So you have been going to Starbucks for a while and you love their coffee because it is fresh, and you love the atmosphere.
However, you are a coffee enthusiast.
You enjoy learning about different beans, roasts, and brewing methods. You know that the big chain coffee shops use a specific blend and roast for their coffee. You have even heard that these big chain stores even have their own coffee makers. So, what type of coffee machine does Starbucks use?
There are many people who like to drink coffee every day with their grilled cheese sandwich (recipe covered by thefoodxp blog) or spinach & feta wrap. They have to grab a cup of coffee every morning if they want to have a good start for the day.
The coffee that they drink comes from Starbucks. The question is, what type of coffee machine does Starbucks use?
Whenever I think about coffee, Starbucks automatically strikes my mind. It is my go-to coffee place and so is for most people around the world.
If you’re in the same club, you must have wondered how are they able to make such mouthwatering coffees?
What machine do they use?
Their coffee machines look so sleek and classy. They must be efficient enough to serve such a large customer base at all times of the day.
Before I answer all of these questions, let’s take a look into the history of Starbucks.
About Starbucks
Back in 1971, Starbucks opened its first coffee shop in Pike Place Market of Seattle.
Fast forward to 1982, when Howard Schultz joined Starbucks as a retail and marketing manager, he realized the potential of espresso bars on his trip to Milan, Italy.
He convinced the founders and changed the coffee shop that retailed coffee grounds to a place that sells coffee. That was the beginning of the global coffee brand Starbucks!
Starbucks has expanded its business to numerous countries since 1980.
Consequently, it owns 22519 stores spread across 80 countries around the world.
To make a perfect cup of coffee, you need to pay attention to all the steps involved- from choosing the right coffee beans to grinding them, and brewing them to get the desired flavor.
Before looking at what coffee machines Starbucks uses, let’s find out more about the different types of coffee beans it uses.
Starbucks Coffee Beans
Starbucks uses the best quality Arabica beans which are grown at higher altitudes. These beans are denser and create complex flavors.
Moreover, Starbucks provides farmer support centers in four continents so that local growers can take good care of their crops and the beans are of superior quality.
Their signature Arabica beans are sourced from three regions- Asia Pacific, Africa, and Latin America.
Some of the remarkable Starbucks coffee beans include:
In the 1990s, Starbucks used a regular espresso machine known as the La Marzocco Linea Machine.
The company that produced these machines still continues its services in the market but Starbucks has switched to a more commercial machine.
The official coffee machine that this phenomenal global brand uses is Mastrena High-Performance Espresso Machine!
Coffee Machine Does Starbucks Use
Mastrena High-Performance Espresso Machine
Mastrena High-Performance Espresso Machine is a fully automatic coffee maker used in all branches of Starbucks all over the world. It is manufactured by a Swiss company, Thermoplan AG, which is located in Weggis, Switzerland.
Features:
Fully automatic
Mastrena High-Performance Espresso Machine is a fully automatic coffee maker that is efficient enough to serve customers at a satisfactory rate.
Has a computerized menu
The coffee machine is equipped with a computerized menu which makes it easier for Starbucks baristas to prepare cappuccinos and lattes.
It has a memory to store all the recipes.
Bean-to-Cup coffee maker
A bean-to-cup coffee maker is much easier to operate than a traditional coffee machine. It completes the whole process of making a perfect cup of coffee by itself.
Appropriately designed
Mastrena High-Performance Espresso Machine is specially designed to be shorter than regular commercial coffee machines so that employees can make eye contact with their customers.
Furthermore, it can be easily cleaned and has a front display screen for any barista to take orders.
Cost
The coffee machine behind the wonderful coffees made by the global brand Starbucks costs $17,625 each. No wonder it produces the best coffee drinks.
Not available for the public
You might wonder if you can get this coffee machine at your home, then you can make your own Starbucks drink!
Unfortunately, you can’t!
Mastrena High-Performance Espresso Machine is exclusively for Starbucks stores only and is not available for the public to buy.
