For those of you who are new to coffee, let’s start at the beginning. Espresso coffee machines (meaning coffee machines driven by an internal pump) were created many decades ago by Mr Gaggia – after whom the Gaggia Coffee machine brand is named after. Manual espressos machines were not very different to those in use today at local coffee houses…some of these machines are in fact decades old.

A manual espresso machine requires a grinder,tamper, knock box and yes most importantly a barista. Then as time moved on the coffee world experience a revolution in the form of automatic coffee machines. An automatic coffee machine is one in which the grinder,tamper,knock box and even the “barista” is inside the machine and everything is operated at the touch of a button.

For many years,and rightly so, true espresso purists have shunned automatic coffee machines like the plague. Yes they were simple, yes they were effortless but for many many decades they still produced a very average espresso coffee.

All this rung true, up until a few years ago. Competition grew, competitors emerged and coffee just got better. More specifically coffee produced from an automatic coffee machine just got better. Today an automatic espresso machine is capable of grinding perfect.Today an automatic coffee machine is capable of tamping perfectly and yes you guessed an automatic machine today is now capable of making an espresso near perfectly! Something your run of the mill (and even experience barista )can’t do every time.

Will local coffee shops suddenly now change. Unfortunately due to massive initial machine costs, the answer is no. That’s unless they have big money behind them and can afford to make the move to the future of coffee…just like Starbucks have done. Yes, even Starbucks , a massive former proponent of the manual espresso machine , has recently upgraded most of their stores and have proudly made the move to auto!

For anyone who has had the pleasure of having a coffee machine in their home or office, about 10 percent have had the displeasure of enjoying their coffee with a nasty dose of extra protein in the form of a cockroach…

Coffee machines, like people, love their coffee machines. There’s something about that nice warm environment which keeps the buggers hooked on their daily dose of java?

A Joilet college student and two schools employees are suing their cafeteria for finding a cockroach doing laps in their Ethiopian blend Americano. Not the nice morning surprise they would’ve hoped for!Their official claim was that the cockroach infused coffee caused them “great pain and anguish both in mind and body”

As much as their claim sounds a little weak kneed to us, we at Aquaspresso, are just grossed out about the thought of our customers (and us) getting a bit more than we bargained for – which is why all our coffee machines and coffee vending machines are treated and protected against any possibility of cockroaches existing in our coffee machines. We have made sure that the boilers of our vending machines are located in an air tight housing and all our bean to cup machines are implanted with “human friendly” , bug repellant.

In the age of fair trade coffee where “drinking responsibly” has become the catch phrase in the world of coffee, we make sure that our customers not only drink responsibly but drink confidently!

Capsule coffee machines are dominated by Nespresso worldwide. Not many companies have managed to compare with their branding brilliance and financial muscle. Nespresso, interestingly enough, never took off first time round. It was only when they merged their coffee machines with the coffee drinking culture and luxury association that it really took flight.

When choosing the best capsule coffee machine on the market we recommend the following

Convenience of getting capsules – It is a huge help to have the option of getting capsules delivered to your door as opposed to running into a crowded shopping centre everytime you are out of coffee

Price – Ignoring the price of the machines, the most important financial consideration by far is actually the price of the capsules.

Size – We have tasted countless capsules over the years and even in capsules – size does matter! From our experience an 8g coffee capsule is almost always far superior to its 5g counterpart

For any questions about coffee capsules, give us a call to speak to one of our consultants

Our customers kept on asking us this question, why not a vending machine for us ; and we kept on answering – “Super-automatic fresh milk cappuccino machines are the only machines for an office environment”. How wrong we were! Not to say that there isn’t a place for fresh milk cappuccino machines, but there is certainly also a massive need and place for hassle free, ease of use coffee vending machines.

Coffee Vending Machines give a number of advantages which no other office machines give

• Portion control – No more double or triple scooping the coffee ; A coffee vending machine puts exactly what is needed in the cup
• Milk control – Too often in offices people use milk for cereal, protein shakes and who knows whats else ;coffee vending machines prevent this from ever happening
• Sugar Usage- This is where a coffee vending machine solves a very South African problem! We once saw a person using 8 scoops of sugar in a single cup. Impossible with a vending machine
• Hygiene- No fresh milk means no yellow or green 2 week old milk build up and no throwing away of old smelly milk

We have managed to save some companies from R100 to R15,000 per month. Imagine boosting the staff morale with creamy cappuccinos whilst cutting back on your consumables spend. If there ever was a WIN-WIN in business coffee vending machines are it!

On my travells recently I came across a Swarovski encrusted coffee machine which was selling for approximately R60,000. Pretty expensive right? Thats what I thought, until I stumbled about this baby

Roasting Plant Javabot – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUSH016jAHs

Roasting Plant Javabot is one of the most expensive coffee makers in the world. It’s a robotic system which actually wraps around the entire store. It manages the entire coffee process, from green coffee bean to roast, to grind, to pour and all the important steps in between. The entire system is based off tubes which run all over the place.

Have a look and see what you think. Worth it’s $1 Million Dollar Tag?

