Coffee, the second most popular drink after water, the world over. Not only does coffee help you get set up for the day and keep you going through a challenging day’s work, it also keeps you hydrated since it is largely made up of water. What’s not to love?

Variety is the word when it comes to the precious bean drink. No wonder it’s so hard to pick the right coffee machine. It turns out there is much more to the process of pushing hot water through a puck than meets the eye. Let’s pick your brains then – with a hot brew to hand, needless to say.

Who will your commercial coffee machine cater for?

Coffee for your employees and clients

Are you among the visionaries out there equipping your staff with only la crème de la crème in the areas that matter? All will agree that the two to four cups we all drink on average on any given day count as essential. Productivity levels will prove the case in point.

Now you’ll have to run a little survey first. Who are the tea versus coffee drinkers in your office? How many cups per day are you talking?

You could opt for a coffee machine with pods or the more environmental-friendly and aroma-enhancing bean-to-cup machine. You could play it old-school with a filter coffee machine – if you’re willing to be on washing up duty.

Think along the lines of the pretty and easy-to-use Moccamaster Classic, or the Lavazza A Modo Mio Deséa, with its integrated milk frother, or Jura Giga 5 with its two drink spouts for the perfect espresso, time and time again.

If you are catering for upwards of 50 employees or clients, you may want to consider a faster machine with a built-in water line to avoid having to refill the tank manually. La Marzocco Linea PB 2 Group will allow you to have four cups in the making simultaneously (each ‘Group’ delivers two cups at once). A heavyweight, literally. Make sure you’ve the required infrastructure in place to house this mammoth-class coffee machine.

For your coffee shop

One step up would be to cater for the taste-savvy, coffee connoisseurs in your own coffee shop. Depending on the size of your business, surface area behind the counter and number of baristas you employ, your choices will differ. Why not bring in the Rolls Royce of coffee machines? Nuova Simonelli Aurelia II 4 Group has an impressive 22-liter capacity. Let’s not be shy about this, it’s the epitome of high performance. Not least because it is the only coffee machine that has been labelled ergonomic by the European Institute of Psychology and Ergonomics. As a side note, the Nuova Simonelli Aurelia II was selected as the official World Barista Championship machine for 2012 and 2014. If it caters for the world’s most critical taste buds, it will no doubt find favour with your customers.

Able to deliver 600 cups per day of a consistenly perfect espresso, La-Pavoni Bar T 2 Group has a great CV too. Its 14-liter water boiler, two flexible steam jets and polished brass and chrome-plated look will not disappoint. The brand’s expertise spans over a century and is – well, Italian. Need we say more?

Is variety the spice of your business?

For all who are looking for more than just a hot cup

For a customer experience rooted in authenticity and skill, look to a manual commercial coffee machine. You will craft each espresso or latte as the trade intended, reconnecting with tradition. A great way to offer your start-up customers a welcome break from touch-screens for the time it takes to savour the best espresso in town. Keep a watchful eye on the pressure gauge – it should oscillate between 15 and 19 bars. And let everyone else enjoy the beautiful vintage sight of the Victoria Arduino Athena Leva 2-Group.

For a customer experience rooted in authenticity and skill, look to a manual commercial coffee machine. You will craft each espresso or latte as the trade intended, reconnecting with tradition. A great way to offer your start-up customers a welcome break from touch-screens for the time it takes to savour the best espresso in town. Keep a watchful eye on the pressure gauge – it should oscillate between 15 and 19 bars. And let everyone else enjoy the beautiful vintage sight of the Victoria Arduino Athena Leva 2-Group.

Stimulate the mind

Are no two of your employees or clients agreed on one drink of choice? Wow them with 200 configurations thanks to Schaerer’s Coffee Soul espresso machine. Brainstorming will kick off with which beverage to go for with this gem in the office. Expect team building with an edge – and bypass the overrated golf-day outing.

Do you require a no-fuss, easy approach for small-scale operations?

The Melitta Caffeo Barista TS Smart 1 Group could be what you need. Modest but elegant, affordable but uncompromising on taste. Its intuitive use will even make the maintenance part of owning a commercial coffee machine easy.

Are you used to programming your house’s safety features remotely? If new technologies unlock the geek in you, you should go for Krups Evidence. The app will enable you to customise drinks and store your favourite brews from your phone, wherever you are. And get the perfect espresso when you stop by at the office coffee machine, of course.

Did you spot one for you? Now where’s the catch?

Well and truly, there is none. Every machine is geared towards specific requirements and tastes. The tour de force lies in identifying the criteria that matter to you and singling out the best commercial coffee machine to suit your office or business.

Still confused? Here’s a quick check list for you:

• What kind of usage am I looking for? (Check: frequency; rental versus purchase of new or second-hand coffee machine)
• Have I got enough space to host this machine? (Check: dimensions)
• Is my work top sturdy enough? (Check: weight)
• Will it fit my business plan? (Check: usage in watts per litre; projections in cups per day)
• Does it suit my set-up? (Check: number of spouts (1 Group, 2 Group etc) versus number of staff and ease of access to each of the machine’s groups; water storage and water line where applicable)
• How about the look and feel of the machine? (Check: mood board)
• What’s my style and that of my employees and customers? (Check: manual, automatic or semi-automatic; eco-friendly no-pod approach, materials the machine is made from)
• What’s the guarantee? (Check: one or two years)
• Don’t like surprises? (Check: read detailed reviews in full for the commercial coffee machine I selected)
• Last but not least, what does it taste like? (Check: the perfect espresso versus a coffee menu; freshly ground ‘bean-to-cup’ versus reliable pod experience; filter coffee machine?)

That should be you now ready to set off on your own commercial coffee adventure. Ready, steady, go espresso.