MILAN – A Belgian World Latte Art Champion presents aēralab at Host Milano (22-26 Oct 2021). aēralab is the world’s first milk foam lab that fully automatically creates the perfect milk foam for lattes, flat whites, cappuccinos, and more. Intelligently, planet friendly, celebrating consumers’ preferences for plant-based milks (next to traditional cow’s milk) and focusing on top quality. aēralab is the first-ever milk foam lab that is able to recognize any type of milk before fully automatically foaming it up into a frothy miracle. Hands-free. Hassle-free. And awarded the Innovation Smart Label 2021 by Host Milano
aēralab auto-recognizes any type of milk, even plant-based milks
-Steams any type of milk into world-champ quality milk foam
-Works autonomously – no connection to boilers or a coffee machine needed
-No more waste of milk: steams small, individual portions to perfection, too
-Operates quickly and quietly
-Designed around the workflow of a barista
-Integrated auto-cleaner: for efficiency, food safety and speed
-Awarded Innovation Smart Label 2021 by Host Milano
Broadening consumer choice drives complexity in coffee bars
Where consumers are spoiled with many milk choices, it becomes harder for baristas to consistently serve great quality. Because every milk is different and steams up differently (some vegan milks are especially hard to master). And there you are behind your counter, with an impatient queue flooding in and expecting a top-notch coffee experience, served in no time.
aēralab auto-recognizes any milk, even plant-based milks
aēralab is here to help baristas, coffee bars, hotel bars, cafés and food service teams bring more value to their coffees. By elevating the quality of milk foam to the highest standards.
It’s the only milk foam lab that automatically recognizes the type of milk you’re pouring: from dairy to plant-based – and even chocolate drinks and juices. With one glimpse at the pitcher’s content, aēralab instantaneously adapts its foaming process to the type of milk, drinking chocolate, etc… frothing it into world-champ-quality foam.
… and steams it up into world-champ quality milk foam. Simply. Automatically.
Since all milks are different, every milk requires different handling when steaming into foam: different temperature, pressure, steam time, etc. Through liquid recognition and smart logarithms, aēralab works like the brain of a World Champ in Latte Art, automatically turning every milk into a high-quality foam. With an extremely fine texture (nanobubbles) that tastes exquisitely creamy and served at the perfect temperature (not burning the milk), it stays stable for longer and works for any serve: from flat whites to complex latte art.
Stop wasting milk! From S to XL: every serve, a perfect serve
aēralab has been designed and developed for maximum flexibility. From small, individual portions of milk to big serves of 500 ml and more, aēralab steams them into perfect micro-foam. Say bye-bye to wasting milk, regardless of the skills of who’s behind the bar – regardless of the milk you prefer to work with.
A smart assistant: this is how aēralab works
aēralab operates automatically and hands-free
Step 1 – As soon as the filled pitcher is placed on the cradle, aēralab uses its sensors and intelligence to ‘read’ and recognize the milk and the quantity of the milk.
Step 2 – The pitcher cradle moves to the steaming position, and the infrared sensors read the temperature of the milk.
Step 3 – The right recipe is automatically loaded and the foaming process starts…
Step 4 – … and only takes seconds to finish with nanobubble foam: ready to serve.
Step 5 – aēralab auto-cleans itself in seconds while you’re preparing the customer’s drink.
No fuzz. Only glory! aēralab works completely autonomously – no connection to boilers or coffee machine needed
Where traditional milk steamers still need a connection to the boiler of the coffee machine and are dependent on coffee machine brand and type, aēralab operates completely stand-alone. With its integrated boiler and steam valves, aēralab guarantees consistency of the milk foam recipes across your different venues, and independently of the skills of your staff. No complexity. No connections needed (except for water and power). This also allows baristas to place and use aēralab in the preferred spot for their workflow. What’s more: baristas can consider a lower cost, more compact coffee machine without manual steamer).
Premiering nanobubble-foam: impossible to replicate by hand
aēralab uses smart sensors, and nanotechnology to ‘read’ and recognize any milk or other fluid. Based on algorithmic intelligence, it produces the finest and most stable foam you could imagine. Even for quantities, like individual portions of 125 ml. Its Alac technology combines calibrated heat and steam through high-end steam valves to produce a next-gen foam layer. The nanobubbles show unrivalled fineness – hardly visible to the naked eye, promising a deliciously tasty foam that lasts longer in the cup and literally melts in the mouth.
aēralab, faster than a world-class barista
aēralab beats any top barista or latte artist, not only in the quality and taste of the milk foam but also in speed. It only takes seconds for aēralab to foam a 250 ml milk pitcher to perfection – faster than the average steamer. Instead of spending time behind the steamer, baristas can now spend all this valuable time on great customer service.
Quieter than any manual or coffee machine steamer
Even if the sound of the coffee bar creates a much-loved vibe, frothing up milk can sometimes be a source of nuisance and noise for your customers. aēralab has been designed to work in silence – producing a background noise that sounds like a whisper compared to the 65-70dB produced by regular coffee steamers.
Designed around what baristas trust: the pitcher
Up until now, most ‘automated’ milk frothers were designed from the milk’s perspective: often equipped with cooling units to store the milk, which then runs through the machine to be foamed.
aēralab is different: it has been designed around the pitcher – simply because it is a trusted, simple and logical starting point of how baristas prepare milk foam. And even the pitcher has been re-invented to yield better milk foam. With its double cone shape, it allows for a perfect steaming of small, individual serves and big serves of 500 ml and more. So, no more wasting milk, while baristas prepare the exact quantity they need.
The pitcher’s spout has been designed to achieve the ideal pouring. It guides the milk foam and the liquid milk to be poured perfectly intact without breaking it. Furthermore, it has been tested and perfected for unparalleled latte art serves.
Food safety first: aēralab auto-cleans after every serve
Hygiene is key when steaming milk. But in the middle of peak service, cleaning takes valuable minutes away from customer attention. That’s why aēralab automatically cleans its steam wand thoroughly before and after each service. It is cleaned in a dedicated cleaning cavity and residue steam from cleaning is collected in a separate drain – again for hygiene and food safety reasons.
Our patented Alac technology1 works like a miniature carwash and safely cleans the steam wand inside and outside in mere seconds, removing all milk residue – making it the safe solution for switching in-between cow and vegan milks.
aēralab, awarded with the Innovation Smart Label Host 2021
aēralab will be presented for the first time during Host 21 Milano. The smart milk foam lab was awarded the INNOVATION SMART LABEL 2021 for its focus on efficiency, smart technology, and sustainability.
Expected: Summer ‘22
aēralab is scheduled to release mid ’22 in all European markets. Release for the Americas, Asia and Australia is planned shortly after. The price for each aēralab will be set at a highly competitive price point for baristas, guaranteeing pay-back of the investment within a few months.