Page 9 - APPD - Something's_Brewing_Jan_Feb23

www.beveragestandardsassociation.co.uk
Vol.28 | January/February. 2023
Espresso Machine Focus

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 and
• Price/purchasing arrangements.
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.
Table 1: Max coffee outputs by machine sizes

Machine size Max Max Max
with one Espressos Cappuccinos/Lattes/A Flat white/Large/double
Barista per hour mericanos per hour shot coffees per hour

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 consider realistic output at
around 70% of above.