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Enjoy a cup of coffee sans brewing water in your next morning java fix, a new beverage start-up says. Instead, pour it out of a glass via a dispenser and customers get a coffee capsule. It’s still coffee, just without the water.
The Cleo pill, made by startup Liquid Gold, is hard to swallow, but that’s part of its appeal. In the fall of 2016, Liquid Gold asked some fans on social media to prove they could brew a pot of coffee with it. Customers said they could. Liquid Gold based its claim on Facebook voting, rather than actual data, which is how the company obtained its product IP.
“Cleo was inspired by the fact that many people love coffee, but feel scared or overwhelmed to make the connection with how to go about making it,” Aaron Stone, CEO of Liquid Gold, said in a statement.
The pill comes in three shots — light roast, medium roast and dark roast — each costing $9. As with other reusable capsules, the company hopes to sell them for cheaper as its popularity increases.
The pill also hit the Consumer Reports list of top 5 super-user-friendly products.
“Cleo is designed to be an easy and natural way to bring the excitement of coffee in your life into your everyday routine,” Stone said.
The Cleo pill is available for pre-order for $19 and promises to be shipped to customers by November.
Correction, 7:46 a.m. PT: Previously, the Cleo capsule was named Cleo. We have updated the headline to reflect its correct name.
Update, 11:26 a.m. PT: Added details about the Cleo pill.