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View entire thread: Your input much appreciated. Designing new machine

Posted by CCafe on 2008-02-28 12:17:40      Post Subject:



What's the point of having a hot plate if your going to use thermal mugs. 2 bean dispensers are nice but 3 is starting to get complicated. If you look at most super auto's they always have a place to add ground coffee to the group. I would look at that as an option long before I have people store ground coffee in the machine.

Where most coffee brewers fail is on water delivery, spray head design, and temperature control. Keep your water at 200F - 203F. Design away to deliver a constant water stream much like a gravity fed system. Soak all the grounds at once, much like one of those rain shower heads.

I think the biggest problem with most consumer machines on the market today is that the manufacture is trying to provide more bells and whistles and less machine. Its like modern day computers. They provide tons of software and add on peripherals but what's inside the box is nothing but outdated or underpowered hardware. So the computer is pretty much worthless in a year or so.


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View entire thread: Need help choosing equipment for small Inn

Posted by CCafe on 2005-03-19 22:53:51      Post Subject:

Get a single Bunn Brewwise. It's cheaper then the double and it makes better coffee then any of the other coffee brewers in Bunn's collection.

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View entire thread: Restaurant wants equipment as well as coffee

Posted by CCafe on 2008-10-15 01:23:45      Post Subject:

Lets also look at the other side of the coin on this. The upfront capital needed to add equipment can be daunting at best. But most large brewers like a Fetco or Bunn only costs around $1600 wholesale. Slap on 3 or 4 1.5 gallon urns and it runs the bill up another $1000 or so. A good water filtration / scale inhibitor cartridge and head will run another $200. Total investment for your little venture will run you about $2800. If your selling 15 pounds of coffee every week at $8 a pound your talking a $120 in sales a week or $6240 a year.

If you assume that half of that $8 goes to pay for the coffee equipment then it will all be paid in less then 1 year. If you stay on top of water treatment most coffee brewers will give you 5 - 8 years of reliable service. After that you'll want to bring it in for a overhaul and send it out for another 5 - 8 years. So if you look at the numbers in that sense you'll make a killing after that 1st year is up.

I've spoken with a few people that buy the coffee and get the equipment here in Iowa and most are paying slightly more then $10 a pound for coffee. But if the machine breaks a tech comes out and fixes it. All they have to do is order coffee. The only things that they have to pay for out of pocket is for the paper filters and the water treatment cartridge replacement. I've heard of people including everything in with the coffee purchase but I think that would drive the price up another few dollars and I don't know how receptive people would be to paying 13 or 14$ a pound?


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View entire thread: Krups vs Bunn - Advice needed and appreciated :-)

Posted by CCafe on 2006-01-04 08:56:51      Post Subject:

Quite honestly there really is no high end drip coffee machine. I tell people if you have the money to spend buy a Bunn commercial unit like a CDBC coffee brewer or the older version CWTF machine. When these units brake it's just a matter of a few calls to find the local tech in your area to fix it. From my experiance even rebuilt Bunn commercial coffee brewers tend to run fine for 5 to 10 years.

Thats just my personal opionion though. I probably wouldn't get the Bunn BT10B 10-Cup, it's a thermal unit so unless you preheat the carafe you coffee will go cold rather quick on the 1st batch. The rest of the batches you make will stay warm for very long periods becuase the carafe was preheated with your 1st batch of coffee.


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View entire thread: bitter coffee HELP!

Posted by CCafe on 2007-01-29 06:00:58      Post Subject:

I think it's time we have Demetri slap a Faq of the top of Coffee Machines page.

Your question has been asked many times! You are correct in assuming it is your machine. Trying not to get too deep in thought, I like to think of this as becoming aware. Before this you drank your coffee and thought every thing was peachy. Then one day it hit you and now it will never taste as good or the same again.

So your problem lies in how it is prepared. Coffee can be made at any temperature of water, but for most drip machines it won't start tasting good until around 200 Fahrenheit.

