Guide to Espresso Machine Selection

RAISING Guide to Espresso Machine Selection Brought to you by the

RAISING Contents 3-7 Introduction 4-7 Where to start 4-7 Understanding Specifications 5-7-Guide to Machine Capacity 6-7 Hot Water Output 6-7 Temperature Control 7-8 Automatic or Semi-automatic 9-7 Space & Style 10 Pedigree & Price 11 Grinder Selection; Freshness and Aroma; Dosing Consistency; Wastage & Speed of Dispense Content information originally supplied by Andrew Tucker, SanRemo and Coffee West. T: 01364 644445 EDITOR (FOR BSA): Martyn Herriott PUBLISHING DIRECTOR: Martyn Herriott info@beveragestandardsassociation.co.uk DESIGN: Gail Blackman Krunch Design, krunch.design16@yahoo.co.uk PRINTED BY: Nova Press, Thatcham Guide to Espresso Machine Selection was published by the Beverage Standards Association T: 01364 645761 All articles are copyright and remain the property of the BSA. Published September 2012 2 Brought to you by the BSA

RAISING INTRODUCTION Welcome to Raising Beverage Standards, a new regular Beverage Standards Association publication. Alongside the many initiatives the BSA is trying to achieve this publication is an integral part of our key aim to raise training and education standards within the Industry. The focus for this issue is on Espresso machine selection. There have been many developments in recent years including advances in equipment and this guide aims to help buyers understand the considerations they should take into account when looking to select a commercial espresso machine and grinder for their business or organisation. Purchasing such an important element of your catering equipment is exciting. Your new espresso coffee machine is likely to be the biggest profit generator for your business and is often the one item that owners, management, staff and not least customers will really become attached to. It is also likely to have a bearing on the degree of commercial success your coffee operation enjoys. This BSA information will not tell you which machine to buy; however it will help you to demystify your selection process. To assist out of home operators develop and maintain these standards the BSA offers the City and Guilds VRQ in Barista training. This training through approved centres of excellence provides attendees on the course a comprehensive knowledge in producing all types of beverages. At the end of the course a practical and theory exam ensures that the candidates have the required knowledge before receiving a City and Guilds VRQ certificate. At this time the Beverage Standards Association has twelve approved training centres throughout the UK. Please visit our website for full details on these locations and how you and your staff would benefit from attending one of these courses. Building upon the success of the City and Guilds training the BSA now runs their annual Beverage Standard Awards. The awards have been designed to deliver a valuable and fair assessment of any establishment serving hot beverages, whilst at the same time celebrating the very best beverage quality and overall service delivery in the UK. The BSA hopes you enjoy this edition of Raising Beverage Standards. If you would like more information about any of the subjects covered in this issue or the wider industry please visit www. beveragestandardsassociation.co.uk or call the BSA office on 01364 645761 or email info@ beveragestandardsassociation.co.uk. Martyn Herriott Executive Director, BSA and owner of Complete Beverage Solutions Ltd Brought to you by the BSA 3

RAISING Passion : Excellence : Quality Guidance when purchasing espresso machines Where to start There seem to be hundreds of different machines to choose from and trying to sift out the best one for you can be daunting task. But when it comes to helping people identify what fits their situation, there are really 4 areas of primary consideration: Space/Size/Specifications Style (what looks best to suit/enhance my business or service area) Pedigree Price/purchasing arrangements Then, you shouldn t forget the all important Grinder selection Other considerations Ancillaries Training Ongoing support Table 1: Max coffee outputs by machine size Understanding specifications The primary considerations here are how many coffees you expect to produce each day and what the likely maximum hourly output is likely to be. Size does matter! Interestingly, most say 2 group, traditional espresso coffee machines will produce espresso coffees at the same pace as each other, i.e. a bigger machine is no faster than a smaller machine. However, bigger spec machines will handle higher outputs for longer durations with greater ease whereas, over press a too small machine and the coffee produced will vary considerably in quality and availability of steam and hot water will be a problem. Machine size Max Espressos Max Cappuccinos / Max Flat white/ with one Barista per hour lattes/americanos ph Large/double shot coffees p.h. 1 Group 180 60 30 2 Group 280 120 60 3 Group 360 150 + 90 4 Group 400 150+ 120 Clearly if you have 2 Baristas working on a 4 group machine, output from a machine could be higher than specified above, particularly on larger drinks. However, given that customers tend to purchase drinks in 1 s and 2 s foremost and then 3 s, 4s or more less so, and that demand has significant peaks and troughs during each day, it makes sense to specify your needs in line with your peak hourly output and also consider realistic output at around 70% of above. 4 Brought to you by the BSA

