A Discussion of Bean to Cup syst

A well trained, good person can always get a better cup of coffee using a traditional machine than from a bean-to-cup system. The problem is there are few good people around and they are difficult to train and retain.

A good, well set up, bean-to-cup system is however a good compromise where speed of service, consistency and possible self service is essential.

Why are bean to cup systems inferior ?

Brewing Systems

Bean to Cup systems are designed to automatically grind and brew espresso shots.

Brewing chambers are generally smaller in diameter than traditional machines but compensate by having a greater depth of coffee. This means that to get a similar taste we must use slightly more coffee per espresso shot.

In order for bean to cup systems to work properly the grind size tends to be slightly coarser than should be used for traditional systems. (This is an area that good suppliers must spend a lot of time getting right – just as with traditional systems there is a ‘sweet spot’ for each coffee). Using a coarser coffee means that we must compensate using pre infusion, different tamping pressures and other brewing changes.

Many brewing chambers (groups) are plastic which has poor heat retention. As soon as the brewing components cool the espresso extraction is compromised. Just as with traditional machines, all components in contact with coffee must have as much heat retention as possible – brass or stainless steel. Good machines will also have small heating elements in the brewing chamber to retain the heat.

If all the bean to cup brewing parameters are correct then the coffee will be close to the taste of the same coffee from a traditional machine. As a generalisation there will be less body from a bean to cup coffee.

Roasting is therefore vital. To compensate for less body, the coffee must be slow roasted and using fuller bodied coffees – often these can be more expensive.

Assuming the machine is correctly set up (and it is reliable) then the most important item that will change is grind size – just as with a traditional machine. Because of the moving parts and electrical hazards, it is not advisable to train operators to delve inside a machine to adjust the grind size. Some machines automatically compensate by increasing the coffee quantity after a number of shots – this does not really solve the problem.

The best way to ensure optimum performance is to use a trained person to periodically check and adjust as necessary.

Automatic Milk Foam

Many so called bean to cup machines use powdered milk. These are really vending machines and are not worthy of a quality conscious catering market – fresh milk is the only option.

Bean to cup systems usually have a system for automatically foaming milk. There are 2 systems – those that use steam and those that whip the already hot milk. Both systems are a compromise and each has its advantages and disadvantages.

Systems that use steam must have an annual pressure vessel inspection (PVI), this is a legal requirement and can be a significant cost. The taste of steamed milk is good but delivery can be slow and inconsistent.

Hot milk systems are very consistent and have a very fast delivery, the only downside is if the milk is not used within 4 hours it can taste cooked.

The best way to foam milk is using the traditional steam wand. Many bean to cup systems have models that use this method (remember that they must have a PVI for the steam boiler), steaming on a wand gives a creamy consistency with denser bubbles than any automatic system.

The best steam wand systems are those that have system to help the operator steam correctly. These systems can be a temperature sensor to automatically stop the steam or a device to pulse and or inject air into the milk. Both are good systems.

The Supplier

The whole point of bean to cup is to serve high quality drinks, the supplier must therefore understand coffee and have an interest in maintaining the quality over the long term. It is preferable for the coffee supplier to also maintain the machines – there is no 3^rd party to blame if the quality is not right.

Bean to cup machines designed for high volume need a lot more maintenance than traditional systems. Service back up is therefore critical. Service intervals must be related to the number of drinks produced and servicing must be focused on maintaining drinks quality.

The Customer

Bean to cup machines are bought to supply high volumes, the customer can not simply assume they will do that for ever – they must clean their equipment according to manufacturers instructions.

Conclusions

The higher end bean to cup systems are very useful to serve high volumes of good quality. Coffee quality is not as good as traditional systems but they are close. It is impossible to serve larger volumes without extensive queuing by using traditional machine.

The customer and supplier must have an ongoing relationship in order to maximise quality and equipment life. These machines are a significant investment but produce high returns for the caterer, choosing the right supplier is vital to the success of a coffee operation.

- Ian Balmforth

Bolling Coffee,

Meltham