New GE Cafe fridge serves up K-Cup coffee, smart home connectivity
GE's new Cafe smart refrigerator brews Keurig coffee pods right from its French doors.
$3,300 is a lot to drop on a fridge, but what if it had a built-in Keurig K-cup coffee brewer? GE Appliances' new Cafe French door fridge offers just that. Aside from dispensing hot and chilled water, plus crushed or cubed ice on command, this premium refrigerator also serves pod-style hot drinks from its in-door dispenser.
Part of GE's Cafe line of high-end kitchen appliances, this heavy-duty piece of hardware (models CFE28USHSS/CYE22USHSS) is an upgraded version of the 2013 Cafe series we took for a spin (model CFE29TSDSS). That machine also boasted a hot and cold water station and ice-maker combo complete with an LCD touchscreen. The revamped Cafe cooler takes a bigger step into the smart home though, offering connection and brewing control via a linked mobile app.
Piping hot coffee served quickly
This fresh Cafe fridge's real draw, however, is its internal K-cup handler, which accepts Keurig-style pods. According to GE, if it comes in a K-Cup then you'll be able to brew it with this fridge. This includes a long list of coffee pods from the likes of Community Coffee, Dunkin Donuts, Eight O'Clock, Folgers, Maxwell House, Peet's and Starbucks.
GE Appliances explains that the K-Cup brewer attachment itself is a direct result of the company's 3D-printing capabilities. Specifically the manufacturer says it's the speed and high degree of control that enabled its engineers to experiment with countless designs quickly until it had what fit the bill. I imagine as well that not having to ship parts for lengthy testing overseas is a huge upside.
A fridge that's connected and scrubs its H2O
GE also plans to integrate into its advanced ice box a connection to phones and tablets via mobile app -- though whether iOS, Android or both is unclear. So linked, you can program coffee brewing times remotely. You still must have the foresight to insert a coffee pod ahead of schedule, which pretty much defeats the purpose of timed brewing.
These kind of smarts make slightly more sense in a drip machine that grinds beans right before brewing. Unfortunately the highly programmable coffee appliances we've looked at, such as the Cuisinart Burr Grind and Brew or Mr. Coffee Smart Optimal Brew , either don't get hot enough for correct brewing, lack an internal grinder, or suffer from all of the above.
That said, the Cafe Fridge is the only connected coffee-making product we've seen so far with a dedicated water line. That puts it that much closer to hands-off coffee making. The refrigerator features an advanced water filtration system too, which GE claims purges 98 percent of unwanted impurities. Now if only the fridge could store its supply of coffee grounds or K-cups, we'd have something truly special.
Outlook
If you're keen on getting the new Cafe French door refrigerator outfitted with its Keurig add-on, you'll have to wait. GE expects models to ship by Q3 of 2015. Along with its unique features and steep $3,300 price tag, the appliance will flaunt a shiny stainless steel exterior.