How do I choose the best espresso machine for my coffee shop? A good espresso machine should come with all the accessories to help you create quality espresso shots from ground coffee beans and water. To achieve the top quality thick and concentrated coffee, you need to choose the best espresso machine.
Before purchasing the best espresso machine for commercial purposes, you need to consider various technical and physical factors.
This article will enlighten you on several important things to consider before buying a commercial espresso machine.
1. Your budget
Before buying an espresso machine, the first thing you must think of is the budget. How much have you allocated for purchasing this machine? After deciding on your budget for the machine, you can go ahead and begin searching for the machine that matches your budget.
Don’t go for an expensive machine when you have fewer customers flocking your coffee shops or minimum order. Even if you think of a less costly machine, don’t compromise with the quality of the machine, as it will lead to more costs later, including; replacing and repairing the machine frequently.
2. Cleaning and maintaining the machine.
For your machine to consistently produce quality coffee, maintenance and regular cleaning of the machine becomes very important. Cleaning and maintaining the machine will prevent the residues from clogging the filters and improve the coffee’s quality. With every type of these machines, there are slightly different ways of cleaning.
Some machines use the automated cleaning cycle while others use the descaling system; thus, this may take a long time to clean the machine. Before purchasing an espresso machine for your busy restaurants and café, you should be keen to choose a machine that is easy to clean and maintain. Easy cleaning and maintenance of the machine will help you avoid the disruption of your business’s operations.
3. Quality and consistency of coffee produced
When customers come to your coffee shop or café, they expect to be served great-tasting and high-quality coffee every day. Before thinking about buying an espresso machine, quality is an essential factor which you should never overlook. It’s vital before buying an espresso machine, you think of investing in a good quality machine.
A good quality machine will provide you with a high-quality coffee that the customers like, thus helping your business grow. When choosing the best espresso machine for your café, you can choose three options: automatic, semi-automatic, and super-automatic. You can consider purchasing the super-automatic machine, as it produces good quality coffee every time.
4. Available labor
Before purchasing an espresso machine, consider the available labor you have at the café or restaurant. The labor includes the baristas or chefs who are well-trained to handle or operate specific espresso machines. For example, you can purchase a semi-automatic machine if you have a master barista in your team because to get a quality coffee shot, you need to have a well-trained person.
A commercial automatic espresso is the best for most cafés and restaurants as they are computerized, with a computer board delivering amounts of preset espresso. If you need to purchase a near operator foolproof machine, opt for the super-automatic machine.
This machine grinds the coffee, then packs it, brews the espresso, and through its computerized systems, ejects the grounds in a dump box built-in. Among all the machines, this is the machine most baristas find easy to use.
5. Targeted consumers
The most important thing to consider before considering the best espresso machine to buy is finding out how much espresso your customers need daily. You can find this by estimating the number of cups of coffee you will be serving your customers in the café or restaurants daily. This factor will help you determine the suitable machine you need to purchase.
If, from the estimate, you can serve up to 100 customers daily, then opt for a medium volume machine. However, if your restaurant or café can serve more than 200 cups of espresso daily to the customers, invest in a large volume machine like the super automated machine.
The machine ensures you get delicious drinks just with a push of a button. The main idea is to match the suitable machine to the correct job expected of it.
6. The space you have available for the espresso machine
Like other machines, these machines come in all sizes and shapes. There isn’t a standard position or dimension for placing the machine. Before purchasing a commercial espresso account, it’s important to determine where you will place it.
Once you determine this place, measure this place. When checking for the machine to purchase, you can compare these measurements. Considering these measurements before purchasing the espresso machine will ensure you buy a machine with the correct dimension, fitting in your café or restaurant without having to rearrange things.
Lastly, you need to consider weight before purchasing the machine. It shouldn’t be cumbersome for you and the other employees to move while cleaning and maintaining the machine.
7. The plumbing system available
Before purchasing an espresso machine for your café or restaurant, you need to check the kind of plumbing available. You should consider purchasing a machine that can hook up any existing water lines in your café or restaurant, i.e., the direct-connect machine.
The direct connect machine will help save time as the employees won’t interrupt their duties to refill the water reservoir. The direct espresso machine also uses a water softener to enhance the quality of water and drinks, preventing damages to the machine due to scaling.
The other better alternative is the pour-over machines with an in-built water reservoir that the employees only refill when the water depletes. It would be best to consider purchasing an espresso machine that easily hooks up with the existing plumbing system.
Final thoughts
When purchasing an espresso machine, you need to consider a machine that will help you get quality coffee while saving on production and maintenance costs. Following the tips outlined above, you will get the best espresso machine for your business. You will get quality coffee for your customers; they will be content and may even refer friends.
Thus, this helps your business to gradually grow. It would help if you never opt for shortcuts before purchasing an espresso machine.
