Big business with small coffees

When it comes to finding the right coffee preparation for your own gastronomic concept, you quickly come to the conclusion that there must be a suitable solution for every concept. And a little spoiler: There is one. But how do you find the perfect match so that your employees can use their own coffee as profitably as possible? The first question you should ask yourself is: fully automatic coffee machine or espresso portafilter? Decision-making aids here are:

• Do you have a lot of staff or staff turnover?
• Do you shy away from training your employees or do you have a lot of unskilled staff?
• Do you have a lot of high-frequency business with a high short-term influx of customers (for example: train station restaurants)?

If at least two of the three points apply to your business case, then we recommend a fully automatic coffee machine

Other questions that may arise are

• Does the influx of customers tend to be spread throughout the day?
• Does your clientele tend to have high quality expectations of your hot beverage range?
• Do customers prefer to consume coffee on site?
• Is your staff well-trained or do you value well-trained staff?

If at least two of the four points apply to your business case, then we tend to recommend a portafilter machine

At first glance, you could say that both a fully automatic machine and an espresso machine are devices that are designed to produce a specific water temperature (92-96 °C) and a constant water pressure (approx. 9 bar) as precisely as possible. However, there are still major differences in terms of both price and quality.

In the following text, we will focus on portafilter machines and make you "machine-fit" and give you a little decision-making aid for the right espresso machine, which you can use as a guide with a clear conscience. And we make sure that you don't walk around with a question mark on your forehead when your roastery or machine partner talks about "thermo-saturated" brewing groups, dual circuits or three-way valves. But before we overwhelm you with mechanical jargon, let's start simple: the history of the espresso machine.

In the long history of coffee preparation, coffee was simply boiled for the longest time. Whether in Ethiopia, Arabia, Iberia, the Vatican or Central Europe. Boiling coffee remained the trump card right up until the industrial revolution. The problem with this was that you had to have enough time to enjoy the coffee so that the sediment and suspended particles in the coffee settled to the bottom of the cup.

It was only during the Industrial Revolution that people began to think that coffee could be filtered and sometimes even prepared by machine. And this had less to do with a love of machines than with very mundane reasons. During the Industrial Revolution, coffee underwent a transformation from a pure luxury product to an everyday product that was regularly consumed by the broad masses of society and thus also by the working population in the factories.

The increased level of caffeine in society also contributed to increased productivity in factories. Accordingly, coffee consumption in the factories was not only tolerated, but also desired - but it had to be quick. In order to make a lot of coffee in as little time as possible, you need a certain brewing pressure. This means that the water does not simply seep through the coffee grounds, but water is forced through the coffee grounds using thermal pressure or mechanical pressure. pressed. This is where the word "espresso" comes from: "speed through pressure" is the key to success. The first forerunners of the espresso machine were built in Paris as early as 1855. In 1905, the Italian Desiderio Pavoni patented the first espresso machine and went into series production - this was the starting signal for Italian espresso culture.

Technically, the first espresso machines were based on a large boiler that was two-thirds filled with water. The water inside is heated to 120 °C. From a water temperature of 100 °C, steam is produced which collects in the upper third of the boiler. As this steam cannot escape, a boiler pressure of approx. 1-1.5 bar is created. In the beginning, valves were used to direct the steam through the portafilter. This allowed many small coffees to be made quickly (in approx. 45 seconds) - but with extremely hot steam, which made the resulting drink very bitter. The comparatively long contact time of 45 seconds made the drink even more bitter.

In retrospect, the term espressivo is often used today. In order to achieve today's espresso standards, a little detailed work was still needed on the machines. But the Italians quickly came up with various innovations, all with the same goal: more pressure for a better espresso with a more balanced taste. The key to this: The separation of boiler pressure and brewing pressure. Ultimately, Giovanni Achille Gaggia succeeded in 1947 with the invention of the classic hand lever machine to prepare espresso in approx. 25 seconds with crema and a balanced taste.

The classic espresso preparation parameters can still be traced back to his invention today: 7-9g fine ground coffee, 25ml espresso in 25 seconds extraction time at approx. 9 bar brewing pressure. In the case of the Gaggia hand lever machines, the brewing pressure is achieved by installing a spring piston: a spring is tensioned by moving the hand lever, as soon as the lever is moved again, the spring slowly relaxes and pushes a piston downwards, which presses the water through the sieve with the ground coffee. However, the right grind is still decisive for the right brewing pressure. If this is too coarse, the machine builds up significantly less brewing pressure.

