03/07/2008 by andrew.

Just about to receive a batch of espresso machines which are part of a cancelled order.
At only £895 + VAT with a twelve month warranty they are unbeatable.
Contact me if you are interested on 0870 900 0087 or out of office hours on 07970 218791.Technorati Tags: commercial espresso machine, one group espresso machine,

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11/12/2007 by andrew.

Our latest gizmo -if thats the correct word for it -is a toolbar, easily downloadable with lots of great features!
Just go to http://blogandrewporter.OurToolbar.com

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04/12/2007 by andrew.

A French study has concluded that coffee keeps you awake -that is all of us who fall into the category of young or middle age and that drinking a strong cup of coffee during a road trip at night keeps you more alert.

Interestingly though the younger you are the better solution is to have a nap -30 minutes is enough for someone in their late teens to early twenties to provide enough ‘delta time’ [ie deepest sleep] to freshen up!

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28/11/2007 by andrew.

We have just totally changed to using these fittings to install our coffee machines! Talk about cutting time and effort the John Guest pushfit fittings are a real time saver- I cant recomend them enough.
Gone are copper pipes, any naked flames, solder, etc -so much cleaner, quicker and more flexible.
One word of warning though -not all products that look the same perform the same.
There are some copies in the market place which are cheaper, and yes we fell for it but after a couple of failed joints etc its a no brainer to use anything else but John Guest parts.
So far 100% success -saves us about 40% labour time so its a sensible business decision we believe.

 

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27/11/2007 by andrew.

The Presso espresso Machine has got to be the coolest coffee machine we have seen. Whilst simpler than a lot of domestic espresso machines it simply make the best coffee

So ditch all the ‘argos’ specials and buy a real coffee machine - I have not come across anything to match this bit of design genius.

PS if you have let me know!

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28/09/2007 by andrew.

Coffee drinking just gets better and better - now I discover that Italian scientists have reported that - “Drinking coffee protects against an eyelid spasm that can lead to
blindness, a study suggests. Italian researchers looked at the coffee
drinking and smoking habits of 166 people with blepharospasm”.
This has been reported in the journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, not my normal evening read but as I down my umpteenth cup of espresso today I can relax in the knowledge that I have reduced my chances of my eyelids twitching- i suppose to compensate for any other twitching brought on by my excess’ of caffeine!

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28/09/2007 by andrew.

Verde Coffee are pleased to announce their brand new web site just launched. As business progresses and we sell a greater range of products we have found you have to look continually to see if you are doing justice to your customers.

After a lot of searching we choose a fantastic program - ZEN CART. This is an open source product  -ie free. I am  a recent convert to this type of software - we were not adverse to paying but I think you get more from open source -an active community who are building on the existing framework all the time so you are not waiting for paid updates but can pick and choose what module to add when you want.

After trawling through a lot of comments -both negative and positive we came to the conclusion it was the best solution for us -I would say you need an in-house ‘expert’ or equivalent as the options and modifying can be complex -it is not a total out of the box solution but really that is part of is appeal -you can custom build.

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19/09/2007 by andrew.

After reading some current comments on barrista blogs the question is which is the best espresso machine I should preface that by with the word ‘commercial’ -domestic machines are a totally different subject.

I think the main discovery over the past few years is how small temperature difference alter the quality of your cup of coffee -and the temperature that you make your coffee depends on the blend!

At the cheaper end of the market a coffee machine will have a fluctuating temperature -it will start off at 97 [too high ] and then as you draw more coffees off drop too 82 during busy periods or lower in stages -somewhere in that range you will suddenly perceive a dramatic increase in the quality of the coffee - but because you can’t control the heat this is momentary.

Whats the answer?

Well there are too my knowledge two machines on the market that can help you make the perfect cup of espresso -the V6 espresso machine [declare an interest -we sell it ] and the Della Corte.

Both are lovely machines enabling the temperature to be controlled to fine parameters -+/- 1 degree but the Della Corte temperature has too be changed by an engineer - so each time you change your coffee or blend you have that cost whilst the V6 can be altered by the owner.

And perhaps the most important -the V6 is sensibly priced and has the longest warranty - 5 years.

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18/09/2007 by andrew.

So which do you choose? Bean 2 Cup or Traditional Espresso Machine. In my opinion there is only one answer but let me preface that with some explanation.

Outlets are drawn to the Bean to Cup machines because of ease of use, you don’t have to train staff to steam the milk, fill and tamp the coffee handle or then make the coffee. BUT they miss the point - what you save on staff training on making coffee you more than make up on cleaning -and this is where the Bean to Cup coffee machine bites back!

Most traditional espresso machines are very reliable, easy and cheap to maintain -Bean to Cup are not -a service contract will cost you twice the price [or more ]

Despite what some people think to train someone to use a coffee machine is not such a burden but if you feel training is an issue then lack of training on a bean 2 cup will leave you without coffee and an expensive bill.

Why is this? Mainly because machines are not designed to take our high fat milk and milk frothers are prone to block up and malfunction within a short time.

So my advice is buy a Traditional, pay less, produce more coffees per day, have lower maintenance cost and a longer working life.

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17/09/2007 by andrew.

Quick answer is yes most espresso machines do not need main pressure as they have either built in or external rotary pumps.

These will creat a pressure of around 8.5 bar for making coffee.

But be carefull - big tip is do not run the tank dry. Pumps are wet run and will jam if there is no water and or get an air lock.

Another tip is too get a one way valve on the end of the hose in the water tank, this will ensure the hose remains full [ie the water does not drain back into the tank so the pump always runs wet. Get a valve that opens easily - test by blowing through it - all you should need is a gentle blow! 

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