Coffee-making is an art in itself. For centuries, coffee has been grown and consumed worldwide. We can trace its roots back to coffee plantations in Ethiopia, where Europeans first started to trade coffee across the world. At a certain point between the 16th and17th centuries, coffee became a currency in itself. Over the last three centuries since, coffee has become a staple drink worldwide. It is a conversation starter, a precursor to romance, and it even has numerous health benefits. People across the world go gaga over a perfect blend of rich, aromatic coffee that soothes the senses and enlivens aficionados for the rest of their day. In this article, we discuss the process involved, the trends in coffee making, the types of coffee makers, and the top commercial coffee brewers available today.
The Excellence of Freshly Brewed Coffee
Coffee brewing is an art that takes years to master thoroughly. To master the craft, one must go through the fundamentals of making the perfect cup of coffee:
The Equipment: The blending machine, the grinder, the frother, the filters; you need to have a general understanding of each concept and how it affects the taste of coffee.
The Beans: The bean is the heart of the process; without an aromatic coffee bean that triggers the senses, you can’t get that perfect blend that the coffee aficionado craves for. The type of coffee bean selected for the blend matters because each coffee bean has a flavor of its own. Here’s why:
Bean type: Arabica, Robusta, or any other such blends
Roast Type: How well it’s roasted, and the process of roasting involved changes the aroma.
Texture: Once the coffee is ground, it produces a different surface altogether, changing the flavor of the final brewed coffee.
Region: A coffee from Egypt would be different from a coffee blend from Columbia, as the weather, terrain, and the amount of rainfall affects the coffee bean.
Freshness: Freshly roasted coffee will always taste better than pre-roasted coffee. French-roasted coffee is one of the most popular types of roasted coffee, liked by people worldwide.The Grind: A coffee bean needs to be ground to perfection to produce a rich aroma; with so many coffee grinders available in the market currently, like a mill grinder and a blade grinder, baristas are spoiled for choice.
Water & Brewing Time: The amount of water and the total time taken during the brewing process determines the taste of the final cup of coffee.
Temperature & coffee-to-water ratio: The ideal temperature of brewing a hot cup of coffee is 190-210 Degree Fahrenheit. Also, the thumb rule for maintaining the perfect ratio of water and coffee would be two tablespoons of ground coffee in six ounces of water.
The Latest Trends in Coffee Making
Coffee-making and coffee brewing are going through huge advancements in terms of technology, brewing methods, and interest amongst the public. Coffee makers across the globe are innovating new ways to brew coffee. Recently, cold-brew coffee has gained popularity amongst coffee aficionados. There exist various blends of cold-brew coffee, and one that is less acidic gives a richer flavor.
New coffee brewing machines include coffee grinders, milk frothers, and cold brew modes. Some automatic models can even deliver freshly brewed coffee in under 5 minutes without compromising on quality.
Different Types of Commercial Coffee Makers
To find the perfect coffee brewer or coffee brewing system for your food business, you need to take into account not only your business requirements but also the fundamental differences between the types of coffee brewing systems. In this section, we discuss an overview of the different kinds of commercial coffee makers:
A Decanter Brewer: A Decanter Brewer is a classic or traditional coffee maker and one of the most popular coffee brewing systems globally. It is also known as a drip brewer because the process involves spraying hot water over raw coffee grounds, and finally, the infused coffee blend drips into a metal decanter.
Thermal Servers and Airpot Brewers: Thermal servers and airpot brewers are similar to decanter brewers, but the added advantage of these brewers is that they can keep the coffee warm for more than 2 hours. Thermal servers and airports are used in quick-service restaurants, fast food joints, cafes, and other smaller establishments.
Satellite: A satellite brewer is similar to the brewers mentioned above, but the main difference is that satellite brewers, as the name suggests, dispense fresh, hot coffee into insulated containers. It is primarily used in hotels, large conventions, and where there’s a need to serve guests far away from the coffee brewer by keeping the coffee warm for a prolonged period.
Pod: A pod coffee maker has become relevant quite recently; these compact coffee makers provide one serving each from individual coffee pods. Pods have become quite popular in small offices and places where the consumption of coffee is not that high.