The Nescafe Alegria is one of the newest vending coffee machines on the market which is produced by Nestle.

The home version of the Nescafe Alegria makes use of an instant coffee refill which can be bought at selected stores in South Africa. The Alegria can be seen as a mini vending machine for ones home or office.

If Alegria can produce espresso,coffee and cappuccino. It is equipped with a water tank which can be interchanged with a bigger one for use in offices.

The Nescafe Alegria doesn’t have a storage for milk inside the machine. It comes together with a measuring cup in order to measure the right amount of milk to put in ones cup. The machine then shoots a water/steam into the cup which bubbles the milk and creates a froth like effect.

Please send a mail if you would like to see a video of the Nescafe Alegria in action

Coffee Percolators are one of the oldest pieces of coffee equipment still in existence today. Coffee percolators preceded the filter coffee machine and were very popular in the 1990′s in offices and in canteens.

The idea of a coffee percolator is that one can make large quantities of coffee in one go and therefore serve a few hundred people at a time without waiting for a machine to heat up constantly.

Coffee percolators however fell out of favor with the rise of vending coffee machines which could provide coffee almost as fast as percolators without over cooking or burning the coffee.

Do coffee percolators still serve a purpose. To an extent yes, but in most cases coffee vending machines are better options these days.

There are two things to adjust. First you need to go into the coffee menu and set the temperature and set the temperature to high for all beverage selections. That will make the coffee hotter but not the milk drinks.

The next thing to do is to adjust the frothing mechanism so that the knob is as close to the horizontal as possible. This is possible with the proffesional frother but not with other frothing units like the bullet frother and the easy cappuccino frother.

Most people are in the unfortunate situation of not knowing how to adequately service and maintain their costly coffee machine investments. If your coffee machine has been irreparably damaged and you are wondering if you should replace it, remember that there are coffee machine rental companies that will take care of the repair and maintenance for you as part of the rental contract, making it a cost-effective and easy solution.

Tips on maintaining your coffee machine:

• Safety first: Before getting into the details of coffee machine maintenance, it is important to take the necessary safety precautions, such as unplugging your machine and allowing it to cool down after it has been unplugged.
• Maintenance specifications: Keep in mind that these maintenance tips are general – coffee machine manufacturers prescribe different maintenance checks for their products. Refer to you product manual to ensure that you follow the correct steps in servicing your coffee machine in accordance with specifications.
• Cleaning: Most coffee makers don’t require a lot of cleaning. Some machines have removable dishwasher-safe drip trays for easy washing. If you want to clean the outside of your machine, simply wipe the surface with a damp, nonabrasive cloth. Detachable reservoirs can be washed in a sink with warm, soapy water.

De-scaling your coffee machine

To protect heating elements and other components that come into contact with water, it is recommended that you de-scale once every 6 months. ‘Scale’ or ‘lime scale’ is the build-up of minerals inside your machine. To minimize scaling, some coffee machine manufacturers advise using bottled water to make your coffee. Some machines have a warning light to indicate when de-scaling is needed.

De-scaling is a 5 step process:

• Drain your coffee machine over a sink.
• Fill the machine with undiluted white vinegar.
• Run the brew process at least four times, pouring the cups of vinegar back into the coffee maker.
• Let your machine sit for 4 hours, then run the brew cycle again. Pour the vinegar into the sink and drain remaining vinegar.
• Fill your coffee maker with fresh water. Run multiple brew cycles to rinse out the machine before returning to normal use.

Whether you have a bean to cup or a capsule coffee machine, your equipment’s maintenance remains important and should be done regularly. When you partner with a leading coffee machine supplier, such as Aquaspresso,coffee machine maintenance in South Africa will be included in your contract.

Contact Aquaspresso for coffee machines

Advantages to renting a coffee machine:

• Cost savings on the machine: Coffee machines are expensive appliances. Instead of shelling out thousands of your hard-earned Rands, you can save a considerable sum of money by simply renting one.
• Save money on refills: Renting coffee machines will also save you money when it comes to refills, maintenance and repairs, since these services are usually included in rental contracts. Reputable coffee machine suppliers use only the best and most popular products, like Jura coffee machines, which gives you access to top quality coffee at a fraction of the cost.
• Time savings: It can be time-consuming to search for the right coffee machine that will cater to all your needs. Rental companies are experts in this department and will be able to recommend a machine that will work best for you or your business. Shopping for refills or taking a machine in for maintenance and repairs can be extremely time-consuming. Because rental companies provide all these services, it will free up a lot of your valuable time.
• Hassle-free: Coffee machine suppliers, such as Aquaspresso, will take care of various aspects of managing your coffee machine, making this experience hassle free. You can just sit back, relax and enjoy a nice cup of coffee.
• Peace of mind: If something where to go wrong, the problem can be easily fixed with a simple phone call to the rental company. If you rent a coffee machine, there will be minimal time spent without coffee since the machine will be quickly repaired on site or simply replaced.

Renting a coffee machine in South Africa is quick and easy and it can save you time, money and effort.

Contact Aquaspresso for coffee machines