A heads up for some coffee brewers that can hit 200 would be Technivorm, Bunn, and Capresso to name a few. I'm not willing to vouch for all the product lines of Bunn and Capresso, so I would say not all of their machines could properly hit 200 while brewing.


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View entire thread: VACCUM INFUSED Coffee Machines

Posted by topher on 2005-10-20 18:41:42      Post Subject:

now...this is only my opinion...Vaccum coffee brewers rock...they are so awsome..I am not kidding..they are the best!! That said...I am sorry to say that at that price you are going to have a hard time selling it ..high end or not. Bodum has been selling the new electric vaccum for a few years and they are much less expensive....as I said this is only my opinion and I could be wrong.

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View entire thread: Used Equipment?

Posted by Josh on 2008-09-26 13:07:55      Post Subject:

used equipment is a GREAT idea.
however if you have no mechanical inclination you may just save money buying new.

I took my time buying equipment over the last year and have been able to come across some amazing deals. I’ve spent 20% of what I thought I would on operating equipment and furniture.

One of the coffee brewers that I got for next to nothing ended up over filling its boiler, turns out the water inlet valve was bad, it was an easy fix and a cheap replacement part but I know there are allot of people who wouldn’t want to or know how to deal with that kind of thing and end up spending up to a couple hundred getting it fixed. I’ve also had espresso machines completely apart and decaled. got it back together and it works great. Commercial coffee equipment actually is very basic. don’t let the big stainless steel box intimidate you, there is nearly nothing inside :)

be carefull with commercial refrigerators though. especially with older ones, when a compressor goes out it can be more expensive to replace than buying another one


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View entire thread: POD machine

Posted by JavaNights on 2005-09-29 23:48:56      Post Subject:

Thanks Andrew,

Sorry for not making my question more understandable. They would like a POD for single serving coffee brewers. Folks are getting very lazy in that they just want to throw the POD into machine and brew. They don't want to measure or know how many scoops to use per pot, etc.

I had two customers ask about Senseo PODS. They wanted to know if I could reproduce it at a lower cost.

Usually, I don't like dealing with folks like this. For reasons they are too lazy to measure 2.5 grams of coffee per pot.

Any input/direction would be great.

Thanks,


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View entire thread: B2B

Posted by Osteele on 2006-10-26 09:38:05      Post Subject:

Hello Jackson.

First off, let me say that your quick response is greatly appreciated.

You asked: "What kind of coffee"

I want to keep the selection down to a minimum. I was thinking of espresso and a house blend that is commonly used for restaurant type coffee brewers. The type that is delivered in pre-measured pouches.

You said: "deep pockets to buy equipment for each location"

I have no intention of investing in, or providing brewing equipment.

You said: "roast your own coffee"

Roasting my own coffee is not in my immediate plans.

You said: "you may wish to look into private labeling coffee."

Kindly explain.

Thank you for your time and patience.

Peter
Hi Peter,
What kind of coffee do you plan to sell to restaurants and hotels? I currently work for a restaurant chain worth over 1.5 billion dollars, and the coffee we sell is CRAP! I couldn't even choke down one cup today, and I worked almost eleven hours. Most restaurants do not own their own equipment, and do not want to pay for quality coffee.
You may need deep pockets to buy equipment for each location you sell to, and chances are, you will move more cheap coffee than high quality.

I wish you all the luck in the world, but unless you roast your own coffee, you may have a hard time competing against Maxwell House and Folgers.

If you try to market towards hotels, you may wish to look into private labeling coffee. Hotel margins are small, so price your products accordingly.


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View entire thread: Home brewing purchase

Posted by leadmann on 2006-06-11 15:35:18      Post Subject: Home brewing purchase

For many years my wife and I have purchased Braun and Krups coffee makers. Over this period, my pallet has become refined and I desire nothing less than brewed coffee with body, flavor and aroma. Aside from the bean issue (to be addressed later. My interest in home roasting is growing) I am looking for a coffee maker that will provide performance and satisify my pallet.