Coffee from Concentrate: Coffee concentrates are best suited for places with high coffee demand. These machines mix the liquid coffee concentrate with hot water to deliver an instant cup of hot coffee. These machines can provide multiple cups of coffee in a short period. They are most effective in self-service restaurants.
The Top Coffee Brewing Machines
If you’re looking for a high-quality commercial coffee maker, Chef Buyer has one of the finest collections of coffee makers to choose from. Our objective is to provide you with the best coffee-making machines for your business needs. This list includes some of the most popular commercial makers that are the best fit for your restaurant, food truck, or commercial kitchen:
Bloomfield Ind. 4543-D2-120V Eco Coffee Brewer
One of the biggest advantages of the Bloomfield Ind. ECO coffee brewer is the double warmer feature, which is quite essential for restaurants and coffee shops that serve customers in harsh winters. With an average brewing time of 7 minutes, the Bloomfield coffee brewer is one of the smallest, most efficient, and affordable coffee makers available in Chef Buyer.
Grindmaster-Cecilware CPO-2P-15A Coffee Brewer
The Grindmaster-Cecilware CPO-2P-15A is a highly efficient portable coffee maker with 8.25” or 21 cm width. With a 1.2 gal (4.5L) tank capacity, it is perfect for small quick-service restaurants and food trucks. It has a single brewer for decanters and two in-line warmers. The CPO-2P-15A has an additional warmer that keeps the extra decanter of coffee ready. It is quite durable because of its all stainless steel construction, and another advantage of the CPO-2P-15A is that it requires no plumbing, which makes it hassle-free.
BUNN 23001.0006 CWTF15-APS Airpot Coffee Brewer
The Bunn 230001.0006 CWFT15-APS coffee brewer has a 3.8-gallon capacity. And it can accommodate 1.9 to 3-liter airpots. Its 9” width makes it quite compact. It has a pour-over feature and hot water faucet along with a digital timer. Because of its durability and compactness, it is an excellent choice for offices, motels, restaurants, etc.
FETCO CBS-1131-V+ (E113151) Extractor® V+™ Series Coffee Brewer
FETCO CBS makes durable and feature-rich professional coffee brewers. Most of its products come with a comprehensive warranty that covers electromechanical parts, the integrated circuit board, and all other parts as standard. The FETCO CBS 1131-V+ coffee brewer is part of the EXTRACTOR V+ Series lineup, which comes with a 3.5-gallon output and a digital control panel with an advanced touchpad. The touchpad is quite versatile, which allows for quick access. It also comes with ‘Cascading Spray Dome’- a programmable extraction control for superior flavor and brewing.
Curtis TP1ST63A3000 ThermoPro® G3 Coffee Brewing System
The Curtis ThermoPro G3 brewing system is an automatic coffee brewer with a 1-gallon brewing capacity and 3-gallon tank capacity. The Curtis coffee brewing system comes with a digital LCD panel and six preset recipes that make it extremely easy to operate. It can brew 4-½ to 10 gallons per hour, making it quite efficient compared to other available coffee brewing systems in the market.
Admiral Craft UB-286 Thermal Server Coffee Brewer
The Admiral Craft UB 286 Thermal Brewer is an affordable commercial coffee brewing system. The ‘Thermal Saver’ coffee maker can brew around 3.8 gallons per hour. The Admiral brewer has a one-touch push-button brewing system and a direct feed hook-up for the continuous flow of coffee. Its body is primarily made of stainless steel, and the base is made of non-slip rubber for better stability. It has a rated capacity of 1450 W at 120V, and the stainless steel interior tank can hold up to 2.2 L of water.
Buying the Best Commercial Maker for You
Commercial coffee makers or brewers come with a host of benefits like fast brewing times, energy-efficient brewing systems, digital timers, easy operability, and consistency. The challenge lies in choosing the right commercial coffee brewers for your business since it’s easy to get overwhelmed by their range of specifications. At Chef Buyer, our job is to make sure that you make an informed decision before buying any kitchen appliance.
