If you came to CES 2024 hungry, there was no shortage of robots whipping up tasty eats and drinks live on the showroom floor. Brands were touting automated food and drink robots with a little something for everyone.
There are robots to play with your dog or assist with home health care, but the presence of AI-powered ovens, intelligent grills and smart cocktail machines has significantly increased at the consumer tech expo in recent years. The 2024 convention saw several additions to the lineup of smart kitchen gadgets and culinary bots.
But how do the items they prepare taste?
Read more: Biggest Trends of CES 2024: AI, Transparent Screens and Off-Grid Tech to Power Your Home
From homemade ice cream in two minutes, to push-button ramen and fresh cocktails in a flash, I tried everything I could get my hands on at this year’s electronics show in Las Vegas. These are the best (and worst) foods and drinks made by robots at CES 2024, ranked.
9. Yo-Kai, prime beef pho
iGulu’s IPA tasted nice, with a good hop presence, but it was a little undercarbonated.
iGulu is a sleek and smart at-home brewer that simplifies the beermaking process. Just fill the brewing chamber with water, add four to five ingredients when the system tells you. About two weeks later, you’ll have 40 liters of freshly made beer in a self-cooling kegerator.
The IPA I sampled at CES had a satisfying flavor profile but lacked the carbonation I crave in a hoppy ale.
7. Sweet Robo, soft serve ice cream
I don’t drink much boba tea, but my colleagues who do tell me this robot-made version was up to snuff.
Full disclosure, I’m not a big fan of pearl tea, so the placement of this tasting should be taken with a grain of salt. The tapioca balls, the only thing I like about boba, were chewy, toothsome and delicious. A few colleagues of mine who do like boba told me it was great.
5. TechMagic, chicken stir-fry
Pod goes in. Ice cream comes out. All the ColdSnap flavors I tried were tasty.
ColdSnap is still working its way through the final stages of engineering, but it’ll be rolling out to restaurant partners this year and retail stores in 2025. Of the two robot ice cream makers I tried, ColdSnap — which turns shelf-stable cans into smooth and delicious ice cream in two minutes — was the clear winner.
I tasted ColdSnap’s instant vanilla, chocolate and coffee. (And, yes, the people handing out ice cream at the booth are definitely sick of me). All of the flavors tasted like they were made with fresh cream and natural flavors with no cheap sweeteners. Even ColdSnap’s vegan chocolate ice cream made with oat milk was a hit.
3. Barsys, madras cocktail
iGulu’s Bavarian wheat beer was excellent.
iGulu’s Bavarian wheat beer was much better than the mostly flat IPA. As you can see, it had a nice head, good carbonation and plenty of classic wheat beer notes like citrus and clove.