RAISING GUIDE TO MACHINE CAPACITY (speak to your supplier for more information) Small to medium coffee shop or Café If you have a coffee shop or café with up to 30 covers, a standard 2 Group machine with mid sized (approximately 9 L) boiler will most likely suffice. A larger boiler will not go to waste but a smaller boiler machine is likely to struggle. Medium to large coffee outlet A coffee shop or café with around 50 covers will require a 2 group with 14 L boiler (if possible connected to 3 phase 415V power) at minimum and may be worth considering a 3 group machine to cope with busy periods, particularly if the machine is to be your only producer of coffee. Large outlet A coffee shop with 60 covers or more may consider a 3 or 4 group machine or perhaps two or more separate 2 group machine stations to allow more staff easy working access. Getting size into perspective It is unlikely that a smaller coffee shop or café will use a 1 group machine even though it may have the working capacity to service the custom, as the machine is not likely to communicate the coffee message in the same way that a 2 group will. Pubs and restaurants tend to err on the lower side, of these guidelines, although a two group tends to be the norm both for presentation and to service busy periods. For the same reason, coffee service sites may opt for larger than necessary machines just to communicate a strong coffee message to customers i.e. a bigger machine looks more serious and conveys a more specialist coffee connotation. Brought to you by the BSA 5

RAISING Passion : Excellence : Quality TEMPERATURE CONTROL Quite simply a coffee machine needs to stay at optimum temperature to ensure the group head and water temperature at point of infusion stays at 90-95 C. Most coffees are made from only around 1 f luid ounce of water (espresso) allowing the machine to remain stable during slow and busy times. Taking out lots of hot water for tea however, means replacing it with cooler water. This has two main effects: Espresso coffee being under extracted (weak and sour tasting coffee.) Reduced steam availability or power for working the milk Therefore it is advisable to consider a separate water boiler if any volume of tea or hot water will be required. HOT WATER OUTPUT Standard configuration machines will vary in temperature, some far more than others, but they will all vary to some degree. In simple terms, group head temperature rises, sometimes higher than 100 C when machine is not being used and cools down well below 90 C when being heavily used. Coffee infuses properly usually between 90 and 95 C. Hotter than this and more bitterness is extracted by over extracting and burning the sugars. Too cold water will limit presence of sugars and extract primarily sour tasting components. Although hot water is available from espresso machines, if you plan to use lots of it for pots of tea or large cups of tea, you will impair the performance of most espresso machines during busy times. 6 Brought to you by the BSA

RAISING Skilled Baristas keen to produce consistent tasting drinks will try to mitigate these effects, particularly of over heating, by f lushing repeatedly before each espresso extraction. You will sometimes see this with as many as 6 or 8 f lushes. Even with this level of skill there is of course still a variability in coffee extraction and f lavour as no Barista can know what the temperature inside the group head is. It is probably fair to say that as with everything, you get what you pay for. Generally, the more expensive machines will be more temperature stable, with heavier componentry, larger boilers; and more power. There are now machines available like those used in the UK Barista Championship which take this a stage further and control the temperature of water by feeding each group head from a separate mini boiler which is controlled to deliver a programmed temperature. This not only avoids the inconsistency issues but also gives the ability to set the machine to optimise extraction by finding the sweet spot of each coffee. This results in a far higher quality and consistency of extraction, i.e. consistently good coffee, more or less regardless of Barista skill level. It also means less wastage, throwing away of unwanted shots. So is temperature control right for you? As with any product there are no real rights and wrongs. Non temperature controlled machines have been around for almost a century and we have enjoyed coffee from them for all those years. An interesting point to note is that most TCS (Temperature Control System) machine purchasers are second machine owners. Most first time buyers can t really see the value of temperature control and therefore the price differential deters them. Automatic or Semi Automatic Semi automatic espresso coffee machines are sometimes preferred by experienced Baristas who like to have control over every coffee shot they create. In simple terms, to make a coffee you turn the Group switch on until the desired quantity of espresso has been expressed, then you turn the switch off. With an Automatic machine, there are usually 5 buttons which electronically control the amount of water pushed through the coffee, plus one for dispensing hot water for tea. When using an Automatic coffee machine, if making a single shot of espresso for Cappuccino for example, simply press the Single Espresso button and the electronics do the rest, leaving the Barista to continue with preparing the milk. Brought to you by the BSA 7

