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59 points rokeyzhang | 4 comments | | HN request time: 0s | source

It’s available on iOS now: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id6499280064

We got into specialty coffee during COVID and, like many others, fell deep down the rabbit hole. Along the way, we ran into the same frustrations:

- A drawer full of empty coffee bags.

- No simple way to track grind size, rest dates, notes—by bean.

- My coffee history scattered across photos, screenshots, notebooks, and half-memories.

- The unique traits, people, and stories behind each coffee disappearing from the internet once it sold out (since coffee is an agricultural good)

- In our opinion, no coffee tool really captures the flavor, emotion, and aesthetic of great coffee—from a design perspective.

So we built BeanBook—a coffee notebook log beans, extract recipes, and organize your coffee life in one place with just a snap, powered by AI

Here’s what it does:

- Snap a bag → Auto-detects roaster, origin, process, roast date, notes, producer, farm, and more

- Paste a YouTube link or photo → Extracts a structured recipe automatically

- Log grind size, roast timeline, ratings & notes → All saved in a clean, elegant UI

- See your coffee year in review → Track habits, trends, and favorites

- Ask BeanBook AI → From brew temps to bean facts, get instant answers

My co-founder and I built everything ourselves—branding, code, and UX design. If you’re into coffee (or trying to get more into it), we’d love your feedback.

- Rokey & Eric

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desigooner ◴[] No.44429920[source]
Just curios - Outside of "AI", what's the benefit of using your app over Beanconqueror (https://beanconqueror.com/), which is open source, has a lot of functionality built out already across multiple years and supports integrations with scales, refractometers, etc?
replies(1): >>44430356 #
1. rokeyzhang ◴[] No.44430356[source]
Full respect to Beanconqueror! It’s an amazing tool for advanced coffee folks: open source, extremely customizable and supporting Bluetooth gear like scales and refractometers. We admire what they’ve built.

We’re trying things from a different angle:

We’re building for entry to mid-level coffee lovers—people who want to enjoy better coffee, stay organized, and reflect on their brews.

Most tracking apps start with forms.We start with senses, we thinking a lot what coffee looks like in our mind.

What makes BeanBook different:

- Snap-first design: No typing required.

- YouTube/photo to recipe

- Sensory-first interface

- Zero-config start

We want to build a Coffee app as a memory, not just numbers

We think there’s room for both kinds of tools: Beanconqueror is like a cockpit for pros. BeanBook is more like a beautifully illustrated notebook that fills itself in as you brew.

replies(1): >>44430558 #
2. smoothbenny ◴[] No.44430558[source]
Do you have to use ChatGPT for every response
replies(1): >>44431918 #
3. rokeyzhang ◴[] No.44431918[source]
We tried most of the mainstream models. Currently, we are choosing the Gemini. if you scan, you'll have a call for now, but we are building a new solution to optimize the workflow
replies(1): >>44439953 #
4. smoothbenny ◴[] No.44439953{3}[source]
I meant for your reply to every comment in this thread