A cafe machine is bought on throughput and serviceability, not on looks. The questions below are the ones that cost money if you answer them wrong, roughly in the order they matter.
How many groups
- One group: a kiosk, a small deli, an office, or a second machine at the end of a bar.
- Two groups: the default for most cafes. Two baristas can work it in a rush, and it handles a few hundred coffees a day.
- Three or four groups: high volume venues and roasteries. This is a staffing decision as much as a machine one, because you need the bodies to use it.
Groups are about peak, not total. Work out your busiest 30 minutes and build for that.
Power and plumbing come first
Check the power available before you fall in love with a machine. A two group machine typically wants a 15 amp circuit, and larger machines may need three phase. An electrician's quote for a new circuit can change which machine makes sense.
Same with water: a plumbed machine needs a mains connection and a drain, plus an inline filter. The filter is not optional. Scale kills commercial boilers, and a filter head with replaceable cartridges is a fraction of the cost of a boiler.
Mobile and small sites: tank versions
Vans, carts, market stalls and pop-ups cannot plumb in. A tank machine carries its own water, so it goes where the power goes. The trade off is capacity and refilling, so match the tank to your service length.
Traditional or super automatic
A traditional machine with a barista gives you the best cup and the flexibility to dial in daily. A super automatic grinds, doses and brews at a button, which suits venues without a trained barista: a restaurant floor, a hotel, a busy deli where coffee is not the main event. Prontobar style machines exist exactly for that gap, and refurbished units are a sensible way in.
Buy the grinder in the same breath
A cafe machine paired with an underpowered grinder is a bottleneck and a quality ceiling. You want commercial flat burrs of 64mm or more, stepless adjustment, and a body that survives eight hours a day. If you run more than one bean, budget for more than one grinder. See Mazzer Super Jolly: automatic vs electronic.
What else to budget
- Water filtration and its cartridges.
- A knock box, tampers, mats, jugs, thermometers and cleaning chemicals.
- Installation, and a service agent you can call at 6am.
- Warranty terms: our commercial machines and grinders carry 12 months, returned to the Giuseppe Brothers service centre, and refurbished machines carry their own shorter term.
Then keep it alive
Daily backflushing and weekly cleaning are what keep a cafe machine pouring well, and they take minutes. The routine is in how to clean and backflush an espresso machine.
