Bean To Cup Coffee Machine

A traditional machine separates the grinder, the dose, the tamp and the extraction, and a barista controls each one. A bean to cup machine does all of it internally to a programmed recipe.

You give up the top end of quality and get the same cup every time without a trained operator. Where quality is the selling point, a commercial espresso coffee machine is the right tool.

Models with a milk system do, either from a chilled carton or a jug. Models without one make black coffee only, so check which you are looking at before you order.

Where the machine takes milk from a fridge, you will need an under bench fridge beside it.

It varies enormously between models and is stated as a daily cup figure on the product page. Buying a lightly rated machine for a busy site is the single most common mistake in this category.

Work from your real daily cup count, and check the specifications reference for how the figures are published.

Some models plumb in, others run from an internal tank you fill manually. A tank is simpler to install and more work to run; plumbed is the opposite.

Where plumbing is needed, see our appliance installation page.

A daily cleaning cycle plus manual cleaning of the milk path and the grounds container. The milk path is the part that gets skipped, and it is the part that spoils the coffee and raises hygiene issues.

Cleaning products are in commercial kitchen cleaning supplies.

Into an internal container that has to be emptied through the day on a busy site. Check the container capacity against your cup count, not just the water tank.

On a manual bench the same job is done by a coffee knock bin.

On labour, usually. On coffee quality and on per-cup pricing, it depends entirely on your venue and what customers will pay for.

Venues selling coffee as a product generally keep a commercial coffee machine and a grinder; venues providing coffee as a service lean bean to cup.