Specialty Coffee Retailer is a publication for owners, managers and employees of retail outlets that sell specialty coffee. Its scope includes best sales practices, supplies, business trends and anything else to assist the small coffee retailer.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/58144
speed of blending—especially, by incorporating two or more speeds into a drink profi le—an operator can signifi cantly aff ect the drink's texture and viscosity. "If you want a very silky taste or a certain type of mouthfeel, a high-quality blender can help you achieve that," Ciepiel says. "We can develop a custom program that might start the unit out slow, ramp it up and bring it back down and burp it, and then progress to a higher speed and then ramp it back down again." BUILT TO LAST Reliability is another issue. Commercial blenders, like most commercial foodservice equipment, are signifi cantly more expensive than their home-kitchen equivalents, because they have to stand up to more use. Buyers should know which features in a prospective purchase will ensure durability. In Vitamix blenders, the shaſt that turns the blender blade is secured with two sets of bearings. With single-set ring-and- shaſt assemblies, every time the shaſt moves, it bumps one of the bearings. Th is can lead to nicks in the bearing, making operation noticeably noisier in as little as three months and ultimately to a breakdown, Ciepiel says. Th e dual-set Vitamix bearings, packed in a special lubricant, hold the shaſt more securely to minimize wear. "Because of our design, while it costs more up front, it will considerably outlast anything on the market," Ciepiel says. "Th us, the combination of the durability of the equipment and the durability of the container results in the lowest total cost of ownership for the customer, even though they may be paying a little more up front." Island Oasis supplies two ice shaver/blender models: the SB3X and the SB2100. Both feed ice cubes from reservoirs on top and grind them into granules for frozen drinks, blended in removable pitchers. Th e major diff erence between them is that the 3X transmits the power from its dual motors through belts, while the 2100 uses a magnetic drive. Th is makes maintenance on the 2100 easier, since there are no belts to wear out and replace. ONE-STOP SHOPS Sometimes it makes sense to evaluate the supplier as well as the machine. Because cold drinks are a relatively specialized category, they can be sourced more narrowly than coff ee or food, where it oſt en makes sense to draw on multiple suppliers. Th at means the same supplier could serve as a source for both cold drink equipment and the drink ingredients. Island Oasis is such a supplier. Malkin calls the equipment it furnishes "a delivery device" for the ingredients it sells: "We make money off the product, not off the equipment." Th e other basic options are a supplier, like Vitamix, that sells only equipment, and a distributor that handles equipment from several manufacturers. Both have relative advantages. Dedicated suppliers are the best source of expertise and advice about their equipment, and can usually furnish the best possible maintenance and troubleshooting. Distributors, on the other hand, are in a better position to be objective and have a greater variety of potential solutions to a given café's needs. Th e mixers and blenders needed for many cold drinks are very diff erent from the rest of the equipment found in a typical coff eehouse. But with the right design and attributes, they can blend right in. SCR Q-Series Smoother blenders from Blendtec are enclosed blenders that run with noise reduction of 10 decibels, nearly half of the audible sound associated with normal blender operations. Th ey feature no-tend touchpad controls with 30 preprogrammed blend cycles, a blue LCD display with cycle count, and solid-state electronics. Employees can att end to other customers or do other tasks while a drink is blending. Th e Q-Series blenders are perfect for coff ee shops and other locations where blending noise needs to be minimal. Th e Quiet One blender from Vitamix is especially suited for coff eehouses due to its dramatic sound reduction capabilities. Six program butt ons with 34 optimized programs provide the operator with ease of use and consistency. An advanced air management system and powerful 3-peak output horsepower motor ensures the system remains cool even when executing the most diffi cult blends. BLENDTEC VITAMIX ISLAND OASIS Th e SB2100 blender/shaver from Island Oasis features a magnetic drive and a small footprint with square sides for bett er integration into limited counter space. It crushes ice from a top reservoir for a perfectly blended frozen drink in eight seconds or less. March 2012 • www.specialty-coffee.com | 29