Choosing a commercial espresso machine for your café, restaurant or espresso bar can be a monumental task. Have no fear. Buddy is here to guide you through the process.
There are two primary commercial espresso machines – heat exchange or multi-boiler.
A heat exchange machine has a single steam boiler with a copper pipe that runs through it called a 'heat exchanger'. As the name suggests, the water running through the heat exchanger is heated by the high temperature of the steam boiler. This water then goes to the group head and brews the coffee. Heat exchange machine is best suited for small cafes and restaurants.
A multi-boiler machine has a minimum of two boilers, a large boiler for producing steam and one for brewing coffee. The multi-boiler machine gives you direct control over the temperature of the water used to brew the coffee. This type of machine can also be more temperature stable as the group head temperature is not affected by the temperature in the steam boiler, resulting in a more consistent flavour in the cup.
How many group heads do I need, you ask? The most common choices are either 2 or 3 group machines as these fit most businesses and coffee volumes. Typically, a 2-group machine will happily make up to 20kg of coffee weekly. Above 20kg of coffee per week is where we generally recommend a 3-group espresso machine that can manage volumes anywhere up to 100kg per week.
Shot timers, scales, volumetrics, auto brew ratios, and levers are some gossip words you will hear when talking about the latest espresso machines. Features like these are great if you use them. Suppose you're a business aiming to improve quality, consistency & efficiency. Then it would be best if you looked into the machines that will give you excellent results every time. These top-end machines make great coffee and reduce staff costs, and speed up your service.
The next step from here is 'gravimetrics' – these are machines that have scales built into the drip tray. You can program your shots by weight rather than by volume, and measuring by weight provides a more accurate dose, which delivers a more consistent flavour in the cup.
The more traditional machines, like theLa MarzoccoLinea Classic, have a simple, functional stainless-steel look, designed to blend into the coffee bar rather than stand out. While the more high-end machines, like the Sanremo Cafe Racer, are intended to make a statement, showing your customers that you take your coffee very seriously.
Here at Buddy we have a few favorites
