Brewing the perfect cup of joe

Coffee brewing equipment has never been better. Here’s what you need to know to buy the right brewer for your operation.

It used to be that coffee brewing just involved spraying hot water over ground beans for a set amount of time. The coffee was brewed with unsophisticated equipment and held in simple urns at a set temperature. The latest coffee equipment brings more science to the art of coffee making. Here are the main types of coffee equipment that may fit your operation.

For a small-volume outlet, the basic single-pot brewer may be the product of choice. These units drip hot water through coffee into decanters that sit on a warming plate. One model is the pour-over type, meaning water is manually poured into a reservoir to make coffee with no water connection needed. Pot brewers can also be plumbed for automatic water filling. There is some variation in sizes, but most of these models usually brew about a half-gallon in about four minutes.

The next coffee-maker type is the airpot, which brews coffee directly into insulated containers that are completely sealed and insulated. They can hold coffee temperature and quality for several hours compared to the pot brewer hold time of about 20 minutes. They are excellent for serving a variety of specialty or flavored coffees since a group of airpots can be held on a rack for merchandising. These portable containers are usually one to three liters in capacity.

The move up in coffee volume is to an urn. The most popular size is a twin three-gallon unit. As a rule of thumb, consider using an urn when serving six gallons of coffee, roughly 100 eight-ounce servings or more in one hour. Most urns have some quality brewing features built in, including a water bypass to divert water around the coffee being brewed directly into the urn to prevent overextraction of the grounds. Another feature you’ll want is automatic agitation. Coffee strength varies during the brewing cycle and agitation is needed to mix the coffee to a uniform consistency. If you don’t have an agitation feature, just draw off some coffee once brewing is complete and pour it back into the urn to mix the stratified flavor strengths.

Another coffee brewer type is the modular brewer, which is often used in high-volume applications. It consists of a fixed brewing module that controls the temperature and volume of water used. It usually has spaces for two brewing containers that can be attached to a hose or spout of the brewing module. The brewing container varies in size with some up to five gallons. Some may have their own heater modules.

Coffee makers with a coffee grinder and brewer in one machine are common in high-end restaurant operations. These units often have dual coffee bean hoppers to brew two types of coffee into a decanter or airpot. Single-cup brewers are also becoming popular in restaurants. These units are suitable for high-end fine dining operations where quality and personalized service are more important than volume. French presses for tableside use are also popular in many quality restaurants.

Coffee maker purchasing tips

• A coffee maker is basically a hot water heater that requires a lot of power. Most large-volume models use 208- or 240-volts of power. Some models have options for the heater size, rated in kilowatts (KW). If you can, choose the higher KW option. The recovery time to bring temperatures back up to par will be shorter.

• When idle for an extended period, some brewers will automatically go into sleep mode. During the sleep mode, the heating element allows the temperature to drop, which helps conserve energy. Newer coffee brewer designs are better insulated, hold heat better and have more efficient heating elements.

• Don’t over purchase on the size of your coffee maker. Nothing is worse than coffee that’s been sitting too long. It may take a little more effort to make coffee batches regularly, but your guests will love you for it.

• A good water filter will eliminate off tastes and greatly reduce machine maintenance.

• If you want to make your operation known for a great cup of coffee, choose the right equipment and follow the elements of brewing noted above. Take care of your equipment and it will take care of you.

Coffee May Speed Up Bowel Recovery From Colon Surgery

Drinking coffee instead of water may restore normal bowel function more quickly among people who have had surgery to remove part of their colon, a new study suggests.

Researchers at University Hospital Heidelberg, in Germany, also found that these patients were able to tolerate solid food sooner after their operation than people who didn't drink coffee.

The study was published in the November issue of the surgical journal BJS.

"Postoperative bowel obstruction is a common problem after abdominal surgery, and the aim of this study was to test our theory that coffee would help to alleviate this," study lead author Dr. Sascha Muller, who is now based at Kantonsspital St. Gallen, in Switzerland, said in a journal news release.

The researchers recruited 80 patients with colon cancer, diverticular disease (a structural problem in the wall of their colon), inflammatory bowel disease or another condition. The patients were an average of 61 years old and slightly more than half were men.

Participants were divided into two groups: those who drank coffee and those who drank water after colon surgery. The patients were given 100 milliliters (about half a cup) of coffee or water at three different times during the day.

Coffee drinkers took slightly more than 60 hours to make their first bowel movement after surgery, the study found. Water drinkers, on the other hand, took 74 hours.

The coffee group also tolerated solid food in just more than 49 hours after surgery. The water drinkers took 56 hours to do the same. The coffee drinkers were also able to pass wind within 41 hours after surgery compared with 46 hours for water drinkers.

