Which type of coffee machine will suit your business?

a) Traditional Espresso Machines

These machines incorporate the art and theatricality of coffee making, and therefore good barista training is essential to ensure a detailed knowledge of great coffee production. A barista is an expert at making espresso and a master of a variety of espresso based beverages. Once these skills have been mastered, a good barista can produce hundreds of drinks per day.
Prices can vary from around £800 to £6000, but remember, you get what you pay for, so make sure that the machine you choose is new and fully warranted, including full barista training and a good support service. The great thing about traditional machines is that there are no major moving parts so less to go wrong.

b) Bean to Cup Machines

A bean to cup machine does exactly what it says! The fresh coffee beans are placed inside the machine and on the press of a button the machine automatically grinds the beans and pours both coffee and milk into your cup. The machine automatically heats and froths the milk to produce the perfect latte/cappuccino etc. The milk is usually kept in a fridge or milk chiller next to the machine; a pipe from the machine connects into the fridge and when the drink selection button is pressed the machine draws the milk from the fridge and sucks it into the machine steams, heats it and drops it into the cup.

These various coffee machines are designed to produce anything from 50 cups per day to over 500 per day. The cost of these can vary from under £1000 to well over £10000, so it is important you make the correct choice.

c) Pod System

Similar to traditional, but you would usually only have 1 or 2 group versions and you wouldn’t need a grinder because you would use what are called pods. The advantages are that they are easy to use, producing good quality drink and nice aromas. The time taken to make the coffee is approximately the same as a traditional machine. The disadvantages are that they are more expensive per cup due to packaging cost. Typically a good quality pod will cost 20p per cup to produce. These machines will suit any small site and tend to be cheaper than the other machines, costing around £395 upwards.

d) Filter System and Bulk Brew System

These systems are for simply using filter coffee. A 2 jug filter makes great coffee for about 5 to 7 minutes, however if it’s left to stew for a while, as filter coffee usually is, the quality quickly deteriorates due to constant warming. Typically there can be waste, and so while the cup price is around 10p per cup, with waste, this could work out to be nearer 20p per cup. It can be used if there is a high demand for coffee over a short space of time such as serving 120 wedding guests after the dinner. A filter machine is always a back up to a traditional or bean to cup machine for use at very busy times or in case of a machine breakdown.

Bulk brew systems are large scale filter systems used in locations such as banqueting facilities, hotels and sporting events. There are hundreds of different coffee machine systems available depending on how many litres of coffee need to be served and in what time scale.