Light-commercial coffee machinery...

[CTBaker]

Hello all, first post from me. I was drawn here because I''m looking to set up a cafe in the near future - with coffee generating at least some of the profits. Unfortunately, I don''t know a great deal about the industry, so I''ve got some questions I wanted to ask specifically about coffee machines.

Firstly, bog-standard filter coffee. I''d like to offer my customers a nice cup of plain old coffee for a reasonable price - any reccomendations for a good machine that could serve up maybe 300 cups of coffee a day? Cost is a major consideration, as I don''t have a lot of money to throw around (~$500 tops). Also, those machines with the jugs just don''t seem that professional, are there any good machines that can just produce it from a spout? Or do I even need a seperate one - can espresso machines make normal coffee too?

Secondly, espresso - I''m a bit more willing to fork out for an espresso machine (~$2000), as I would charge more for espressos and related drinks. I''m currently looking at the Fiorenzato Bricoletta range (http://www.cofcaf.co.uk/catalog/bricole ... b763b9b7b5) but I''m unsure which particular one to go for. I know I''ll want to choose a mains-plumbed model to save on noise, but I''m torn between automatic and semi-automatic.

Now, I can learn to use a coffee machine, I''m sure, but I might have a high turnover of staff - how much harder is it to use a semi-automatic or a fully manual machine when compared to just pressing a button? Also, how much better is the coffee?

Also, a grinder - do I need to buy a seperate grinder, or can I just use ground coffee (or machines with inbuilt grinders)? Does it make much difference tastewise?

Any opinions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[CTBaker]

Okay, since the original post, I've learned some more. I don't need a bog-standard coffee machine, I'll just make Americanos. That'll save some effort.

My main questions are now -

1) how much harder is it to use semi-auto than automatic and does it taste noticably better?
2) these espresso 'pods'...do they make acceptable espresso shots? they seem a lot less hassle and generally more idiot-proof than anything else...

 

[ElPugDiablo]

The link is showing home machines, if you are looking to serve 300 cups a day you need a commercial machine, and most likely new one will be more than $2,000.

1) how much harder is it to use semi-auto than automatic and does it taste noticably better?
It's not much harder, and the barista has more control of the espresso making. It's good or bad depending on the skill level of the barista.

2) these espresso 'pods'...do they make acceptable espresso shots? they seem a lot less hassle and generally more idiot-proof than anything else...
It all depends on your definition of acceptable. If you are going to take short cut your product will reflect that, at least to someone. Do you care if you don't have espresso purists as customers, only you can answer that.

 

[CTBaker]

Okay then, obviously I'm not going to be able to skimp there. Assume I doubled my budget for the machine up to $4000/£2000, what's a good machine that'll handle cafe-type volume?

I've decided that pods aren't the way forward, and that semi-auto is - or at least, automatic machines with semi-auto functionality, best of both worlds there.

 

[CCafe]

Firstly, bog-standard filter coffee. I''d like to offer my customers a nice cup of plain old coffee for a reasonable price - any reccomendations for a good machine that could serve up maybe 300 cups of coffee a day?

Okay, since the original post, I've learned some more. I don't need a bog-standard coffee machine, I'll just make Americanos. That'll save some effort.

My main questions are now -

1) how much harder is it to use semi-auto than automatic and does it taste noticably better?
2) these espresso 'pods'...do they make acceptable espresso shots? they seem a lot less hassle and generally more idiot-proof than anything else...

I think your problem is you second guessing yourself. For the most part your moving in the right direction.

But have you ever drank an Americano? I really don't like it. The taste is bland compared to regular coffee. The other thing to look at is preparation time for making 1 Americano vs regular drip coffee. Pouring a cup of coffee is 10 times faster then preparing 1 shot of espresso and a plus side to pouring coffee is a monkey could do it. No training required.

I would definitely increase your budget a few thousand more. A good espresso machine is a must but is not a cure all solutions. What is going to happen to your business when the espresso equipment breaks? Closed no coffee today?

 

[rickb33952]

[quote:c4aa64ccb4=\"CTBaker\"]Hello all, first post from me. I was drawn here because I''''m looking to set up a cafe in the near future - with coffee generating at least some of the profits. Unfortunately, I don''''t know a great deal about the industry, so I''''ve got some questions I wanted to ask specifically about coffee machines.

Firstly, bog-standard filter coffee. I''''d like to offer my customers a nice cup of plain old coffee for a reasonable price - any reccomendations for a good machine that could serve up maybe 300 cups of coffee a day? Cost is a major consideration, as I don''''t have a lot of money to throw around (~$500 tops). Also, those machines with the jugs just don''''t seem that professional, are there any good machines that can just produce it from a spout? Or do I even need a seperate one - can espresso machines make normal coffee too?

Secondly, espresso - I''''m a bit more willing to fork out for an espresso machine (~$2000), as I would charge more for espressos and related drinks. I''''m currently looking at the Fiorenzato Bricoletta range (http://www.cofcaf.co.uk/catalog/bricole ... b763b9b7b5) but I''''m unsure which particular one to go for. I know I''''ll want to choose a mains-plumbed model to save on noise, but I''''m torn between automatic and semi-automatic.

Now, I can learn to use a coffee machine, I''''m sure, but I might have a high turnover of staff - how much harder is it to use a semi-automatic or a fully manual machine when compared to just pressing a button? Also, how much better is the coffee?

Also, a grinder - do I need to buy a seperate grinder, or can I just use ground coffee (or machines with inbuilt grinders)? Does it make much difference tastewise?

Any opinions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.[/quote:c4aa64ccb4]

I also have an interest in light commercial coffee equipment. I am a bit further along in the process and my needs were slightly different.
First, if you purchase a light comercial machine for regularly making 300 cups a day, you will be pushing the machine too hard and you will be dissapointed in it''s ability to produce at a speed matched to 300 cup per day machines.
Second, for producing a high quality coffee, an Americano is not what I would make. I would draw a cafe creme or cafe swiss which is a long draw to a larger puck to produce a 6 oz beverage. It is very popular in Europe.
Third, I would expect your staff will need training on any commercial equipment, especially to avoid maintenance problems and safeguarding the health of customers by properly operating and cleaning the equipment. The lowest cost to train and operate will be a super-automatic. Oh, there are some super-automatic machines that make quite good espresso.
Lastly I also feel that you need to budget a bit more. I purchased a super-automatic and have been testing it for several different coffee business operations. My budget was for a light commercial machine that retails from 6-7k US Dollars including a few accessories.