In this article, you’ll discover:
- How the best cold brew coffee machine speeds up production and output
- Why programmable brew profiles can diversify your menu and make production easier for staff
- The range of drinks you can make with a versatile cold brew coffee machine
- The importance of self-cleaning programmes for food hygiene
- Answers to common questions about choosing the best cold brew coffee machine
The rise of cold brew represents a structural shift in how consumers drink coffee. While it used to be a premium product, it’s increasingly a menu staple – not just for coffee shops, but foodservice businesses as a whole. To tap into this new market, though, you need to determine what the best cold brew coffee machine is for you.
Whether you operate a high-volume chain of coffee shops, an upmarket restaurant, or a pop-up at festivals and events, selecting the best cold brew coffee machine is essential. It impacts your efficiency, menu creativity, compliance, and ultimately, your profitability. Therefore, it’s not a decision to be taken lightly.
To learn more, I heard from Maria Karpenko, Marketing Director at Liberica International. She shares her experience at the Coffee, Books & Vintage Festival in Lviv, Ukraine, where Liberica held a masterclass on using Hardtank equipment. Read on to learn more.
Why speed matters in the best cold brew coffee machine
Speed is the main factor to look out for in the best cold brew coffee machine. After all, traditional cold brew preparation methods are incredibly long. Generally, it can take anywhere between 12 to 24 hours for cold brew to steep. It needs this amount of time due to the lower temperature, meaning the coffee molecules extract more slowly from the grounds into the water.
However, this timescale is increasingly incompatible with modern foodservice operations. Customers aren’t willing to wait around for cold brew anymore – they want it on demand. If you run out of cold brew on a particularly hot day, or that day’s batch isn’t ready for the morning surge, you risk losing sales.
This is why the best cold brew coffee machine is fast and efficient. Hardtank equipment, for example, uses patented recirculation technology to cut the brew time to under an hour per batch. This approach represents a significant advancement in speed and efficiency for cold brew production.
This system works by continuously circulating cold water through the filter basket, ensuring even extraction throughout as the grounds are constantly agitated. The result is consistent and high-quality cold brew in a fraction of the time, without compromising on flavour.
Fast cold brew coffee machines mean you can vastly increase your output. With the Baby Hardtank, for example, you can produce a four-litre batch in less than an hour, equating to around 300 portions of cold brew a day. This is particularly valuable for businesses with fluctuating demand or multiple service peaks.
Choosing the best cold brew coffee machine that saves time and scales
Your cold brew coffee machine needs to be more than just static equipment – it should be suitable for scaling and future growth as well. For coffee chains and restaurants with multiple locations, various staff members, and a range of needs, capacity and automation are vital.
Therefore, when choosing the best cold brew coffee machine, it is worth paying attention to its scalability and flexibility in adapting to growing needs. Equipment such as Hardtank systems is an example of a solution that is characterised by the ability to scale depending on needs. For example, they feature touchscreen controls with a built-in memory to save brew profiles for a range of drinks. This way, you don’t need to train staff across locations on how to prepare cold brew – you just need to use the user interface.
This is particularly important in regions where labour costs are high or where staff turnover makes training a persistent challenge. Programmable recipes ensure that each drink maintains the same standard – whether prepared by a seasoned barista or a new hire.
“This device really makes the work easier for the barista,” says Maria. She recalls a talk at the festival from Oleksandr Dubovenko, a barista at Kredens Cafe. “He shared his experience using Hardtank – the quick and easy work, and the cool drinks you can prepare,” she says.
Versatility is one of the most important features to look for in the best cold brew coffee machine. While traditional steeping methods using large containers are only suitable for a few drinks – namely cold brew and iced tea – machinery is more adaptable.
“For two days, we treated everyone to our original drinks and received positive feedback,” Maria says. Alongside regular cold brew, Liberica used Hardtank to produce “nitro flat white with citrus, nitro matcha with tarragon and rosemary, as well as cold brew. It was fantastic.”
This kind of versatility is essential. Operators today are expected to serve more than just standard cold brew. To stand out, you need to innovate as well, and the best cold brew coffee machine gives customers something distinctive.
Menu diversity is a top driver of revenue for coffee shops, and something that Gen Z and Millennial consumers particularly look out for. Similarly, they also value seasonal offerings and unique infusions – something easily done by changing the ingredients in Hardtank’s filter basket.
Cold brew is also a segment of the coffee industry that is growing at a staggering rate. In 2017, it was globally valued at USD $0.32 billion, which rose to USD $1.37 billion by 2023. Businesses that invest now in scalable, efficient brewing systems are best placed to capitalise on this shift.
Hygiene and safety in the best cold brew coffee machine
While it’s important for your cold brew coffee machine to prepare drinks quickly, hygiene and food safety are just as important. Due to the lower acidic activity caused by its low brewing temperature, cold brew is susceptible to microbial contamination if not handled properly.
This is why the best cold brew coffee machine should be made from food-safe materials such as stainless steel. Similarly, automated cleaning cycles are important to avoid human error in the cleaning process between servings.
At the festival, SCA Ukraine representative Khrystyna Gavrish, also a coffee technologist, spoke about the importance of this. “She spoke about the safe preparation of cold brew, which is only possible with Hardtank – as well as the risks of preparing it traditionally,” Maria says.
Hardtank systems use self-cleaning and sanitation programmes to minimise these risks. Instead of requiring manual labour, baristas and kitchen staff can simply run the cleaning program, freeing them up for other customer-facing tasks.
Not only does this save staff time, but it also guarantees consistent, thorough cleaning of the equipment each time. Otherwise, human error can lead to the development of bacteria like Escherichia coli (E coli), which can cause food poisoning. This can jeopardise not only a business’ reputation but also its likelihood of being closed down.
In conclusion, choosing the best cold brew coffee machine is an investment in operational efficiency, menu variety and long-term competitive advantage. Systems such as Hardtank offer advanced solutions that effectively support fast, diverse, consistent and safe production of cold beverages.
Learn more about Hardtank’s cold brew coffee machines here or get in touch with the team for a quote.
FAQ
Why does speed matter for a cold brew coffee machine?
Traditional cold brew preparation can take up to 24 hours, so using a cold brew coffee machine can speed up your production and help you meet demand.
How efficient are cold brew coffee machine?
It depends on the option you choose, but automated cold brew coffee machine with constant recirculation technology help you produce hundreds of servings a day. Similarly, they save time on staff training and guarantee consistent quality across each portion.
Do I need to manually clean Hardtank cold brew coffee machines?
No! Hardtank machines come with self-cleaning and sanitation programmes. This ensures the equipment is kept food-safe and compliant, helping avoid microbial contamination.
Which cold brew coffee machine is best for me?
It will depend on your volume and future scalability. Baby Hardtank is the best cold brew coffee machine for countertop solutions due to its compact size and 60-litre daily output. Hardtank 20 is better for commercial and high-volume solutions, with a daily output of 250 litres.
