusts its settings automatically. So, you’re getting to brew the coffee exactly as the roaster intended. Now, if that isn’t a super cool idea I don’t know what is!

You guys know how I feel about coffee marketplaces, and the whole subscription idea does make me a little uncomfortable. However, xBloom is quick to point out that you’re free to use your own beans and don’t have to use the xPods at all. However, I’d say that most people who buy this high-end machine will have done so partly because the pod idea is so innovative and cool.

By the way, xPods are completely compostable, although in practice I’d say most of ’em will end up in a landfill. That’s because most city composting services remove food containers automatically. That said, the manufacturer recommends using them as seed starter pots, which is certainly a good idea.

Reusable Dripper

As I already mentioned, you aren’t tied into using xPods. To that end, the manufacturer includes a reusable dripper with your purchase. It also has an RFID chip, so you can tailor your own personal recipe and save it for next time. I’ll discuss how that all happens a little later.

Anyway, I’m relieved to see that xBloom includes a reusable dripper, although you will need to buy paper coffee filters. As far as I’m aware, the manufacturer recommends using Kalita Wave 155 filters, although you’ll have to be careful. Seeing as the reusable dripper isn’t ridged in any way you’ll need to make sure the paper filter is sitting “just so.” to avoid a huge mess.

User Interface and App

While there’s plenty to look at on the front of the xBloom Coffee Machine, it’s more for effect than anything. Sure, there are prettily lit scales displaying grind size, temperature and brew ratio. Heck, you’ll even see exotic, cryptic icons relating to who knows what. However, none of this really tells you anything accurate or useful.

In order to really get to grips with the xBloom you have to open the app.

Sure, you can just scan your pod, pour coffee beans into the grinder and start the grind and brew process. In that case, you don’t really need the app whatsoever, I guess. But if you want to manually adjust anything you’ll need to break out your phone.

Ordinarily, I get a little frustrated with app-based machines. But I have been impressed from time to time. For example, the Spinn Coffee Maker’s app was particularly intuitive.

The xBloom Coffee Machine takes things to a whole new level. Seriously, the amount of adjustments you can make to a huge number of parameters is staggering. In fact, if you choose the “Get Creative” mode, you have over a trillion different combinations to mess with. Consider my mind officially blown.

Integrated Conical Burr Grinder

While it used to be the case that grinders were the weak link in grind and brew coffee makers, things have improved in recent times. Take the Gevi 4 in 1, for example, which wowed me with its superb 60mm flat burr grinder.

While the xBloom grinder might not be quite that impressive, it’s perfectly capable of doing the job it’s been designed to do. Namely, grind quickly and consistently for filter coffee.

Equipped with 48mm stainless steel conical burrs and 30 grind size settings, the xBloom grinder isn’t free of static retention issues. However, its disperser/anti-clumper does a good job of combating static up to a point. More importantly, it achieves impressive particle consistency across the grind size spectrum.

Incidentally, you’re able to use the xBloom Coffee Machine’s grinder as a standalone unit if you feel like using a different brew method. I’m not sure I’d recommend it for use with a home espresso machine, but it’ll do the job for a drip coffee maker or a French press.

Docking Station

The xBloom’s docking station is a marvelous example of innovative design and sophisticated engineering. It’s truly one of the things that makes the xBloom Coffee Machine completely unique.

Once you’ve tagged the pod chip and poured your beans into the grinder, you simply place the pod in a slot on the docking station. Once you’ve initiated the coffee making process, you simply sit back and let the machine do the rest.

The pod slides over to the grinder station before being brought back to sit underneath the water spout. Heck, the docking station even gives it a little jiggle to settle the coffee grounds. And as if all that weren’t enough, there’s an integrated scale that ensures a precise coffee-to-water ratio.

Solid State Pouring Technology

As I’m sure you already know, brewing successful pour-over coffee involves a lot of skill, attention and precision. In other words, you can’t just mindlessly dump water over coffee grounds and call it good.

So how does the xBloom Coffee Machine achieve perfection? Well, by employing something called electrostatic vector force technology. Please don’t ask me to explain that! All you need to know is that the water is manipulated by an electrostatic charge, allowing the machine to accurately replicate the way a pro barista would pour during brewing.

Oh, and you can even choose from three pouring modes: Spiral, Circular and Centered. Again, it’s details like this that really make the xBloom a one-of-a-kind coffee brewer.

How to Use the xBloom Coffee Machine

I feel like you now have a fairly clear idea of how the xBloom Coffee Machine does its thing. Still, for the sake of completeness, here’s a step-by-step guide to making coffee in Automatic Mode with an xPod:

It really is that easy to get a cup of brewed coffee as the roaster intended from the xBloom. However, if you want to tweak settings or use your own beans you can use Creative Mode in the app.

From what I can gather, this is going to send you down a pretty deep rabbit hole, wherein you can mess with bloom time, temperature, brewing ratio and lots more.

That sounds like a blast to me, but I feel like many users will feel rather intimidated by the sheer scope of what’s adjustable. With that said, you are able to save all your recipes in the app, which means you can keep track of how specific changes affect your cup results.

xBloom Coffee Machine Cleaning

In terms of cleaning and descaling, there’s really not much to do ith the xBloom. Seeing as it’s such an efficient brewer, you aren’t going to be cleaning a ton of removable parts.

However, I’d say you’re best off keeping a damp cloth handy to wipe up spills as you’re removing an empty pod. Plus, you’ll want to keep the thing looking pretty!

As for the grinder, you’re able to auto-calibrate the thing via the app, which keeps it performing at its best. You can also remove the chute, allowing you to brush off any stray ground coffee.

As you will have guessed, the machine will let you know when a descaling cycle is due via the app. Fortunately, the process is super straightforward and you’ll be guided through each step.

xBloom Coffee Machine Technical Specifications

Verdict: xBloom Coffee Machine

A unique coffee machine

xBloom Coffee Machine

There’s nothing else like it

High quality materials

Beautiful design

Innovative brewing system

Compostable pods

Sophisticated app

Makes incredible coffee

Very expensive

CHECK PRICE

The specialty coffee world is always changing, and new innovations are showing up at a rate of knots. At the start of this xBloom Coffee Machine review I wasn’t sure it would convince me that its asking price could justify a purchase.

However, I can now see why so many folks are going gaga over the thing. I’ve certainly never seen anything like the xBloom, and it appears to deliver on its fundamental promise of truly excellent coffee at the push of a button.

I know that more and more people are realizing that using high-quality, equitably sourced and traded coffee is the way to go. And along with that comes the realization that you really do get what you pay for.

So, here’s hoping that as many people as possible will abandon their Keurigs and go with a brewing device like the xBloom instead. Perhaps we’ll soon see the death of aluminum capsules!