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Ask HN: Opening a bakery next month, need coffee machine advice.

5 points by lardvark ↗ HN
I know this is a very specific request but thought maybe someone knows about these things here. We want to serve espresso, lattes, and cappuccinos. I know next to nothing about finding a good machine. Any advice?

Thanks!

7 comments

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anigbrowl
Illy. Ebay. Hire someone who knows more about it than you do.
lardvark
I thought I might find someone here actually.
anigbrowl
I hate to break this to you, but all those development platforms referencing coffee are just a front. Most developers know nothing about good coffee, but it's hard to pitch things named after herbal tea or beer.

Seriously, one place to look is a restaurant supply store/website, and a lot of them trade in used gear. you may even find some on Craigslist. But lots of people think running a coffee shop is super simple and then go out of business within the first 6 months. Food service of any kind is a tough business with pretty unforgiving economics. It's going to cost you anywhere from $2-600 just to open your door to the street each day, so the additional cost of hiring someone who knows what they're at might actually work out cheaper than learning the hard way.

Illy was the brand they had in the diner where I used to cook years ago, but I couldn't tell you about a specific model. It's good enough that customers will see it as a mark of quality and that's because the design hasn't changed much over the last few decades. In return it takes longer to clean and you're more likely to get a steam burn if you don't maintain it properly. If you've got free or absurdly cheap rent, then just read up for a while and then wing it, but if you're trying to start a small business then I'd say hire someone or else get a job somewhere for 6 weeks so you can learn the basics. Best of luck.

genieyclo
FWIW we used a La Cimbali Selectron M29 at the cafe I used to work at. Very robust and powerful machine that can do everything OP listed. Simple enough to maintain with regular cleaning of heads and accessory parts with a renewal of filters twice a year.
egiva
Yeah, this is great advice - the first person you hire is much more important than the coffee machine you buy.

About the machine: there's a ton of second-hand equipment in the market right now, so definitely contact two sources: restaurant supply companies if you want to do most of the word yourself, or a coffee distributer/servicer/supplier if you want an all-in-one solution - i.e. a company that brings you the coffee, cleans the machine, etc. AVOID CRAIGSLIST FOR THIS ONE.

The reason why there's a lot of second-hand machines out there is because, as said above, there are a LOT of food service companies that don't make it. Make sure you hire an excellent first employee, and have at least 8 months of operating expenses saved to cover your variable costs - that's after all the equipment has been purchased, improvements to your shop, etc.

noonespecial
Better coffee machines are more like pianos than appliances. Finding a good one is only half the equation (and maybe not even the important half). You're going to need to find someone who can play it. Its not a deep dark art like some coffee mystics will try to convince you, but it is something that takes a little experience, a little taste, and some good practice.