I've narrowed the search to the Capresso 500 series, Krups Moka Brew and recently the Technivorm Clubline 741, et. al. Are these worth the invenstment? Afterall, a water heating device is just that... isn't it?

Which is constructed better (forum on the Technivorm suggest it is). I don't need bells and whistles, ie. clocks, timers and superfluous controls. What's the take on these, or other recommendations? Are there other European coffee brewers and are they available in the US?

Thanks in advance.


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View entire thread: Machine suggestions please

Posted by CCafe on 2007-10-01 16:43:50      Post Subject:

No you had the right forum.

Without trying to come off being rude. Did you even bother to search this forum for an answer to your question?

Here are 3 companies that manufacture drip coffee brewers for home use. Capresso has a machine that will grind and produce your coffee. However I prefer Technivorm over the Capresso. Its my opinion that Technivorm is a better machine for producing more consistent coffee.

1: Technivorm
2: Bodum
3: Capresso

If you can find a few models and would like us to help you decide which one would be better for your needs then by all mean please post your question.

I'm sorry that no one answered your original post. It just gets old when people drop by and ask for the best machine without doing just a little research first.


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View entire thread: Which commercial coffee maker is the best choice?

Posted by CCafe on 2005-05-12 22:51:37      Post Subject:

Ah I would tend to disagree with that statement. Grindmaster makes some great grinders, but they should have stayed out of the liquid side of it. I haven't found a good coffee or espresso machine yet made by Grindmaster.

Bunn's lower end coffee brewers, such as the plumbed and or pour over that brew in to glass decanters can get the water as high as 195F. Their BrewWise system gets up around 203 to 205F. This is actually do to the design of the system and the spray heads. They needed to up the temp to keep water around 195 +-5 degrees when it is sprayed over the grounds. Plus it has a Pulse Brewing system.

I sell a lot of Fetco products. If you looking for a airpot brewer have a look at the CBS 2032. Its all digital and has pulse brewing just like the Bunn BrewWise system. The one thing I have noticed is that Fetco is switching to all digital electronics. The new thermostat allows you to up the tank temp by 3 more degrees. This pushes the tank temp to 208F. Plenty hot to make tea! It also makes you pay a lot more attention to it as well.

I have never used a Cecilware coffee brewer, but I do like the design of the tea brewers. From personal experience with Curtis, I wouldn't touch that with a 10' pole. I have heard a lot of complaints about Newco, but at the same time I have heard just as much praise.

I would go with either a Bunn or a Fetco. I would suggest a Bunn ICB DV, Or a Fetco CBS 2032.


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View entire thread: Please help on Start-Up costs. Need advice....

Posted by CCafe on 2005-02-22 08:25:14      Post Subject:

Espresso machines range $4000 - $10,000 new. Coffee brewers $1000 - $3000. Espresso and Coffee Grinders $750 - $2000. For general appliances go to local retail store aka (Best Buy, Lowes, Home Depot) and price it out.

It not uncommon for people to get 1 or 2 espresso machines, 1 coffee brewer, 2 espresso grinders (reg and decaf), and 2 bulk grinders (flavored and unflavored coffee). Figure if that is all new, it would most like run you around $15,000 +- $2000.

In my calculation I didn't include a 2nd espresso machine. If you can afford one, get it. This way you always have a backup. People forget this all the time and when you mix that with poor maintenance, they are up the creek when their only machine breaks. Nobody wants to go get a Latte and read that sign!

One other thing, when purchasing or leasing your equipment make sure your repair service has a loaner program. If you can’t afford duplicates of everything this will sure help


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View entire thread: FETCO vs Bunn

Posted by DavesLT on 2006-06-05 21:31:28      Post Subject:

CCafe, I agree that FETCO is only marginally better than BUNN in certain areas, but if you've ever taken a piece of CURTIS equipment apart, you would say otherwise about them. Their equipment is built like a tank and utilizes the most state-of-the-art control boards I have ever seen. I've met some of the CURTIS engineers, and they are way ahead of the bell-curve in our industry. And no, I don't sell coffee brewers, I just appreciate good technology when I see it.