RAISING Passion : Excellence : Quality Table 2: Group switch configurations Config 1 Single Single Double Double Continuous Hot Water Espresso Espresso Espresso Espresso Config 2 Single Single Double Double Continuous Hot Water Espresso Espresso Ristretto Espresso In today s fast service environment, Automatic Espresso machines offer a quick and efficient and accurate production of coffee. EXAMPLE 2 lattes, 1 cappuccino and an Americano can all be produced simultaneously and easily on a 2 Group Automatic Espresso Machine. The Barista takes 2 shots of coffee into both Porta-Filters, tamps the coffee in each, then places the Filters into the Groups. Both Double Espresso buttons are pushed initiating the production of 4 espressos, into 1 cappuccino cup, 2 Latte cups and a standard coffee cup. The Barista can then steam the milk to create the froth for the Cappuccino, and textured milk for the Lattes, by which time the espresso coffees are ready to receive the milk. The Americano is then prepared by topping up the Coffee Cup with hot water from the tap. An Americano can also be made by adding the espresso to a prefilled cup of hot water too. This whole process can be completed by properly trained and practiced staff in around 1 1 / 2 to 2 minutes. 8 Brought to you by the BSA

RAISING Space Before you go any further, consider where you wish to locate your machine. We would recommend where possible positioning the machine to face your customers as they approach the buying position as this helps sell coffee as well as promote the high standard of everything else you offer. Bear in mind that it may be worth altering the space you have to ensure the machine you decide on is the best to suit your business. It is important that you take into account 1. Width and depth of the machine AND Grinder (with knock out drawer if applicable). 2. Height of machine AND Grinder (with knock out drawer if applicable). 3. Access to steam arm (e.g. if machine is in corner with only one steam wand) 4. Space to pour milk into coffees etc 5. Power and water availability 6. Drainage/waste facility if possible Weight some espresso machines are heavy e.g. a SanRemo Roma 3 group, with SanRemo Conical grinder will weigh in at around 140Kg. Thus a strong counter is necessary to support it. Style This is where the buying becomes more fun. Traditional espresso machines have for many years been fairly industrial in appearance with stainless steel box like styling. More and more espresso machines are now breaking with this mould, some with excellent success and others which may only appeal to limited locations. It is important to visualise each machine on your coffee service counter to see which style will fit and hopefully enhance your interior presentation and the coffee message. Looks at colours, size, whether retro or modern, how appealing. NOTE: You will need water and power within 1m of your espresso machine and preferably waste drainage, plus a plug socket for your grinder. NOTE: See BSA guide to water filtration good water care is essential to good coffee production and machine care. Brought to you by the BSA 9

RAISING Passion : Excellence : Quality Pedigree Once again there are an excellent number of espresso machine manufacturers and though originally from Italy, Espresso Coffee Machines are now made across Western Europe. The danger is in selecting one from the other is that price can often direct buyers away from good and into what we would call The Coffee Suppliers, who will provide the training and support necessary to ensure their machines produce professional results and therefore ref lect well on their equipment. Price Your coffee machine is likely to be the engine of your business, playing a major part in making your mark on customers and driving them and profits into your business. Try to look realistically at your demand expectations and consider the style of machine what would work best with your premises/brand image etc.. Beware: There are many Catering Equipment suppliers which supply espresso machines. However, these while cheap are often of the lower end and the machines will be delivered (and may be installed) but you will be given little if any Barista Skills training and therefore your coffee production is likely to be substandard. An espresso coffee machine is a specialist piece of equipment and should be purchased as such from a company which knows and understands them and has an interest in how successful your coffee sales are. NOTE: Generally speaking, Italian is best and it is best to look at serious, experienced manufacturers such as La Cimbali or SanRemo. NOTE: You should also buy through a reputable coffee or machine company who has the expertise to install and set up the machine to obtain good coffee results and train and support you on an ongoing basis. Then look at the price against the likely coffee turnover and review your machine as an investment with a return. For example: if you expect to serve 200 coffees per day, your coffee cost will be around 10-15p per cup, with milk and sugar taking this to around 30p. At a sales price, of say 2 your daily return in gross profit terms will be 340 and in a 6 day week, 2,040! Which equals around 106,000 per year. So spending the extra to get a good machine does make financial sense, particularly if the machine helps to attract coffee customers to buy coffee and importantly delivers a standard of coffee customers will keep coming back for! 10 Brought to you by the BSA

