How to choose your commercial coffee machine and what you should consider.

We understand that it can be difficult to make a decision when changing your commercial coffee machine. It’s a big change and you want to ensure that you cater to everyone’s needs. You might be wondering, “what are commercial coffee machines?” We are here to help you choose the best commercial coffee machine for your business.

You will also want to make sure that the coffee quality is exceptional and also represents value for money.

We have dissected the three most common types of commercial coffee machine options found in offices and given a brief opinion on each.

The most common types of commercial coffee machine systems found in offices are:

1. Pod Based Systems

Whilst pods are convenient in terms of flavours and strength, if you have a large office and have a large daily consumption, this convenience will not come cheap. Also, the consideration of disposing of used pods. Another factor would be fresh milk coffees, as most pod systems don’t offer fresh milk coffees beverages offices may need a separate milk frother. This in turn creates more cleaning and time to make the daily cup of coffee.

2. Filter Coffee

Filter coffee when brewed fresh can be delicious but if you have ever had coffee that has been steeping in a coffee pot for too long will know that it’s not the most pleasant cup. In this instance, the machine will need to be cleaned, filter changed and fresh batch brewed. Time spent cleaning and making a new pot will take valuable time from your day. Also, the latté and cappuccino drinkers will be left disappointed. Recent reports have stated that up to two-thirds of all coffee purchased on the high street is a milk-based coffee (i.e. flat white, cappuccino etc.)

3. Bean to Cup Commercial Coffee Machine

A Bean to cup commercial coffee machine provides the freshest coffee you can get from an automatic coffee machine. Fresh beans and fresh milk combine for the best cup of office coffee. Not only are they convenient but they have a large number of drink options available so they can satisfy every taste in the office. With the push of a button, everyone can be a barista! Quality is superior and cost per cup is a fraction of other machines.

We are huge advocates of bean to cup coffee machines as not only are they extremely consistent in the coffee they produce, they are also fast and user friendly which are two crucial features to consider.

Some points to consider about a commercial coffee machine.

• Quality – A big factor in the smoothness and flavour of a cup of coffee is the freshness of the coffee beans used. Prepacked coffee capsules tend to be packed months in advanced. Coffee beans, once ground, quickly lose their full flavour and natural oils. Those oils and freshness are what allow for the lovely crema on top of an espresso. On the other hand, when coffee beans are ground specifically when needed, the coffee grounds offer a fresh full flavour.

• Types of coffee – Some days require a strong flat white while others may call for a softer favoured creamy latte. Take note of what coffees the commercial coffee machine can prepare and how much user input is required. Unlike capsule coffee machines, our commercial coffee machine has a built-in milk fridge. Our commercial coffee machine also has a steamer built in. This ensures lovely textured milk for those smooth flat whites or froth for those micro foam topped cappuccinos. Our machines range in ability from 12 types to 32 types of coffee-based drinks to choose from.

• Quantity – How many coffees per day is your coffee machine capable of handling? Many coffee machines are limited by small water tanks or designed for small coffee output. These are not ideal for most office setups in terms of consumption. This leads to the machine wearing out and eventually breaking down. Our Commercial Coffee Machines come with large water tanks or can be plumbed into the mains. Our machines range in coffee production from smaller 20-50 coffees per day up to 200 per day.

• Maintenance – Maintenance expenses on office coffee machines are often overlooked. How easy is the machine to maintain? How often does the machine need servicing? At Cuco, we offer free weekly servicing of all our machines. We do this to ensure the quality of your office’s coffee is always optimal.

• Price – Are you looking to purchase a machine or maybe rather rent a machine allowing choice and no long-term commitments? Some companies offer only 2- or 3-year contracts with little extra in the way of servicing or maintenance. At Cuco, we like to let our service and coffee be the deciding factor in working with us. That’s why we offer 3-month trial contracts. We let you experience our service and enjoy our coffee before deciding if you would like to continue with us. This includes free weekly servicing and coffee bean deliveries when needed.

• Footprint – What is the environmental footprint of a coffee machine? This is a question many offices are considering when trying to meet recycling and composting targets to reduce waste. Our commercial coffee machines, unlike pod machines that have a pod left behind after each coffee, have extremely small environmental footprints. Cuco Coffee Bean bags are recyclable, our cups compostable as are the bean grinds. Cuco coffee beans are also Rainforest Alliance certified.

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Thanks for reading. For a full list of our bean to cup office coffee machine range please click here or to arrange a free trial contact us on (01)5267433 or email in**@cu********.ie