Why you should future-proof your coffee shop or café
No matter your expertise, experience, or skill level, you're probably reliant on some machinery. And at some point, all machinery needs maintenance as it can break down and fail as it gets older. A piece of equipment breaking down is one of the highest stressors for business owners and managers. You want to get back to making expert level, high-quality coffee for your customers, but the machine won't cooperate. Taking care of your tools (like your espresso machine or commercial coffee machine), helps you serve the high-end espresso your customers love.
If you don't know where to begin when it comes to future-proofing your business, try these three steps first.
1. Clean thoroughly and frequently
A robust cleaning schedule is how you keep your coffee machine, grinder, and other equipment capable of producing quality coffee. There's always a strong temptation to cut corners, especially when things get busy at the coffee shop, but maintaining a clean coffee machine and a clean prep area is one of the best investments you can make. Not only will it help the equipment last longer, but an expert barista can brew quality coffee a lot easier in a tidy workspace and with a clean commercial coffee machine.
2. Invest in the staff
Baristas interact with commercial coffee machines more than anyone else. If you're the barista at your coffee shop, you know how important it is to maintain your specialised skills and expertise. Making sure the barista has the skill and expertise to not only make great tasting coffee, but also to care for the grinders and espresso machines is a smart investment. Having the knowledge and ability to fix and maintain equipment can turn panic into productivity. Maintenance during downtime or closures can prevent major problems. Whether you work with baristas or you're a barista yourself, the cost of learning how to care for and fix and repair equipment can save a lot of money in the long run.
3. Use water filters
One of the key ingredients in coffee is water, so using high-quality, clean water leads to better-tasting coffee. It doesn't matter how expert a barista is or what quality the beans are, if the water contains impurities, the espresso is imperfect.
Using BRITA water filters can lead to a better-tasting brew, and they can also help you keep your coffee machine in good condition.
When it comes to coffee machines, water filtration is preventative maintenance. In Australia, all our drinking water has to meet the Australian Government quality standards to ensure that it's healthy to drink. But there are still some elements that can affect the taste and makeup of the water. That's where a water filter system can help increase the life of your coffee maker.
Why filtering water matters
Even the best coffee machine can experience limescale and encounter other problems that stop the barista from showing off their expert skill.
Some of the impurities in tap water will change the chemical composition of water, as we heat the water to have hot water for coffee. As this happens, the lime-to-carbonic acid scale can be unbalanced, and the pH of the water can change. Water that's too acidic can damage coffee machines, but water with an overly high concentration of lime can damage coffee machines, too. The perfect water for coffee has a delicate balance.
Filtration with a BRITA water filter means using activated carbon filters as well as powerful ion exchange pearls to catch impurities that affect the quality of water. Chlorine, trace metal particles, microplastics, sediments, contaminants, and bacteria can be present in water from a tap. Using a filtration system and regularly replacing the filter cartridges leads to better-tasting water and longer-lasting machinery.