RAISING Grinder selection Selecting the best grinder to complement your machine is also very important. Good ones are expensive but they do make a difference to performance and quality of coffee produced. In short, there is little point in going to great lengths to choose a great coffee machine and then buying the cheapest grinder to go with it. Specifications Most of your decision will come down to : Grinder type on demand, standard auto, standard timer, standard manual Grinder specification output capacity which is related to blade size and type, motor power Freshness and aroma Every shot is perfectly fresh, providing optimum aroma retention, whereas with a standard grinder coffee can be held for time in the dosing chamber where it can be deteriorating / staling relatively quickly. Dosing consistency Electronic dosing is extremely precise and therefore coffee production consistency is good. Dosing chambers have much bigger potential for inconsistency with coffee compressing when full and chambers being partially empty (often resulting in staff trying to add a little more ) completely throwing dose levels. Wastage Generally there will be no advantage either way although with the standard grinder, any coffee left over in the dosing chamber should be thrown away before service the following day whereas with an on demand grinder, this will not be necessary. Tip Do not fill more than a quarter full (or 4 hours supply) Do not leave beans in hopper overnight Empty ground coffee hopper in the evening Speed of dispense On demand or Standard Standard grinders operate by grinding beans from the hopper and storing the ground coffee in the dosing chamber. Each dose is then dispensed by pulling a lever on the side of the chamber. On demand grinders are a relatively new introduction to the industry. In short, they grind a shot (or double) at the push of a button at the time it is required. This has some important advantages. In this area, the standard grinder wins. While both varieties use the same blades and motors and therefore in theory can grind the same volume of coffee in the same amount of time, the speed difference is noticeable in operation. Standard grinders have coffee ready for dispense and two shots can be dispensed with 2 f licks of the wrist in around 1 second. Whereas, most on demand grinders take around 4 seconds to grind a dose of coffee. Some of the fastest take this down to less than 2 seconds. Brought to you by the BSA 11

RAISING Passion : Excellence : Quality Application In practice, locations in pursuit of the optimum coffee quality and consistency will be most likely to opt for an on demand grinder Locations with particularly high volumes (say 400 coffees plus per day) will find on demand grinders restricting and therefore are more likely to prefer a standard dispense grinder. SPECIFICATIONS Deciding which grinder is right for your business will come down to using the advice of your supplier. The key factors are daily output and speed of output. It is difficult to provide a full guide because grinders will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Price Grinders have a range of price options, from around 200 to over 2,000. As with coffee machines you do get what you pay for. Cheaper grinders will generally not last as long, and particularly will have a tendency to reduce performance more quickly in terms of grind particle size variation (which affects drink extraction quality), dose inconsistency and parts failure. Tipping point Perhaps it is worth pointing out that there is a recognized tipping point of 42 o C above which coffee being ground will deteriorate significantly and this will affect coffee quality and consistency. Some grinders therefore have a cut out built in to trip the grinder if over used to protect coffee quality and potentially the grinder itself. Others do not. Some grinders also have a built in cooling system to protect the grinder from overheating and therefore the coffee it dispenses. 12 Brought to you by the BSA

