Planning your café project asks for a proper selection of coffee machines and grinders, which can feel like a daunting task. As the heart of your business (no matter big or small), the commercial espresso machine should be the right fit for you, your business model, and your baristas.
While every business is unique, we have curated a list of espresso machines to help you decide what kind to buy.
Glimpses at the factors to consider
How do you know which might work for you with endless choices out there? There are some significant factors to consider before making the final call. So what are they?
Installation requirements
Price
Personal preferences
Available labour
Preparation time
Espresso quality
Target customers
Drinks you will produce
Buying a machine for your café
With professional machines, you get more control over your espresso. Some machines allow for fine-tuning of the machine’s elements, including grind size, aroma, flavour, quality, temperature, and more. However, some machines allow you to make some adjustments to these elements to help you accentuate certain flavours.
You will also need to consider how the machine works when preparing many drinks at once. The machine’s number of boilers will impact how quickly pressure resumes after pulling a shot. You want to ensure that the espressos are consistent in peak periods during heavy traffic.
An espresso machine designed for commercial use should be equipped with variable pressure. Different pressure profiles can create different results. Adjusting the pressure can reduce channelling and improve extraction.
A small coffee shop owner? Check out the
Nuova Simonelli Microbar Plumbed coffee machine now.
Technological considerations
Cups per hour
“Cups per hour” is a misleading term in the coffee-making industry, which refers to the boiler capacity of the machine. When “cups per hour” is advertised for a coffee machine, some falsely claim, say, 1500 cups per hour. However, it does not mean that the business can pull as many as 1500 shots of espresso in an hour. What it refers to is the amount of water the boiler can heat each hour.
Double boiling versus thermo-cycling
A double boiler system uses two boilers, one to heat water and another to steam milk. Double boiler systems need recovery time between pulls. The most effective commercial espresso machines available at Koffee One use thermocycling instead of double boilers.
Thermocycling works by heating a heavy group head to a specific temperature, forcing the water to maintain that temperature consistently while the machine is in use. It has several advantages over double boiler systems, including:
Absolute temperature consistency throughout the brew cycle
Thermocycling is more affordable
Thermocycling requires no recovery time.
Fewer repairs
Recovery time
Recovery time is between pulls, whether that is pulling an espresso shot or steaming a latte. The best commercial machines will have no recovery time. They should be able to pull a second shot without delay.
Looking for an automatic coffee machine for your business? Nuova Simonelli Pronto Automatic Coffee Machine Plumbed is your go-to choice.
At Koffee One, we have a huge collection of commercial espresso machines to suit your business needs. Let us help you bring smiles to your customers’ faces! Do connect with us!