Espresso Coffee Machines
Choosing the right espresso machine.
10 Points to consider when buying a commercial espresso machine.
- Deal with a company that knows about espresso coffee and machines. This seems obvious, but there are lots of companies out there that know little about coffee (like general catering equipment companies). Espresso machines are a tool for making espresso coffee drinks, unless you understand all the factors involved with making a great espresso, it is impossible to supply and maintain the right piece of equipment. Deal with an expert!
- Have a good idea about the number of drinks you will be serving throughout the day. Also consider your peek time service, will most of your drinks be served in just a few hours?
- Look at the machines used by other caterers. Have a look in your area at machines used by the national chains of restaurants, hotels and coffee shops. These are some of the most demanding customers for espresso equipment, and they will have evaluated all the machines on the market, and the service backup side as well.
- Try before you buy. An espresso machine is an expensive purchase for any business, so don’t just go by what you have seen in a brochure or on a website, go and test it. Ask the supplier to take you to a machine which is being used, see it in action. Have a look at the build quality, ask the owners about the level of service they are getting.
- Get details of the machine warranty. How long is it covered for? What’s included? What’s not? Does a third party carry out the service or does the supplier have their own engineers? Can you extend the warranty?
- Servicing. What happens if you have a problem with your machine? Find out how your fault will be fixed. How quickly will they sort it out? No machine = No coffee = No money
- Preventative servicing. How often does it need to be carried out? How much will it cost? What needs to be done? Can you do any of it yourself?
- Water filter. Scale is the number 1 cause of machine malfunction. You must install a water filter to remove the lime scale from the water. Using a filter shouldn’t be optional, and any good machine supplier will tell you this from the start. Also remember that a cup coffee is 98% water, so starting with good quality clean water is important. Don’t forget that water filters are an ongoing cost and need to be replaced about every 12 months.
- Installation, set up and training. Your espresso machine should come with installation and set up included in the price. Suppliers that just want to send you equipment, are unlikely to offer a quality after sale service.
- Water for Tea. Espresso machines should never be used for making tea. Anyone who tells you differently is wrong, and knows little about how espresso machines work. For more information on this please read our section on Tea....
Buying second hand machines – In the UK there seems to be an unwillingness for customers to spend money on preventative servicing, so most machines are hammered until the day something goes wrong and the engineer has to be called. For this reason, we don’t recommend buying a second hand espresso machine, hidden problems with machines can be costly to repair, and you can end up paying more than the cost of a new one. Every week we get calls from people who have bought machines off Ebay, and are beginning to regret it when we explain the cost of repair. We recommend that you only purchase a used machine that has been recently serviced, accompanied by the relevant paper work and comes with some sort of warranty.
Our Recommended Traditional Espresso Machine Manufacturers and Suppliers
La Marzocco - www.lamarzocco.com In the UK www.mulmar.co.uk
Nuova Simonelli – www.nuovasimonelli.com www.firstchoicecoffee.com
A quality espresso machine should last decades if serviced regularly and used properly.
Purchasing your espresso machine is just the start. Regular maintenance is an ongoing cost that needs to be considered, and we recommend that you budget at least £1 per day per group.
Bean to Cup machines – In our opinion fully automatic bean to cup machines are the equivalent to microwave ovens, they do the job and are easy to use, but will never produce as good a product as doing it the traditional way. Bean to cup machines are far more likely to break down due to their complex electronic control, and will also require more regular servicing. You should only consider a bean to cup machine if it is required for a self service area or a non catering staff environment. Details of bean to cup machines can be found here – Thermoplan as used by Starbuck, McDonald's and Waitrose.
