In these times of speciality coffee, where the entire coffee process is controlled from the plantation right down to the cup, a new generation of smart, customisable coffee machines is emerging to help baristas serve that perfect coffee, flawless in taste and full of nuance. These are more sustainable machines that make their presence felt in the coffee shop, with a look and style that captures everyone’s attention.
With coffee consumption on the rise across the globe, something is stirring in the coffee universe. On one hand, coffee is growing in volume, quality and variety, adapting to new points-of-sale and consumer habits. On the other, the product is becoming ever more diversified: served hot or cold, it can be found in everything from cocktails to haute cuisine. The changes form part of the new coffee culture, becoming a new gourmet experience, with new generations of consumers ready to discover a wider variety of quality coffee, and willing to pay more for it.
This shift is what has brought coffee machine manufacturers to fine-tune the parameters of their equipment as much as possible in order to ensure that every cup is not just perfect, but also adapts to the tastes of the consumer.
Above all, the new coffee machines are best described by the speed and flexibility in which they can tailor their settings to offer different types of coffee to suit each customer. In short, it is all about customisation. These machines can function with different temperatures and dosages at the same time; they stand out for their production capacity, ergonomics and usability; they are connected and display some spectacular designs… and they come built with new materials, use less energy and are interactive:
Stainless steel heart
The first espresso machine was built over 100 years ago, and since then the materials used in their manufacturing has remained invariable. “There has been a great evolution in terms of design, exterior materials, electronic components, etc., but on the inside, in the heart of the machine, a century later brass and copper are still the main materials used to make the components,” affirms the company Ascaso (http://www.ascaso.com/index-esp.html)
This impasse is reaching its end, as this Barcelona firm is unveiling a high performance coffee machine of exceptional quality: Big Dream, the first machine whose internal workings are entirely made of stainless steel.
But why stainless steel? Because it is a long-lasting, anti-scaling material that is healthful (there is no leeching of heavy metals into the infusion), has excellent thermal stability, and achieves an energy savings of 40% with respect to conventional machines.
With a touch screen and intuitive, multi-function software to guarantee total control over all the coffee settings, the new Big Dream is a machine designed with the barista in mind: study, attractive and ergonomic, not to mention being hi-tech and of course, customisable.
For speciality coffee
The firm Cultura Café (https://www.cultura-cafe.es/) will be bringing Opera and Café Racer to Hostelco 2018, the innovative espresso machines of the Italian company Sanremo, fruit of the R+D work of the Sanremo World Academy Team, made of a group of crack baristas, engineers, architects and coffee lovers from around the world.
Designed for the speciality coffee market, both models offer a spectacular motorcycle-inspired look and come built in AISI 316 L stainless steel (boilers, group, filter back plate, chassis and frame), without residual heavy metals, and offer many technical advances, one of which is the Tempcontrol thermal balancing system, which allows separate temperatures to be set for the water supply and the temperature of each group according to the blend or coffee being used:
And that’s not all. There is also the remarkable Milk Mate barista system from Cultura Café, a complementary machine that can prepare pre-programmed quantities of milk to fill up the steaming pitchers. Easy to install and maintain, it results in more convenience and greater savings on milk consumption:
Efficiency and sustainability
The Barcelona company Iberital (http://www.iberital.com/) is unveiling its machine, Vision. It is the perfect example of the new generation of coffee machines: more efficient, sustainable and healthful. Although it will be shown at Hostelco, it will not be put on the market until this coming May.
With an avant-garde design inspired by Brutalist architecture, Vision incorporates innovative technological advances that, by optimising the coffee brewing process, minimise its CO2 footprint and reduce up to 50% of the energy consumption needed to run the machine.
Its multi-boiler system allows for permits precision programming of the temperature, pressure and amount of water needed for the coffee and tea service. What’s more, it also has a new rapid-heating system and smart power management features.
Thanks to the installation of independent hydraulic circuits, Vision is the first machine to obtain tea water directly from the water supply, instead of the service boiler. This prevents salt build-up, which tends to accumulate in current systems due to constant boiling and evaporation, thus ensuring the water used is of the finest quality.
It is also ground-breaking for its use of special alloys, such as low-lead brass, in the manufacture of the machine’s internal components. Naturally, this machine is connected to the Internet, through its own app, which allows for the permanent monitoring and automation of the equipment.
Elegant, sturdy and precise
Crem International (http://www.creminternational.com/es/) has overhauled its Expobar espresso machine and the result is the New Diamant, a machine even more elegant and sturdy than its predecessor and capable of producing the perfect coffee experience. It meets not only the demands of specialised baristas but also those of the coffee industry, bringing the latest technology to the tradition of great espresso.
With an aluminium body, clean lines and an ergonomic design, the hydraulic system has been upgraded to guarantee a constant pulling temperature for that perfect cup of coffee. But what truly stands out about the New Diamant is its Crem Tech TM e-System, an innovative electronic platform that control all the functions of the machine using different touch screens.
It also features an automatic steam solution with a built-in temperature probe and a special lining on the steam jets that lowers the temperature and makes cleaning easier. And of course, the New Diamant can work in “barista mode”, allowing each group to be operated independently.
Savings, productivity and that Italian look
The new S9 Digital Smart Pro coffee machine from La Spaziale (https://spaziale.com/) brings all the necessary ingredients together to make a perfect espresso: heating power, precise temperature control and quality, highly-resistant materials; it is all under an impressive chassis with that Italian touch that attracts everyone’s attention.
