commercial Brew Machine

CCafe

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Aug 11, 2004
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Bunn Brewwise or a Fetco 2052e. Take your pick. Both machines make great drip coffee, they both have many settings relating to how the coffee is brewed. The Bunn has a lot more control over the Fetco. But the Fetco is a set and forget machine.

In the end I think coffee production is about equal on either machine. My personal opinion is the Bunn is for someone who is constantly tweaking. The Fetco is more for shops that want the best product but never will have to reprogram the machine.

They both come in 1.5 and 2 gallon models. They also have the ability to produce a small, medium, and a large batch. I'm also referring to the dual machines, but you can also purchase single side brewers.

Now if your really talking coffee, Fetco has gone a step further with their high volume brewers that can produce 6, 18, and 24 gallons per batch. They have a 60 gallon model too but, I believe it requires multiple batches to fill to capacity.

Someone can correct me if I am wrong but 6 gallon brewers require 2 pounds of ground coffee.
 

Jackson

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Aug 22, 2006
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Ccafe hit the nail on the head. If you are looking for a brewer that will brew consistent coffee every time, Bunn and Fetco are two brands that will achieve your goal. The big question is, how much coffee will you sell each day?
If you did a business plan, stick to it during the planning phase of your shop. If you are going to offer a house blend and a house decaf each day, you may opt for a larger brewer. If you plan on offering a house blend, a flavored coffee and say a dark roast, you may want to consider a brewer that brews smaller batches. That way your customers will receive hot coffee every time.
I am not sure why you do not want to use air-pots, but I think they serve their purpose well. They are cheap, easy to use and do not take up much space. Plus they keep drip coffee fresh and hot for several hours.
I personally enjoy going to coffeehouses that offer a different single origin coffee each day. I get to try new coffees that I never had before and I never grow bored of the same brew each day.
 

coffee4me

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Jan 4, 2007
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Air-Pots

Don't like airpots because once they get half empty the coffee turns bitter. I feel that a fresh brewed and undisturbed coffee tastes better and is more consistant.

As a customer I feel cheated watching or having to fill my cup out a airpot. I want it right out of the machine.

Now I know both reasons might be considered weak but for $2 a cup perfection is a must.

However I am open to your opinions.

Thanks
 

ElPugDiablo

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Re: Air-Pots

coffee4me said:
Don't like airpots because once they get half empty the coffee turns bitter. I feel that a fresh brewed and undisturbed coffee tastes better and is more consistant.

As a customer I feel cheated watching or having to fill my cup out a airpot. I want it right out of the machine.

Now I know both reasons might be considered weak but for $2 a cup perfection is a must.

However I am open to your opinions.

Thanks

If you are looking for perfection, have you thought about clover? It is a brew on demand machine that takes about 40 seconds per cup. The coffee made from it taste more like a French press/vacuum pot than dripped coffee. Unfortunately it will set you back a lot more than Bunn or Fetco.

http://cloverequipment.com/home/default.aspx
 

coffee4me

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Slight adjustment.

I might have overstated the perfection part. My premis for the airpots is from what I have seen at most coffee places. Currently I am looking at opening a combo drive through and cafe. Therefore I want perfection but may not be able achieve it because of the time demands of a drive through customer. My research indicates that drive through times of around a minute are ideal.....therefore I am trying to achieve some close proximity to perfection while maintaining customer satisfaction.

I do like the single brew machine idea.

I did notice Starbucks uses a Bun machine...however I have not found it on the Bunn website. I know Starbucks is not liked here but I bet they have done their research on the best machines.
 

demetri

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Jul 18, 2006
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Re: Slight adjustment.

coffee4me said:
I know Starbucks is not liked here but I bet they have done their research on the best machines.

You've got to respect the juggernaut that is Starbucks. Their coffee is OK but where they really excel is in making a consistent experience from location to location. This is why they are successful. I can go into a Starbucks in Winnipeg, Vancouver, or Chicago and it's pretty much the same.

Plus the staff is always polite. I've walked out of a couple of Second Cup locations because the staff were rude.

Starbucks didn’t need the best coffee to be successful, they came to the market at the right time with a good customer experience that has been replicated to every single location.
 

coffee4me

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Question

OK...correct me if I am wrong. Most modern machines will brew coffee in about the same amount of time.

I consider consistancy one key in customer loyalty therefore this has to be one part of perfection.
 

ElPugDiablo

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Well, if you care about pre-infusion time, brew water temperature control and can put up with its higher maintenance need than Fetco Extractor is your machine. Otherwise, if you brew freshly roasted beans, don't serve 30+ minutes coffee you can use Bunn or any of the well known commercial brewers for that matter.

I use Fetco Extractor 2052e in my shop. My one suggestion with Fetco is I won't get those fancy electronic thermo pots because they break easily. I'll go with the thermo pots with sight glass.
 

CCafe

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Aug 11, 2004
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ElPugDiablo said:
I use Fetco Extractor 2052e in my shop. My one suggestion with Fetco is I won't get those fancy electronic thermo pots because they break easily. I'll go with the thermo pots with sight glass.

Your not the first person I've heard to say that!

The problem is the plastic shell is very susceptible to cracking depending on how much abuse it takes. After that condensation is the killer and nothing kills it faster then a big steaming hot container of coffee.

Sometimes I think Fetco only continues to sell them just for the profit of the replacement.
 
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