Omakase Coffee Forward Program · Hangzhou Stop

On September 19, 2026, Dr.Coffee joined forces with Coffee Salon to host the Omakase Coffee Forward Program, a specialty- coffee tasting event held at 1%coffee in Hangzhou. The event featured Liu Taiyang, the 2024 WCRC World Coffee Roasting Champion, as the lead coffee professional. He crafted three distinct beverages using three champion-  selected coffee beans.

The event welcomed eight groups of guests, with six participants per group. Every attendee sampled three beverages in sequence. With nearly 150 cups produced back- to- back, this Omakase- style specialty- coffee experience served as a real- world stress test for the Castle, evaluating its efficiency and stability within professional coffee environments.

Three Beverages: Demonstrate Castle’s Professional Prowess

Espresso | Precision Grinding and Consistent Extraction

The first beverage featured Kenya honey- processed SOE. Free of additional flavourings, it showcased the intrinsic cup profile shaped by the bean’s origin, roasting and extraction. The barista pre- calibrated all recipes and saved corresponding parameters directly on the Castle. During service, the machine executed pre- set grinding and extraction workflows, faithfully reproducing the validated recipe to highlight the bean’s natural acidity- sweetness balance, aromatic complexity and clean finish.

Such consistent results stem from the Castle’s precision grinding system. Equipped with Ditting metal flat burrs and a BLDC brushless motor, it enables ultra- fine grind adjustment with incremental steps as small as approximately 0.004 mm. Grinding and extraction parameters can be stored separately for different coffee origins, allowing baristas to tailor recipes and recall saved profiles instantly on- site. The “repeatable cup quality” pursued by specialty- coffee professionals is reliably delivered with every single brew.

Milk Coffee | Synchronised Extraction and Intelligent Milk Frothing

The second drink used Ethiopia natural SOE. While the Castle completed grinding and coffee extraction, its intelligent steam wand automatically frothed milk. The barista then performed hand- pour latte art for final presentation. Synchronised coffee brewing and milk processing cut waiting times, reduced repetitive manual frothing work, and delivered consistent pre- programmed milk temperatures and foam textures.

The Castle’s intelligent steam wand supports customisable frothing parameters and one- touch automatic frothing, enabling operators to set exact milk temperature and foam density for different beverages. Paired with a 3- litre high- capacity steam boiler, it easily handles continuous batches of milk- based drinks during peak service.

Beyond its steam- wand functionality, the Castle’s integrated milk- coffee system delivers multiple hot-  and cold- milk formats: hot milk, hot foam, cold milk and cold foam. This broadens menu possibilities for milk- based beverages and iced drinks.

Iced Orange Irish | Multi- Hopper and Sequential Grinding Capabilities

The third creative beverage blended coffee from Ethiopia and Colombia. The Castle draws beans from separate hoppers, grinds them in user- defined sequence, and produces a combined coffee puck for one single extraction. Unlike pre- blending whole beans, this workflow preserves the individual characteristics of each origin while granting baristas far greater creative blending flexibility.

This innovative drink is powered by the Castle’s Three- Hopper Custom Blending System. Three independent bean hoppers and dedicated grinding assemblies store and access distinct coffee varieties, supporting multi- origin blends according to custom recipes. At the Hangzhou Omakase event, Liu Taiyang leveraged sequential grinding to assign separate flavour roles to Ethiopian and Colombian coffee within one puck. During high- volume continuous service, this system ensures creative recipes execute reliably under real- world pressure.

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From single- origin clarity, to harmonised coffee- and- milk beverages, and creative multi- origin blends, the three tasting drinks illustrated the Castle’s core strengths: precision- driven extraction, automated intelligent milk processing, and flexible multi- bean recipe management.

Castle: Built for Specialty- Coffee Cafés

Behind those 150 consecutive servings stood the Castle, operating non- stop behind the bar. Purpose- engineered for specialty- café operations, its soft- lined neo- classic retro aesthetic integrated seamlessly within the interior space of 1%coffee.

Reliable performance is rooted in well- rounded professional engineering:

• The precision grinding system delivers highly uniform extraction cup- after- cup.

• Three independent bean hoppers enable flexible multi- origin blending.

• Smart extraction control maintains stable brew temperature and body even amid peak- hour high throughput.

• The intelligent milk- coffee system produces hot or cold milk, foam and milk- cap toppings at the touch of a button; the programmable steam- wand maintains consistent output for custom manual frothing tasks.

For café operators, practical built- in functions include one- touch milk- coffee preparation, cold- foam iced beverages, an independent hot- water spout, simultaneous coffee- and- milk output, and fully- automatic intelligent cleaning. Pressure- fed automatic water intake and IoT- enabled mobile- payment integration further streamline day- to- day café workflows.

Leave Efficiency to the Machine, Creativity to the Barista

During this specialty- coffee Omakase, the Castle was never intended to replace baristas. Instead, via saved recipes and automated execution, it handles repetitive, stability- critical work including grinding, extraction and milk frothing. By securing consistent baseline output behind- the- scenes, it frees baristas to dedicate more energy to bean sourcing, recipe development, flavour tuning and final drink presentation.

The value of a fully- automatic coffee machine extends beyond simply speeding- up beverage production. When deployed within professional specialty- coffee environments, it interprets and executes baristas’ creative concepts, stabilises complex recipes, and unlocks higher throughput without sacrificing premium quality.

Building on this Hangzhou event, Dr.Coffee will continue collaborating with leading coffee professionals. We will push the performance boundaries of automatic coffee equipment within real- world operational scenarios, so that every creative coffee concept can be realised efficiently and consistently in the cup.