What’s more, the machine features notable innovations in energy management with the new ECO function and an insulated boiler that provides for significant energy savings. It also has standard time-controlled water for tea service, with the option of adding the new connectivity system Caffé d’Autore.
A tireless all-rounder, the S9 is capable of handling the demands of espresso production, hot water for tea service and steam to heat milk and drinks, without sacrificing the elegance and refinement this firm is known for.
Customisable and “green”
As for Experience Coffee Cup, the firm (http://www.experiencecoffeecup.com/) will be showing new machines at Hostelco from the manufacturers Astoria and Wega, among others.
Truly spectacular is the new machine from Astoria, Storm, created to meet the demands of the most experienced baristas. The design is result of a collaboration with the Adrian Design studio (Turin) and took into account the motion requirements of these professional coffee maestros, who will be able to manually configure the parameters for complete customisation, or simply use the digital functions:
As for the Urban, the latest creation from Wega (on the left in the image below), it is a machine that stands out for its ultra-modern lines, cutting-edge technology and adaptability to any requirement. Created with the help of baristas, this is a “green” machine, notable for its low energy consumption and interactive touch screen that allows for simple and fluid operating and full control from a remote location.
It is also worth mentioning the Trinity One (on the right), a true flight of fancy. It is the first 3-in-1 machine intended for speciality coffee. It has a combination of press, drip and infusion brewing methods and its sleek, minimalist design, the work of Marcos Folker, merited the Good Design Selection award:
Like a wave
That may well describe the Aurelia Wave, the new machine from Nuova Simonelli (http://www.nuovasimonelli.it/en/), which displays a wave design on the sides. But it is the technology that truly surprises the professional: its Smart Water Technology, which automatically detects and alerts to any change in the water quality; its sustainability (using less energy to reduce its environmental impact); its patented Pulse Jet technology that optimises water flow and pressure; its ergonomics and efficiency, with an automatic cleaning system, and its digital facet. All this is without mentioning Easycream, the hi-tech system that automatically yields smooth dense frothed milk and offers the barista the option to control the hot water temperature to their liking.
Machine + coffee… and pay as you go
The German firm Cup&Cino (http://barista-one.com/) will be presenting at Hostelco its “all in one” system to the Spanish market: machine + coffee + service. From the plantation right down to the cup of coffee itself, this company guarantees its freshly roasted coffee is brought to the point-of-sale in less than 10 days. What the firm is noted for is that it bills the restaurateur not for the coffee in kilos, but for the portion consumed (around 0.29 euros per serving).
Every machine has a built-in counter that telemetrically adds up and sends a bill for the total amount consumed. This way, restaurateurs can have real statistics on what products are consumed more (and act upon the data consequently); they don’t pay for the coffee they don’t use, and only after the coffee has been consumed.
The company has different types of machines available: BaristaONE, the first in the world with a hybrid portafilter that has a production unit with frothed milk—both hot and cold—which is totally automatic, so any member of staff can create quality drinks without having to be professional; Barista Startup, the more affordable little sister, yet with similar features, for smaller businesses; and MilkSolo/MilkBar, two separate solutions to automatically produce the frothed milk the company is famous for.
Automatic innovative machines
What’s new in automatic coffee machines for hotels and catering businesses? Jura (https://es.jura.com/es) presents the X6 and X8, models that replace the emblematic Impressa Xs.
The new X line follows on the robustness and versatility of its predecessor, but it has new functions and technology that make it a compact and adaptable solution for a variety of different settings, such as hotel breakfast buffets, catering service, restaurants, convenience stores, service stations, etc.
The X6 model provides coffee products and hot tea water, while the X8 also offers milk products and frothed milk, always in line with the philosophy of offering the finest quality coffee with 100% fresh and natural products.
Both are perfect for self-service lines (offering different levels of menu blocking, TFT screen, ergonomic buttons, coffee and water tank locking systems, etc.) and stand out for their versatility: optional equipment includes a water supply connection kit, coffee ground removal, and hopper extensions of up to 1 kg of coffee beans:
As for the Idea Restyle, the first units of this new automatic machines from Saeco (http://www.saecoprofessional.es/) have already been installed in hotels and restaurants.
Thanks to ceramic burrs that don’t “burn” the coffee while it is grinding, this machine makes an espresso with excellent flavour and appearance.
With an elegant look halfway between the traditional and minimalist, plus customisable side panels, the Idea Restyle can be set up anywhere, from a catering event to the finest hotels. What’s more, the new Idea is even easier to use, with a touch interface that is especially intuitive and complete. In short, it makes the perfect option for those wanting a highly professional yet attractive looking machine. Plus it is modular, as it can be easily connected to other machines.
Designer coffee mills
Not only has there been innovation in coffee machines: the essential equipment has also seen some changes, such as the coffee mill. To be specific, it is the Izaga professional automatic mill from Markibar (http://www.markibar.com/) which will be coming on the market in April, showing off a new design with high-quality materials and two options: touch TFT screen or alphanumerical display.
It electronically controls the dosage and guarantees the coffee’s quality, always freshly milled, insulating the milling chamber from the motor and using smart ventilation for a cooler grind. Easy to use, it offers high-precision control over the milling point, and also stands out for its streamlined maintenance.
These are just a few examples of the fascinating new generation of equipment you will find at Hostelco 2018. The date: from 16 to 19 April in Barcelona.