The large steam boiler is still used in espresso machines today. Nowadays, it is primarily used to produce steam so that milk can be foamed. Several safety valves and level sensors ensure a constant boiler pressure.

If the hot water from the boiler is also used to prepare the espresso, it is referred to as a single-circuit machine. Today's single-circuit machines usually work with an electronic pump (rotation or vibration) that generates the brewing pressure.

In every story, there are years that mark a turning point. In the history of espresso machines, it is definitely 1961, the year in which Italian espresso machine manufacturer Faema launched the E61 onto the market. Ernesto Valente, the technical mastermind behind the E61, immediately came up with a number of technical innovations.

First of all, he ushered in the electronic age of espresso machines by installing a rotary pump in the E61. This guarantees a constant pressure, regardless of how coarse or fine the grind in the portafilter is. Uneven brewing pressure (depending on the grind of the coffee), still a shortcoming of manual lever machines, has been a thing of the past since the E61. Ernesto Valente also focused on the brewing temperature. As a reminder: although the classic single-circuit coffee machine could brew coffee at high pressure, this was only possible with extremely high water temperatures at the expense of the taste, which became very bitter as a result. With the E61, Valente introduced a continuous flow heater system in espresso machines.

Small water tubes are installed in the steam boiler, through which cold water flows to the brewing groups. The surrounding hot water in the boiler heats the cold water in the riser tubes very quickly and, thanks to the insulation, the water does not get as hot as the surrounding water in the steam boiler. The dual-circuit boiler is based on the classic heat exchanger principle, which is also familiar from instantaneous water heaters. The only problem is that with excessive use, the water in the instantaneous water heater cannot be heated quickly enough. If it is left standing for too long, it becomes very hot. By rinsing (flushing) the brew group prior to espresso preparation, the water temperature can also be regulated downwards if the water in the riser tubes has become too hot.

Valente also installed many other useful features in its E61 that can be found in every espresso machine today, such as three-way valves that drain excess water from the portafilters after espresso preparation. This relieves the pressure from the brewing group and the portafilter can be easily removed from the brewing group without coffee grounds splashing in all directions due to the pressure discharge and leaving a dirty workplace. Today, this valve is also used to clean the brew group. Faema also installed flowmeters for dosing water in espresso machines. This meant that automated water dosing could be set on the machines for the first time. Previously, it had only been possible to dose the amount of water for an espresso manually. The Faema E61 is still in production today and has fans all over the world. Countless espresso machine manufacturers have taken up the concept inspired by Valente, developed it further in some cases and continue to produce espresso machines based on the dual-circuit model to this day.

In 1970, the Florentine espresso machine manufacturer La Marzocco launched another espresso innovation on the market, the dual boiler. The big innovation here: a second separate boiler just for the coffee. The previous steam boiler remained in place and was simply installed in a housing with a second boiler (coffee boiler). The second boiler is completely independent of the steam boiler and has its own heating element and temperature sensor. With the Dualboiler, La Marzocco has fulfilled the goal of every passionate barista with the highest demands: The Dualboiler guarantees absolutely constant pressure & temperature conditions thanks to its rotation pump and the separate water boiler for coffee preparation. The water temperature can be set precisely in 0.1°C increments. The Dualboiler therefore fulfills exactly the definition of what an espresso machine should be: constant & precisely adjustable brewing temperature at constant brewing pressure.

The only problem: in the 1970s, the Dualboiler system hardly caught on. One of the main reasons for this was quite simply the fact that espresso was not yet a global phenomenon at the time, but was rather limited to Italian gastronomy. And for many Italian restaurateurs, an espresso machine with two separate boilers was simply a size too big, because: An espresso machine in Italy makes espresso 90% of the time. Cappuccino is traditionally only served until 11 a.m., after that only espresso. A separate steam boiler, which only serves the purpose of frothing milk, was not relevant for Italian gastronomy. For many Italian restaurateurs, the higher purchase costs were disproportionate to the additional benefits. It was not until 20 years later that the dual boiler really took off. In the meantime, the Italian espresso culture with all its milk variants (cappuccino, caffé latte & latte macchiato) had become a global phenomenon. In the 1990s, global coffee shop chains such as Starbucks openly stated that their business had actually become more of a "milk business" than a coffee business. For such business models, the dual boiler system actually offers everything you could wish for.

