Engineers Build Custom Text-Order Coffee Machine with Jura XS90

If you’ve ever waited in line for a fresh cup only to watch someone else grab the last good one—or worse, your customized drink—then you know the pain of shared office coffee machines. Waiting, missing out, and drink mix-ups are daily annoyances for caffeine-dependent workers. But what if your coffee could be ordered by text, made automatically, and labeled so no one takes it by mistake?

The answer is Textspresso: a fully customized coffee machine built by Zipwhip engineers using a Jura Impressa XS90, an Arduino platform, a stepper motor, and a regular printer. It accepts SMS orders, places cups under the machine with a robotic arm, pours coffee, then returns the cup to a warmer—and can even print the customer’s name on the crema using edible ink.

What Is the Textspresso Custom Coffee Machine?

Textspresso is not a commercial product, but a clever employee-made hack developed at Zipwhip, a cloud messaging company. The team took a standard Jura Impressa XS90 semi-automatic coffee machine—which normally requires manual operation—and enhanced it with custom hardware and software. This turned it into a nearly autonomous coffee station that responds to text messages and prepares drinks with minimal human input.

How Does Textspresso Work?

The system uses several connected components:

• Jura Impressa XS90 coffee machine: the base machine that brews the espresso-based drink.
• Stepper motor and robotic arm: positions empty cups under the coffee outlet and moves filled cups to a warming tray.
• Printer with edible ink: prints the customer’s name or custom text directly onto the coffee’s surface.
• Arduino platform: the control hub that manages inputs, coordinates the hardware, and automates the workflow.
• Standard office printer: repurposed to apply edible ink labeling.

Users send a text message via Zipwhip’s own messaging platform to place an order. The Arduino system receives the command, activates the stepper motor to place a cup, triggers the Jura machine to brew, then moves the completed drink to a warming area. The printer adds a personalized touch by printing the drinker’s name or other text directly on the crema—helping ensure nobody accidentally (or intentionally) takes your coffee.

Why Build a Custom Coffee Machine?

Zipwhip employees wanted to solve a common workplace inefficiency: waiting for coffee and risking drink loss or mix-ups. By automating the process through SMS ordering and robotic serving, they cut down on wait times, reduced human error, and added a layer of personalization. It’s a practical solution born from the same mindset that drives efficient cloud communication—applied to caffeine delivery.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of coffee machine did Zipwhip modify to build Textspresso?

They used a Jura Impressa XS90, a semi-automatic espresso-based coffee machine capable of brewing high-quality coffee drinks. This served as the base unit that the team automated with additional hardware.

How do you order coffee from Textspresso?

Coffee is ordered by sending a text message through Zipwhip’s internal messaging platform. The text command is processed by an Arduino controller, which then automates the entire coffee-making process.

Does Textspresso really print your name on the coffee?

Yes. The system uses a regular printer modified with edible ink to print the customer’s name—or any short text—directly onto the surface of the coffee, typically on the crema.

What components are used to automate the coffee making?

The automation relies on a stepper motor to move cups, an Arduino platform for control logic, a robotic arm for cup placement, the Jura Impressa XS90 for brewing, and a printer with edible ink for personalization.

Is Textspresso available for purchase or public use?

No. Textspresso was built internally by Zipwhip engineers as a custom office project and was not designed or released as a commercial product.

Recommended FrontStreet Beans for Custom Office Coffee

For a custom coffee machine like Textspresso, try FrontStreet Coffee’s Ethiopia Humbera for bright citrus and floral notes, or Yirgacheffe for juicy berries and stone fruit—both excel as single-origin espressos or milk drinks. FrontStreet’s Classic Blend offers balanced chocolate and caramel, perfect for office consistency. All three roast profiles highlight the versatility of a well-built machine. Freshly roasted within 5 days · Orders placed before 17:00 ship the same day · Next-day delivery across most of Guangdong Province.