Time To Serve Up The Best Cup Of Coffee You Can Offer.

Summer (or what we’ve just experienced masquerading as summer) has drawn to a close and autumn has arrived. To be honest it’s not that the blue skies have suddenly been replaced with grey – the weather was bad in the summer, recently it’s been plain awful so the transition hasn’t been all that dramatic but it certainly feels like we’re firmly entrenched in the depths of winter. Putting aside the doom and gloom, there are some things that the cold weather of winter actually improves: deep hot baths, big tog duvets, gloves, snow ball fights (I’m struggling) but yes, a really good cup of coffee certainly helps fend off the winter chills. A cup of coffee is the perfect accompaniment to many situations, but I prefer a brew either at home in front of the fire or, even better, in a cafe, restaurant or similar establishment where I know I’m guaranteed a cup of fine coffee crafted to the highest of standards using top quality commercial coffee grinders and commercial coffee machines by someone who knows what they’re doing.

Whether you’re looking to provide your customers with the very best benchmark product possible so they come back again and again,  or you’re looking at producing sensational coffee at home, then the best way to start is to have top quality gear. By ‘gear’, I mean in terms of the bare essentials: the actual coffee machine itself (comes in handy!), but what also makes a massive difference (and is often neglected) is a really good coffee grinder. Granted not everyone has the budget nor the space for a commercial coffee machine / grinder combo but if you’re seriously looking to achieve the very best then commercial grade machines must be considered.

Having the right kit in place is only part of the equation – as a former Barista myself, I know how important it is to:

1. Have top quality equipment.
2. Have the right coffee beans.
3. Be trained in making the right drink in the correct way.

This guide will give you an insight into the equipment we supply to help you achieve this and will hopefully give you a little helping hand in how to make a good coffee – or at least give you an idea and a start into how to do this successfully!

Glossary Of Terms.

Here’s a bit of my own knowledge to pass on to our customers.

Here’s a few terms below you can use to make you look knowledgeable whilst understanding the trade:

• Barista – Literally ‘barperson’; used to describe a skilled coffee makers in the workplace.
• Crema – The golden brown/hazelnut ‘foam’ that forms on top of an espresso.
• Shot – One ‘serving’ of coffee.
• Tamp – The pressing down on to the coffee grind whilst in the group handle prior to extraction.
• Extraction – The process by which water is forced under the pressure through the coffee to produce the espresso.

Quick Coffee Facts.

• The average coffee tree produces a kilogram of coffee per year.
• According to folklore, the coffee bean was discovered by an Ethiopian goatherd.
• The world’s most expensive coffee comes from beans that have passed through the digestive system of Indonesian monkeys.
• All 53 coffee-producing nations lie along the equator.
• Turkish bridegrooms must make a promise during their wedding ceremony to always provide their wives with coffee.
• The word ‘coffee’ comes from the Arab word qahwa, which translates as ‘that which prevents sleep’.
• Coffee is the second most traded product in the world after oil.
• There are more than 25 strains of coffee.
• Approx 4,000 beans are needed to produce one pound of roasted coffee.

Grinders.

Most Baristas will agree that the quality of the grind is instrumental when producing a high quality cup of coffee. Ensure you get the most from your machine with one of our high quality commercial coffee grinders.

EXPOBAR, GAGGIA, BRASILIA, IBERITAL and MACAP are just some models of grinders we supply, but I’m going to concentrate on the La Pavoni ZIP Commercial Coffee Grinder. Why La Pavoni? Most Baristas will agree that the quality of the grind is instrumental when producing high quality coffees, and La Pavoni grinders are some of the best in the business.

From the very first commercial coffee machine manufacturer La Pavoni & their factory in Milan, the ZIP BASE & ZIP AUTO commercial coffee grinders are built using the highest quality components by hand and with passion & over 100 years of know how.

Available with either semi-automatic or automatic dosing these commercial coffee grinders feature:

• Robust die-cast aluminium construction.
• Thermal shield containing class F insulation.
• Tempered steel, flat milled grinders.
• Fantastic Italian styling.

With flat grind stones of 63.5mm in diameter and a hopper capacity of 1kg, it makes this product very attractive. A 1 year back to base warranty added on top also adds to the great value for money offer. A spec sheet can be found here and a manual here.

La Pavoni grinders start at just £335 excluding VAT. If these don’t suit your needs or budget, we do have other quality grinders starting at just £149 excluding VAT so it’s a good time to take advantage of these fabulous prices.

In the next instalment, we will be looking at coffee machines in more depth and how to get the most from your equipment. In the mean time, take a good look at our coffee equipment range and services. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any queries you require answers to, all our staff are trained and knowledgeable in all our products.

If you’ve got this far, thanks for taking the time to read this article, hopefully you’ve found useful, interesting or even both.

For our full range of commercial catering equipment, please keep browsing our site or call one of our sales team on 01229 480001.

Tags: caterkwik, coffee guide, coffee machines, commercial coffee grinder, Commercial Coffee Machines, commercial espresso machines, craig ley barista, fracino commercial coffee machine, grinders, la pavoni, la pavoni coffee grinder, la pavoni commercial coffee machine, la pavoni zip

This entry was posted on Monday, October 8th, 2012 at 7:08 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.