Paolo Dalla Corte was a classic espresso machine screwdriver. He worked for Faema for a long time, assembling and servicing espresso machines. He always dared to think outside the box. He noted with interest that in the 1990s, the dual boiler was increasingly becoming the best choice on the international market.

At the turn of the millennium, he founded his own company and built his own espresso machines under the Dalla Corte brand. He called his first model "Evolution" and the name does justice to the technical background. In the Evolution, he had basically taken up the dual boiler principle of separate boilers and developed it further. Instead of a coffee boiler inside the machine, he replaced the relatively large boiler with smaller boilers installed directly above the brew group: There is a small boiler for each brew group. These heat-saturated boilers work in exactly the same way as the coffee boiler in the dual boiler. However, the difference is that they are much smaller and therefore consume less power compared to the dual boiler system.

There is also hardly any temperature loss when the water runs directly from the boiler down into the portafilter instead of having to travel a short distance from the boiler to the brew group. In addition, you can run the individual brewing groups on the machine at different temperatures - this can be interesting, for example, if you serve different coffees that taste best at different temperatures. You can also switch off individual boilers, which can save electricity on less busy days, for example, and therefore cut costs. All of this means that many manufacturers now trust the principle of the multi-boiler and bring machines based on the same principle onto the market.

When we talk about espresso machines, we are still primarily talking about these four systems: single-circuit, dual-circuit, dual-boiler and multi-boiler systems. At least the last three systems can meet the technical demands that a restaurateur should place on an espresso machine. Although the innovation potential of espresso machines has already been exhausted, it is far from exhausted. For example, the Milan-based espresso machine manufacturer La Cimbali has developed a hybrid system consisting of a dual-circuit and multi-boiler with the M100. The water for the espresso is pre-heated in an instantaneous water heater. As the instantaneous water heater is heavily insulated, the water cannot get hotter than 80°C. The desired target temperature is then reached in the thermo-saturated brewing group. However, this allows the brew group boiler to be kept relatively small and still ensures 100% heat consistency.

Other approaches on how to prepare espresso even better are aimed at interface options: More and more manufacturers are offering the option for the espresso machine and grinder to communicate with each other via Bluetooth, for example. If the espresso is brewed too quickly, for example, the grinder automatically adjusts to a finer grind and adjusts the grinding time so that the amount of powder remains constant. These options are primarily aimed at ensuring that even concepts with higher staff turnover can guarantee consistently high coffee quality. In addition, today's espresso machines are also increasingly offering options that reduce power consumption, thereby cutting the running costs of machine operation in the long term and reducing the strain on your wallet.

1. the system

The first question you should ask yourself is how valuable my coffee and hot beverage concept is. The higher the quality of the answer to this question, the higher the demands on the concept, the more likely you are to end up with a dual or multi-boiler system.

2. the price

The next question relates to the purchase costs and running costs of the machine. Sometimes portafilter machines can vary greatly in price, even if they are technically identical. In most cases, the price differences actually depend on the type of materials used. The higher the heat capacity and thermal conductivity of a material, the higher the quality. The purchase costs increase accordingly - at the same time, the running costs for electricity consumption tend to be lower. Of course, branding also plays a major role in espresso machines. An expensive machine is not always a better machine. However, the weight of the portafilter alone is often an indication of whether you are paying a higher price for the brand or for the quality of workmanship. The handling and ergonomic operation of an espresso machine should also be taken into account in the pricing policy.

3. the eye eats (drinks) with you

The espresso machine is often the face and center of a classic bar concept. Many guests make a consumption decision based on how the product is prepared and what equipment is available. If you had the opportunity to order a beer in two bars, would you rather order the beer in the bar where there is a small drinks fridge or in the bar where the beer is freshly tapped? It's similar with espresso machines. They are a real eye-catcher, or at least they should be if they are placed in the guests' field of vision. It may sound superficial, but it's true: the equipment and the cleanliness of the workplace subconsciously influence the guest's decision to consume.

4 Last but not least: The best equipment is only as good as the barista

It sounds like a truism: expensive coffee equipment does not automatically make good coffee. When espresso machine technicians talk about the so-called "F30", they are usually referring to the person standing 30 cm in front of the machine: the barista. Methodically trained & correct handling of a portafilter machine is not complicated. But training is still necessary.

We are happy to help you with the choice of espresso machine as well as with the targeted training of your staff. Come and visit us at the Academy for a few cups of coffee. Here you can try out various espresso machines and learn how to become "machine-fit" in the shortest possible time through targeted, methodical learning. We will be happy to advise you without obligation and impartially.