Coffee cart setup planner: which coffee machine do you need?

What coffee machine do you need for a coffee cart?

A traditional espresso machine: a boiler, one or more group heads and a steam wand for milk. It is what most carts use because it keeps up with a queue and steams milk properly. Fracino rates its Jetinno bean-to-cup machines for up to 75 cups a day, light commercial use, which suits an office or a kiosk more than a busy cart.

With no electric hook-up, choose a dual-fuel machine. LPG (bottled gas) heats the boiler and the machine switches to electric when there is a supply. See our dual-fuel coffee machines and Fracino’s own dual fuel range page.

Semi-automatic, automatic or bean-to-cup: which is easiest?

• Automatic (electronic): Fracino’s automatics have four pre-programmed coffee measures. Press a button and the machine pours the same dose every time. Best for beginners and for staff who change often.
• Semi-automatic: a push-button starts the shot and the operator stops it. That control suits a trained barista. An LPG semi-automatic is the same: it is the shot control, not the fuel, that needs the skill.
• Lever (Fracino Retro): the barista pulls a spring lever for each shot. Fracino’s manual warns that lever machines can be dangerous if used incorrectly, so these are for trained hands.
• One-touch (Fracino Velocino): Fracino designed it for sites with high staff turnover; it makes espresso, cappuccino, latte and Americano at the press of a button.

More detail: semi-automatic, automatic or bean-to-cup.

1, 2 or 3 group heads: how many do you need?

A group head is where you lock in the coffee handle; each makes one or two drinks at a time. Your busiest hour decides how many you need, not the day’s total.

We plan on 40% of Fracino’s lower figure: half, because real service includes steaming milk and taking payments, then 25% spare for rushes. Two people making drinks at once need two groups. Fracino’s manual also says to use every group equally. More: what size coffee machine do you need?

How big should the boiler be?

The boiler makes the steam for milk and the hot water for Americanos and tea. Bigger groups come with bigger boilers: the Contempo has 7 L on a 1 group, 14 L on a 2 group and 20 L on a 3 group, and Fracino rates the electric models at 30, 60/80 and 100 litres of hot water an hour. The tank-fed Cherub, Classico and Little Gem have 2.3 to 4 L boilers for up to 50 to 70 cups a day.

If you sell a lot of tea, add a separate water boiler so the coffee machine keeps its steam. The LPG Atlantis Gas gives about 30 litres an hour. Allow time to heat up: Fracino’s manual says steam comes through after about 15 minutes on electric and 30 minutes on gas.

Why is the grinder so important?

The grind decides whether a shot tastes sour, bitter or right, and ground coffee goes stale far faster than beans. The grinder is also the item that is easiest to under-budget. An on-demand grinder grinds straight into the handle for each shot, so nothing sits in a doser going stale.

Fracino’s figures for a 7 g shot range from 2.5 seconds (Luxomatic, Iconic-tron) to 4.5 seconds (Tranquilo-tron). For a busy 2 or 3 group, pick a faster grinder with a 1 kg hopper. Use one grinder per coffee: a second, smaller one for decaf. See coffee grinders and how to dial in a grinder.

Why does water quality matter so much?

Limescale is what kills boilers. Fracino’s manual says a water treatment unit is essential, and its warranty does not cover limescale faults. Fracino’s units come in 5, 10 and 18 litre sizes for 1, 2 and 3 to 4 group machines and are changed every 8 to 12 months.

The Bambino, Contempo and Romano need a constant, pressurised water supply while they are on. On a cart or van, Fracino recommends a Flojet pump from water containers. Tank-fed machines have their own filter, which Fracino says to change every 2 months. See our water treatment range and water filters and softeners.

How do you power a coffee machine without a hook-up?

Dual fuel: LPG heats the boiler

On gas, Fracino’s dual-fuel machines only need electricity for the controls and pump: up to 350 W on a Contempo and 50 W on a Retro. That small load is what makes a coffee cart work off-grid.

Power station or battery and inverter?

Fracino suggests a 12 V battery and an inverter for that load. A portable power station is the same thing in one box: easy to carry, you take it home at night and charge it from a normal socket, and there is nothing to wire up. The planner picks the lowest-priced one we sell that covers your day, using the same maths as our power station calculator. It cannot heat the boiler: a boiler element would drain even our largest unit in little more than an hour.

Generator

Heating on electric from a generator, a 1 group Contempo (2.7 kW element) with a grinder, fridge and card machine needs about 4.1 kW, and a 2 group dual fuel (2.85 kW) about 4.3 kW. Work out your own with the generator size calculator.

Electric hook-up

A 13 A socket gives about 3 kW: enough for a 1 group (2.7 kW) or a 2 group ordered with the 2.85 kW element. The standard 2 group Contempo (4 kW) needs 20 A, and a 3 group (7.5 kW) needs 30 A.

Is it safe to run an LPG coffee machine?

Yes, when it is installed and looked after properly. From Fracino’s manual and spec sheet:

• Installation only by fully qualified engineers; the gas supply must meet the Gas Safety Regulations and be certified by a COMCAT registered engineer. Find a Gas Safe registered engineer.
• Service every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer with a COMCAT 2 certificate, plus a yearly boiler inspection under the pressure systems rules.
• Keep 600 mm clear above and 75 mm at the back and sides, and never fit it on or against anything combustible.
• Turn the gas off at the cylinder when the machine is not in use, and keep the machine above 5 °C so it can’t freeze.

More: CP44 gas safety certificates and LPG cylinder storage.

What else do you need to start a coffee cart?

• Grinder, knock out drawer, tamper, milk jugs and a thermometer
• Water treatment, plus a pump and containers if there is no mains water
• Power for the pump, grinder and card machine
• Gas cylinders, regulator and a Gas Safe certificate for LPG machines
• Cups and lids, milk and a fridge, and cleaning products
• Council registration, food hygiene training and insurance

For costs, see mobile coffee van startup costs and how to start a mobile coffee business.

Do you need barista training?

Yes. Fracino’s manual says not to operate the machine without adequate training, and Fracino gives training at installation. Milk should be kept at 0 to 5 °C and steamed to 70 to 75 °C. The skill that takes practice is dialling in: adjusting the grind until each shot pours right. See how to steam milk and pour microfoam and fixing bitter or sour espresso.

Further reading

• Dual-fuel coffee machine packages
• All coffee machines
• New coffee machine: first-day checklist
• Cleaning a dual-fuel coffee machine
• Coffee machine running costs
• Off-grid mobile catering: power, water and propane