We’ve all heard the old saying, “you can’t please all the people all of the time.” It’s true for just about everything. It’s definitely true for espresso machines.
Hardly a coffee tradeshow occurs without some new, flashy piece of gear debuting to a mixture of “ooh”s and “ah”s from the coffee trend seekers and suspicion from the barista old-schoolers.
At times, it can feel hard to keep up with.
Is it form or function?
What inevitable first-generation bugs will there be?
It’s different… is it better?
If you’re in the business of selling coffee and espresso equipment, this means that with each new flashy machine, come requests from operators eager to get in first on the next new thing.
This situation brings us to an important question: Is this actually the right piece of equipment for this client?
At KLLR Coffee, our mission is to move coffee programs forward. For this to happen, it’s vital that a client is matched up with the proper equipment for them.
“What constitutes ‘proper equipment’ for a given client,” you may ask.
Great question.
When evaluating the best grinder, brewer, espresso machine, or small-wares for a concept, there are a series of questions we must ask ourselves.
A few of them are universal:
- What are the unique features of this piece of equipment?
- Does it perform the way it is supposed to?
- Do these features, performing as advertised, result in a better product?
- How often does the machine break down?
- When the machine is down, how easy is it to fix? Consider questions like: Are the technicians in my area trained on this equipment? Are the parts easily available? Is the service department of this manufacturer reliable?
Remember: It doesn’t matter what your machine can (theoretically) do if it’s out of order. A great-looking machine that’s inoperable is just an expensive paper-weight.
Some questions need to be more client-specific:
- What sort of operation is this? Is there a drive-thru? Is it a stand-alone shop?
- What is the level of volume this equipment will need to be able to handle?
- What are the long-term goals of the operator?
- What is the budget of the operator?
The answers to all of these questions can help guide us in the right direction toward ultimately being able to make an informed decision.
Regardless of the type of client and their needs, we have curated a portfolio of equipment at KLLR Coffee that we believe can provide a great solution for everyone.
In this series of blogs – Equipment We Love – we will showcase some of our favorite machines for different applications, so gear-heads: stay tuned!
For now, we will leave you with this TikTok, providing a little taste of the first machine we will discuss.
@kllrcoffee Check this equipment we love! - Synesso S-Series ##espresso ##coffee ##kllrcoffee ##okc ##dfw
♬ Lady - Hear Me Tonight - Modjo