View entire thread: Advice about hardware / expresso machine
Posted by mrgnomer on 2006-06-26 21:29:26 Post Subject:
I've read that high altitude does affect coffee brewing.
If you're looking for an espresso machine to be used in a commercial setting I think there's a few things to be aware of.
One would be NSF ratings. I think a machine has to be NSF approved for commercial use. It also has to be electrical safety approved as well.
I believe there's a few under $2000 machines that are possible to be used for light duty commercial. Apart from the approvals the size of the machine and it's design have to be considered. Smaller boilers recover slower so if you're planning on making a lot of espressos a small boiler machine probably won't be able to keep up. Machines that have reservoirs that need filling might also not be a good choice for a commercial setting, especially if you expect a bit of business. Running a pump dry could damage it. More expensive machines can be plumbed in and that is a better option for a commercial setting. Semi commercial machines designed mostly for home use also wouldn't stand up well to commercial use and might slowly die out over time.
Fiorenzato makes a Bricoletta that's a rotary pump plumb in for under $2000, Chris' Coffee has a modified Quickmill machine, Vetrano, that's also a rotary pump plumb in for under $2000. The Vibiemme Domobar Super is also in the same catagory and is a well reviewed machine. They're good machines but not ideal for strict commercial use. I would get advice before buying one for commercial use.
Spend maybe $600-$1000 more and you can get a Cimbali Junior, Elektra Sixties or an Astra Gourmet, all one group machines but with monster boilers, commercial ratings and commercially capable.
Another option would be to buy a used commercial machine. You do get what you pay for with espresso machines and equipment and trying to save money in the end could lose you money depending on what you expect of your machine. I guess you have a good grinder to match with a good machine.
There's mobile coffee carts for sale on line. It's a hard way to sell espresso, from what I've read. Coffee is very sensitive to it's environment and an operator has to be pretty good to pull shots out doors where there is no control over stuff like humidity, temperature, direct sunlight...In an outdoor setting a good quality, forgiving machine would be a good investment. The Elektra Sixties has gotten very good reviews as a forgiving machine.
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Posted by mrgnomer on 2006-06-26 21:29:26 Post Subject:
I've read that high altitude does affect coffee brewing.
If you're looking for an espresso machine to be used in a commercial setting I think there's a few things to be aware of.
One would be NSF ratings. I think a machine has to be NSF approved for commercial use. It also has to be electrical safety approved as well.
I believe there's a few under $2000 machines that are possible to be used for light duty commercial. Apart from the approvals the size of the machine and it's design have to be considered. Smaller boilers recover slower so if you're planning on making a lot of espressos a small boiler machine probably won't be able to keep up. Machines that have reservoirs that need filling might also not be a good choice for a commercial setting, especially if you expect a bit of business. Running a pump dry could damage it. More expensive machines can be plumbed in and that is a better option for a commercial setting. Semi commercial machines designed mostly for home use also wouldn't stand up well to commercial use and might slowly die out over time.
Fiorenzato makes a Bricoletta that's a rotary pump plumb in for under $2000, Chris' Coffee has a modified Quickmill machine, Vetrano, that's also a rotary pump plumb in for under $2000. The Vibiemme Domobar Super is also in the same catagory and is a well reviewed machine. They're good machines but not ideal for strict commercial use. I would get advice before buying one for commercial use.
Spend maybe $600-$1000 more and you can get a Cimbali Junior, Elektra Sixties or an Astra Gourmet, all one group machines but with monster boilers, commercial ratings and commercially capable.
Another option would be to buy a used commercial machine. You do get what you pay for with espresso machines and equipment and trying to save money in the end could lose you money depending on what you expect of your machine. I guess you have a good grinder to match with a good machine.
There's mobile coffee carts for sale on line. It's a hard way to sell espresso, from what I've read. Coffee is very sensitive to it's environment and an operator has to be pretty good to pull shots out doors where there is no control over stuff like humidity, temperature, direct sunlight...In an outdoor setting a good quality, forgiving machine would be a good investment. The Elektra Sixties has gotten very good reviews as a forgiving machine.
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