RAISING Ancillaries and cleaning products To ensure you create the best coffee and milk based drinks you will need a range of ancillary products which we show below. Essential Good to have Knock Box Water Filter More jugs including 1 L and 1.5 L Steam jug 0.6-0.75L Milk frothing thermometer Tamper Scales suitable for weighing 5-20grammes of coffee Espresso shot glass (for espresso testing and grinder setting) Whisk for chocolate mixing Espresso shot pots (for pouring into tall cups and glasses) Latte Glasses Grinder blades brush Shakers for chocolate, cinnamon etc Group head cleaner and brush The above is a small selection of what you will require; therefore ensure you include these in your budget and discuss your requirements with your machine and coffee supplier. Pictures courtesy of Jaguar Espresso Supplies Brought to you by the BSA 13

RAISING Passion : Excellence : Quality WATER FILTERS Water is the largest ingredient by weight in all our drinks; therefore it is necessary that you install the appropriate filter on your espresso machine to ensure drink quality remains at a high standard and the build up of scale is reduced to the minimum. We have many reputable suppliers of filters and they will have a filter or filters that will solve the problem. The only way you can purchase is to either completely understand the problem and define the filter specification, or rely on the representative from the filter company to give you the right solution. You really do not have the time to become a filter expert and on the other hand, not all representatives are fully conversant with the challenges of the beverage market. You may have to settle for a halfway house, where you know enough to question your filter supplier and from this get the confidence to know you are dealing with someone who is a professional. Please ask for a copy of Raising Beverage Standards: Water Quality from your supplier for more information. TRAINING You will have committed a lot of money to your new venture and it is simple to believe that making espressos; cappuccinos and other hot beverages is easy. Perhaps it is; however your supplier will be able to train you and your staff to a level where you can produce good quality drinks to a consistent high standard. Use your supplier s skills and knowledge and you will both benefit in the long term. ON-GOING SUPPORT If you can, use a local (BSA) supplier who can be available swiftly should you experience challenges with the beverage equipment or a delivery is required at short notice. Longer term you may wish to increase your knowledge on beverage production and a skilled outside Barista trainer can be employed to enhance your skills along with your staff. Further to this the BSA offers a City & Guilds Barista Level 2 VRQ (Vocational Related Qualification) Certificate through a number of our approved BSA Training centres. Find out more at www.beveragestandardsassociation.co.uk. 14 Brought to you by the BSA

The Beverage Standards Association The Beverage Standards Association serves and represents our members interests by delivering, developing and endorsing best practice in our industry through training, education and networking, to improve the standards and quality of products and service in the out of home hot beverage market. Our members represent manufacturers, distributors and retailers of coffee, tea, chocolate, cold drinks, ancillary products, machinery and services including training within the UK market. About membership if you are dealing in any of the above products or services then the BSA can provide you with a host of benefits. Beverage Standards Association members assign to a Code of Conduct and are specialists in the field of coffee; tea and chocolate beverages. They will therefore look after your needs professionally and with your business interests at heart; thus ensuring you will receive the best service for your business. Flavour needs Water. Water needs BRITA. PURITY Quell ST PURITY C Quell ST Optimum water quality and extended life for coffee machines. For further information please contact BRITA Professional on 01869 365851 or visit www.brita.co.uk Perfect Espresso, Every time. The ethos of the BSA is to foster the growth of the UK Beverage market and to sponsor such growth and our members are an important part of this. This publication has been brought to you by the Beverage Standards Association (BSA) with the help of sponsorship from BRITA; Sanremo and La Cimbali, who have shown their commitment to raising standards in the industry by supporting the publication. The BSA s members have wealth of knowledge about the beverage market and you can share in this knowledge by joining us and taking advantage of our many membership benefits. Go to www.beveragestandardassociation.co.uk and join us now. Perfect Grinding System (PGS) and Bluetooth Technology from La Cimbali www.cimbali.co.uk Brought to you by the BSA 15

Championship Baristas 90% of recommendsanremo Click: www.sanremouk.co.uk Call: 01364 644 445 InnovatI ve by desi gn Model featured: Verona TCS 3 Group in Pearl White. Used in the UK Barista Championship 2009-2012. Specification: Multi boiler PID precision temperature control, 6250W capable of up to 360 coffees per hour, twin rapid steam arms, espresso timing function, self-cleaning, auto on/off, optional auto milk frother. UKBC research shows the Verona TCS rates 33% better overall than competitors current equipment. 95% Rate Sanremo as good or very good for solid build. 90% of entrants would recommend a Sanremo.