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View entire thread: Keurig single cup brewers?

Posted by richedie on 2006-04-30 00:32:57      Post Subject: Keurig single cup brewers?

Hey all, anyone try one of these single cup brewing systems by Keurig? I talked to a person today while waiting for coffee at our local shop who now swears by this system. The problem I see is that it is pre-ground coffee....

http://www.greenmountaincoffee.com/navCategory.aspx?DeptName=OurCoffees&Name=Keurig-Single-Cup-Coffee-Brewers&Collection=SingleCup

-Rich


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View entire thread: Keurig single cup brewers?

Posted by GloriaJeans on 2006-12-04 16:46:52      Post Subject: Re: Keurig single cup brewers?

Hey all, anyone try one of these single cup brewing systems by Keurig? I talked to a person today while waiting for coffee at our local shop who now swears by this system. The problem I see is that it is pre-ground coffee....

http://www.greenmountaincoffee.com/navCategory.aspx?DeptName=OurCoffees&Name=Keurig-Single-Cup-Coffee-Brewers&Collection=SingleCup

-Rich

Although these look nice, they seem a bit expensive. Nowadays you can get a 12-cup programmable coffee maker for $100-150. I recommend shopping around and looking through some online catalogs. Especially now that the holidays are coming, you may be able to get a great deal.


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View entire thread: Keurig Coffee Maker - New and Easy To Use!

Posted by sukispop on 2005-04-02 15:27:00      Post Subject: Re: Keurig B100 vs B50

Can someone explain to me why the Keurig B100 is so much more expensive than the B50?

Hi Lucy,

I'm no electrician by any stretch of the imagination, but the B50 is UL and c-UL approved for home use only, while the B100 is UL and c-UL approved for both home and office use. I'm not sure what the electrical distinctions are(anyone?), but that's how they're listed. The only other distinguishing feature is that the B100 has a larger water reservoir than the B50. Does this explain why the B100 is so much more expensive? Probably not...but I'm guessing that, between their use UL ratings, and possibly a beefier, more commercial-quality build of the B100, these are contributing factors to their pricing differential.

There's a great blog site that features reviews and user comments on all things related to single serve coffee brewers, called SingleServeCoffee.com. Here's their link:
http://www.singleservecoffee.com/archives/000737.php

The link should bring you to the review page for the B50, but it's easy to navigate to find their review of the B100, and all of the subsequent user comments. 'Hope this helps....I'm facing a challenge myself, trying to choose between the Keurig B50 and the Bunn "My Cafe"(a pod brewer that's gotten really good reviews so far).

:D


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View entire thread: coffee drive thru

Posted by barefoot on 2004-12-21 13:59:47      Post Subject: coffee equipment

our prefferences are:

espresso machines:
LaMarzocco and Synesso, Rancillio makes some good machines but LaMarzocco are great machines.

Espresso grinders:
Mazzer/Rio

Bulk coffee grinders:
Malkoenig
Fetco

Coffee brewers:
Fetco extractor series
Bunn brewwise

spend as much money as you can to get the best equipment you can on the coffee side and skimp if you have to on the other stuff that does not make you money.

Supreme bean makes great coffee. One of our wholesale cafe customers uses some of their coffees along with ours. They are dedicated and high quality. If you are looking for an organic and fair trade roaster maybe check us out. I would try to use a local roaster if you can within a few miles of you but if not then look at a whole bunch. Get coffees from at elast 6 roasters and choose the best tasting coffee, the best people and the best partner.


