How to choose Espresso Coffee Machine in Cafe

Abstract: for a cafe nowadays, the Espresso machine is the heart of the cafe, no matter how it is cooked, but as long as it breaks down, the cafe will shut down.

Excerpt from How to Choose the Perfect Espresso Machine for Your Caf é by Karen Foley of Fresh Cup Magazine, pp. 21-25

This article can also be used as a reference guide for purchasing the first espresso machine.

Key points of selection and purchase of Espresso machines

For a cafe nowadays, the Espresso machine is the heart of the cafe, no matter how it is cooked, but as long as it breaks down, the cafe will shut down. So how do you choose an Espresso machine that is suitable for your cafe? The size, mode of operation, special functions, power, warranty and maintenance of the machine are all factors that you must refer to before you choose and purchase the machine. This report will sort out these areas that should be paid attention to for you. Let you have an idea before you choose and buy the machine.

There are four categories of Espresso machines:

1. Manual (or pull machine): a fully manual machine means that the operator can control the pressure of the water through a pull rod, as well as the amount of water and the degree of extraction. But the disadvantage of such machines is that they rely too much on manpower, which was popular in Italy in the 1950s, but is now rare. Cooking Espresso with this kind of machine can be as attractive as a theatrical performance, but if you are looking for a machine with really good cooking performance, you are definitely not looking for this kind of machine. Generally speaking, fully manual machines sell for about US $3000 to 4500 yuan.

two。 Semi-automatic: usually more rigorous coffee connoisseurs prefer to use this kind of machine, because this kind of machine has the advantages of both manual and fully automatic machines, in addition to electric-driven pump water supply and other functions. it also allows the operator to interrupt the extraction at any time according to the required extraction procedure, which is an excellent choice for people with certain brewing knowledge and skills. However, most retailers tend to buy machines with more automatic functions. The price of the semi-automatic machine ranges from about US $1800 to 7000 yuan.

3. Fully automatic: this kind of machine has an automatic flow control system, which can set its own standard brewing time and dose, so that the quality of coffee can be maintained at a certain level, but this kind of machine is also polarized. it's either good or bad. But the advantage is that it can minimize the cause of cooking. Some improved machines will be equipped with manual overwrite knobs to avoid failure of the electronic control part. The price of this type of machine is about US $2500 to 10000 yuan.

4. Super fully automatic: this type of machine does everything, including grinding, weighting, filling, extraction, and automatically discarding coffee cakes, all of which are done step by step by the machine at the push of a button. Although some retailers will buy such machines, in fact, they are more suitable for being placed in hotels, convenience stores, airports, restaurants and other places that emphasize speed. This kind of machine may be the trend in the future, but more efforts must be made in terms of cooking quality and stability. Many retailers think so: "Super fully automatic machine-brewed coffee is usually not surprising and does not help unskilled bar staff at all." "the price of this machine is about US $5000 to 18000 yuan.

Determine your machine size requirements

You can decide what kind of machine to buy according to the type and scale of the store. If you have previous work experience, you can estimate how many guests will come in every day, and then use this figure to figure out what kind of machine is most suitable for your cafe. However, most cafes buy fewer machines at the beginning, and when business is good for a while, they will have to spend more money on new large machines, so experts usually suggest that for stores with long-term plans, it is also an economic option to buy more machines in the first place. The two-hole machine is considered by experts to be the smallest type of machine necessary in general cafes. For single-hole machines, most experts agree that it is unable to cope with the rush hour demand. Some experts even think that in addition to a normal operating machine, it is best to prepare a spare single-hole machine, so as to avoid the coffee shop can not continue to operate when the operating machine fails.

In addition, if you are interested in providing comprehensive staff training, then you can consider buying a semi-automatic or fully automatic machine; if the turnover of your store is too high to provide complete training, then maybe the super fully automatic machine is exactly what you want.

However, although the super fully automatic machine is very convenient and fast, it cannot be compared with the semi-automatic and fully automatic machine in terms of brewing quality. after all, the super fully automatic machine cannot allow people to control the causes of cooking, and the quality of the trained bar staff using semi-automatic or fully automatic machines will certainly be many times better than the super fully automatic machines.

Other considerations

After considering the size and type of the cooking machine, there are some other machine conditions to be considered, such as the size of the boiler and the structure of the machine.

In the United States, there is usually a great demand for Latte, Mocha and Cappuccino, so the larger the boiler must be, the larger the boiler must be to provide enough steam to make these drinks. The larger the boiler, the more sufficient the steam stock, so the continuous cooking performance will be much less than the recovery time required by the small boiler. If you really want to compare the difference in boiler size, you can try making five portions of double powder Latte in a row. In addition, the boiler material must be high temperature resistant, and the thicker the boiler wall, the better.

The design of the steam sprinkler is also a detail that must be paid attention to. A poorly designed steam sprinkler will make the operator easy to burn while working. The overall design of the machine is very important, but not every machine can take into account all the details, so compare as much as you can, so you won't buy anything that doesn't work and regret it.

Other details you may need to pay attention to are whether the space below the head can hold a higher cup (large cups may be used with takeout).

What can I get from the supplier?

Customer service, warranty, maintenance and parts replacement are usually available from suppliers. Before purchasing, a smart retailer will study the supplier's industry information, reputation, availability of parts, service items, technical support, and relevant knowledge consultation when purchasing equipment.

Similarly, end consumers must also pay attention to whether the merchants who buy the machines provide these types of services.

Mistakes to be avoided by retailers when buying

Most retailers make a mistake when buying machines, that is, they only consider the price, ignoring the importance of quality. Many consumers thought they were buying great machines at discounted prices, but in fact this is not the case. unless they buy it from a more reputable store.

In addition, retailers had better not rush to follow Starbucks and other large chain stores into the same models and parts, it is better to find local suppliers with warranty services will be more secure.

For buyers, experts advise not to blindly believe in appearance, it is best to follow the quality, if the machine can not cook what you want, then do not buy; if you do not know how to operate these machines, then ask the store to cook for you to drink.

Buy a brand new one or a used one?

Experts still suggest to buy brand-new machines as much as possible. Usually, the second mobile phone station is golden and unsuccessful. Unless the supplier who sells your used machine is willing to take full responsibility for the warranty service and return service of the machine, please do not consider the second-hand machine. Just like buying a used car, what you buy may be the fault of the previous hand!