"This randomized trial showed that the time to first bowel movement after surgery was much shorter in the coffee drinkers than the water drinkers," Muller said. No coffee-related complications were seen in the study.

Exactly how coffee restores bowel function is uncertain, the researchers noted. "Whatever the mechanism, it is clear that postoperative coffee consumption is a cheap and safe way to activate bowel motility after elective colonic surgery," they wrote.

Although the researchers found an association between coffee consumption and earlier bowel movements after surgery, they did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

 

Industry files lawsuit to block NYC crackdown on sugary drinks

Soda makers, restaurateurs and other businesses sued Friday to try to block the city's unprecedented move to restrict sales of super-sized, sugary drinks, an effort the city called a coup for public health but the industry views as unfair and undemocratic.

"For the first time, they're telling New Yorkers how much of certain safe and lawful beverages they can drink," said Caroline Starke, a spokeswoman for the business groups, whose complaint also faults the city for making the decision through an unelected board. The groups include the American Beverage Association, the National Restaurant Association, a soft drink workers union and groups representing interests ranging from movie theater owners to Korean-American grocers.

A spokesman for Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the regulation's chief champion, called the lawsuit a groundless effort to stop a groundbreaking policy.

"This predictable, yet baseless, lawsuit fortunately will help put an even greater spotlight on the obesity epidemic," said the spokesman, Marc LaVorgna, who noted that the city also won fights over outlawing smoking in bars and offices and forcing fast-food restaurants to list calorie counts on their menus.

The beverage industry hinted it was considering a suit as soon as the city Board of Health approved the regulation last month. The rule would stop restaurants, cafeterias and concession stands from selling soda and other high-calorie drinks in containers larger than 16 ounces. It's set to take effect in March.

Bloomberg has called it a reasonable way to fight an obesity problem that takes a toll on many New Yorkers' health and city hospitals' budgets.

The measure keeps people from drinking extra calories without thinking, he says. For someone who drinks a soda every day, for example, downing a 16-ounce Coke instead of a 20-ounce one trims 14,600 calories a year, or the equivalent of 70 Hershey bars.

"Nobody is banning anything," the mayor said when the plan passed, noting that someone who wanted a second soda could get one.

The soda makers and sellers say the city is being a nanny-like nag to consumers and imposing an unfair, uneven burden on businesses. Manufacturers will have to get new bottles, and eateries will lose sales to competitors that aren't covered by the rule, they say. A customer who couldn't buy a 20-ounce soda at a pizzeria would be able to get a Big Gulp at a 7-Eleven, for instance, as convenience stores are under different regulations.

"(The rule) unfairly harms small businesses at a time when we can ill afford it," the suit says.

It also says the Bloomberg-appointed health board shouldn't dictate the size of soft drinks. Ten City Council members signed onto a July measure calling on the health board not to approve the rule; a New York Times poll in August showed that six in 10 New Yorkers opposed it.

The city says the board, made up of physicians and other health experts, is exactly the panel to make such decisions. It has held sway over matters ranging from milk inspection in the 1870s to banning lead paint in 1960, the city notes.

 

Beverage Calorie Counts Coming to Vending Machines

America’s beverage companies launched a new Calories Count™ Vending Program, which will be launched in municipal buildings in the cities of Chicago and San Antonio beginning in 2013 and eventually rolled out to vending customers nationwide.

“We are proud to launch our Calories Count™ Vending Program with Mayor Emanuel and Mayor Castro, both of whom are deeply committed to reducing obesity in their communities," said Susan K. Neely, president and CEO of the American Beverage Association.

Building upon previous industry initiatives that removed full-calorie beverages from schools and placed new calorie labels on the front of every bottle, can and pack, the Calories Count™ Vending Program will provide clear calorie information on vending machines, encourage lower-calorie beverage choices and remind consumers that “calories count" in all the choices they make.

Under the Calories Count™ Vending Program, The Coca-Cola Company, Dr Pepper Snapple Group and PepsiCo will work with government leaders, foodservice operators, vending companies and other customers to increase availability of lower-calorie beverages in vending machines; display a “Calories Count™" vending snipe on the front of beverage vending machines reminding consumers to consider calories in their beverage choices with messages such as “Check then Choose" and “Try a Low-Calorie Beverage"; and add calorie labels to the selection buttons on beverage vending machines to show calorie counts per beverage container.

“Working with key stakeholders is an important part of addressing the public health challenge of obesity," Neely said. “With our Calories Count™ Vending Program, everyone who works in or visits a municipal building in Chicago and San Antonio will know exactly how many calories are in their favorite beverages before making a vending machine purchase—and they will be reminded that ‘calories count’ as part of achieving a balanced lifestyle."