Tech
Cana’s sci-fi ‘drink printer’ mimics beverages on a molecular level
The Cana One uses molecular ingredient cartridges to make seemingly endless varieties of cocktails, sodas, sparkling waters.
This could be the one drink machine to rule them all. Cana says it’s made the “world’s first molecular beverage printer,” called the Cana One that lets you make almost any type of drink you want.
Cana argues that every beverage that we drink is at least 90 percent water, so it’s trying to change up the industry by selling molecular flavor compounds of drinks. It all sounds a bit sci-fi, but Cana said its scientists were able to tweeze out specific molecules to recreate the flavor and aroma that’s found in thousands of drinks.
So you’re not exactly tasting wine, coffee or soda, but rather a drink that’s been infused with the molecules that would make our brains believe it is actually that thing. It’s hard to say if there’ll be a difference without trying it first-hand, but CNET tried the beverage printer at Cana’s offices and said that the drinks were good but, “not quite like the conventional versions.”
Flavor cartridges — The Cana One is built with a water tank, sugar cartridge, spirits cartridge, CO2 canister and a mysterious compartment that includes all the ingredient cartridges. Cana said there are hundreds of ingredients in the cartridges, but it’d be interesting to see what exactly is in them. The Cana One also lets you further customize the drink by adjusting the sugar, flavor intensity, alcohol and caffeine levels, as well as including add-ins like vitamins or supplements.
It’s worth noting that Cana also has one major caveat: you’ll have to pay for each drink you make. New cartridges are free and will automatically be shipped to your home before they run out, which is about a month’s time. Drinks, on the other hand, can range from 29 cents, for simple beverages like sparkling waters, to $3, for things like craft cocktails. This novel tech sounds pretty cool, but it does feel suspiciously like microtransactions working their way into our kitchens.
Cutting down on plastic — Cana argued that these prices are still less than the average price of bottled beverages at retailers. It’s also hard to argue that the Cana One does significantly reduce the need for plastic bottles. To keep their drink catalog fresh, Cana is planning on working with different brands and creators, who would get a cut for creations featured on the Cana One.
On top of the price-per-drink costs, the Cana One will initially cost $499 for the first 10,000 customers. You can reserve one of the beverage printers for $99, which will go towards the final price. After the first wave, the price will jump to $799. Cana will be shipping out its first batch in early 2023.
