A coffee cup that skims the milk skin.
Built for the Indian household where un-homogenized milk forms a film of milk-skin (malai or chaali)
Discipline
Product · Form ·
Tools
Fusion 360 · Sketching · CAD
01
01 . Backstory
India is the world's largest producer of milk, and more than half of it never sees a homogenizer. In most homes, milk is boiled in an open pot every morning. What cools on top is a wrinkled, off-putting film of fat and protein called "malai". Kids absolutely hate it.
02
02. Brief
How do we let people enjoy boiled coffee, masala chai, or badam milk, without ever meeting the malai? The answer had to slip into existing morning rituals, not replace them. Take-away friendly. Dishwasher-safe. Cheap enough to be unremarkable.
03
03. Ideation
I sketched three mechanisms: 1) A sliding scraper that lifts the film off 2) A hinged flap that traps it against the lid 3) A stainless steel sieve that lets the liquid through and holds the film back. The sieve won: fewer parts, no springs, easy to clean.
04
04. Result
A cup with a snap-on stainless steel mesh.
