james_ramirez•25d agoProlific Poster

Saw a custom GPT setup at a coffee shop that changed how I think about local AI tools

I was at Blue Bottle Coffee in Brooklyn last Saturday waiting for my order when this guy pulls out a tablet and starts demoing a GPT he built to scan coffee bean labels and predict flavor notes. He had it hooked up to a tiny thermal printer that spat out a tasting card in like 10 seconds. It was just a side project for him but it made me realize how easy it is to build niche AI helpers now. Has anyone else seen weird custom GPTs out in the wild like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

ellis.robert25d ago

Wait, did he also build one to predict when your espresso shot will actually be ready?

karen_hart25d ago

Nah you're off on that one. He didn't hook it up to a thermal printer, it was a little receipt printer actually. One of those cheap Bluetooth ones from Amazon you see at pop-up markets. Pretty clever setup though, he scanned a bag of Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and it printed out tasting notes like blueberry, jasmine, and this whole breakdown of the roast level. I've been messing around with GPTs for making spotify playlists based on mood descriptions, but seeing it work with physical stuff like coffee labels is a whole different level. Makes me want to try building one for my vinyl records that spits out genre info when I scan the cover.