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View entire thread: coffee drive thru

Posted by Rockcreekcoffee on 2004-12-22 16:17:06      Post Subject:

LaMarzocco is the best machine on the market and is what is in my coffeehouse.

Coffee Brewers hands down go with FETCO. They are by far the best that is out there. We have the grinding system for our whole bean brewed coffee and we use their Extractor Series brewing system. The best thing about FETCO is that I have never heard anyone ever being dissappointed that they purchased their equipment.

As far as coffee - we are in the beginning stages of roasting our own. We haven't perfected our espresso blend yet - so we use Cafe D'Arte. It is more expensive than most espresso blends on the market, but by far they have a superior product.

If you get a chance, go to the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) show in Seattle next year in April. You can find out quite a bit of information in 3-4 days. The trade show can allow you to meet with vendors for everything you need. It will be money well spent


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View entire thread: Amazing Evolution of Espresso Machine!!!

Posted by coffeetology girl on 2007-11-22 10:41:31      Post Subject:

Nothing, just espresso machines in general. Because for me, they are the most efficient among the brewing devices. Amazing right?

I'll love to share things like this every now and then if you won't mind. I am also doing research of the other coffee brewers. :)


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View entire thread: mobile concept

Posted by CCafe on 2005-09-28 04:47:23      Post Subject:

Going mobile is more of an experiment then actual advice. Most of it will depend on the vehicle and the maximum gross weight it can handle. After you figure all this out then you can design your mobile coffeehouse.

Things to consider, size of espresso machine, size of coffee brewer, electrical (wiring and generator 110v vs. 220v this will also determine the type of espresso machine and coffee brewer), water (hot and cold), waste water, refrigeration, and storage. After all this don't forget to tack on how many people will work in the van (its added weight too).

Your weight is a key component and it determines everything. The last couple of mobile coffeehouses I saw failed because they overloaded the vehicle and couldn't keep up on maintenance to keep it rolling. That and the overhead was probably killing them (maintenance cost and gas mileage).

I would probably be looking at a delivery vehicle of some type. Nothing that sits to high. The big question is do you buy new or used. If you’re a handy mechanic, or have a cheap one then used isn't a bad option. But if you’re paying $70/hour and loosing $60/hour than that’s not going to look to good on the books either.

If you look elsewhere in this forum, you will find other people who are doing or are trying to do the same thing. I believe if you truly want to do this and do it right your going to have to spend more then you'll want to invest.

If I was setting up a mobile coffee shop I would buy new vehicle, new espresso machine, used coffee brewer, used refrigerator, maybe used storage and waste tanks, and new generator. Cars, espresso machines, and generators are complicated pieces of equipment and have a high price tag to fix. Most coffee brewers rely on gravity so there are very few moving or complicated parts. I could say the same thing about fridges but they to can become expensive.

Lastly, don’t forget to check your local and state codes. Nothing sucks worse then being inspected and told you have to dump another $2000 in to something you hadn’t planned for. Especially if you redesign or even scrap the whole project.


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View entire thread: Fetco vs. Bunn

Posted by Jackson on 2007-01-10 19:44:49      Post Subject:

If you are still in the design phase of your coffee house, you may want to use one or two large water lines to feed your espresso machine, coffee brewers, fountain soda machine, ice machine and maybe an iced tea brewer. That way you will only need one or two filter systems for your entire establishment. There is no reason to send filtered water to your restrooms, dishtank, mopsink or handwash sinks. You may want to avoid using individual line filters because they restrict water flow and could damage your equipment. After looking at the Cirqua website, they have several smaller filter systems that would be perfect for a coffee house.

As far as FETCO vs. Bunn goes, both brewers are very good brands. My personal favorite would be the FETCO. It brews an outstanding cup of coffee. I will admit that it does have solenoid problems, but when the solenoid starts to wear out, it will make a humming noise during the brew cycle. When you begin hearing the noise, you have a good month to fix it before it affects the coffee quality. The biggest problem with FETCO is finding a cure for sticker shock!


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