Why did Starbucks choose a bean-to-cup coffee maker?
A bean-to-cup coffee maker is different from a traditional coffee machine as it has an inbuilt grinder that grinds the coffee beans for every single cup of coffee.
It is a known fact that as soon as coffee beans are ground, they start to lose their freshness. Hence, this coffee maker uses freshly ground coffee beans and prepares a delectable cup of coffee.
In addition to these facts, Mastrena High-Performance Espresso Machine monitors the cup and regulates its settings to maintain the optimum quality.
Therefore, it is one of the best coffee machines in the world that Starbucks owns a right to.
We now know all about the espresso coffee machine Starbucks uses to provide its customers with the best quality coffee.
Along with Mastrena High-Performance Espresso Machine, Starbucks used to have a clover coffee brewing system that was loved by the coffee lovers a few years back. Let’s see what it was.
Clover Coffee Maker
Starbucks acquired the Clover brewing system from the Coffee Equipment Company in 2008. It was one of the revolutionary ideas in the coffee brewing industry which is quite different from the espresso machine.
Recently, it discontinued this coffee machine.
The specialized brewing process introduced by the unique brewing system allowed a barista to quickly deliver a freshly brewed cup of coffee. The technique used by the system blended the best of coffee press and vacuum pot methods and unlocked the remarkable flavor of specialty coffees.
The machine cost was $11,000 back then and it was available in numerous stores all over the world. Known for its special coffee, it was highly renowned among the coffee lovers out there.
No matter how much you wanted to, you couldn’t have bought these machines to enjoy Starbucks coffee at home.
Hence, Starbucks provides you another option through which you can brew yourself a delicious cup of coffee at your home!
Verismo® V Brewer
Verismo® V Brewer comes with a sleek design and lightweight body. It uses pods that are inserted in the machine to help you brew your favorite Starbuck espresso or latte, sitting at home.
Verismo pods are available in a wide variety of signature Starbucks coffee blends and roasts, tea pods, milk pods, and espresso pods.
Furthermore, it has numerous features such as:
- Verismo® V Brewer comes with a dual-pressure technology to make espresso shots as well as brew a cup of coffee full of rich flavors.
- It brews a 10 FL Oz cup of coffee in one go.
- It uses high-pressure extraction to make mouthwatering espresso shots.
- It gets ready to brew your coffee in 15 seconds.
Starbucks also offers a Verismo® Milk Frother to use with the Verismo® V Brewer to make exceptional beverages at your home.
On the other hand, if you wish to buy an espresso machine similar to Starbucks’ phenomenal espresso machine for your cafe shop or commercial purposes, here is a model you can try.
Breville BES870BSXL The Barista Express Coffee Machine
Breville BES870BSXL The Barista Express Coffee Machine comes with a wide range of features. It can automatically adjust the temperature of the water after each steam. It includes a stainless steel conical burr grinder for dose control grinding.
You can adjust your coffee grind amount. It also takes less than a minute to prepare coffee including every process from bean grinding to brewing.
Pros & cons
- Takes less than a minute to prepare a delicious cup of coffee.
- Comes with both operations- manual as well as automatic.
- Comes with interchangeable filters.
- The stainless steel grinder gives perfectly ground coffee beans.
- I find cleaning this machine is a time-consuming process as it has numerous parts that need separate cleaning.
Starbucks is a perfect place for meeting your group of friends, having an amiable meet with a client, or relaxing after a hectic schedule.
Its warm ambiance and friendly baristas are its identities.
The world knows about this coffee brand and loves it due to all these remarkable factors that also include its delectable cups of coffee and state-of-the-art machines.
It is a phenomenal global brand that would surely continue to grow as people all across the globe discover the magic it brings.
Conclusion
As a company that prides itself on the quality of its products, it should come as no surprise that Starbucks uses home coffee brewers for the coffee served in its thousands of coffee shops worldwide.
But what model of home coffee brewer does their executive team use?
Since 1995, Starbucks has set the trend for coffee shops around the world. It was the first store to offer a wide variety of coffee, tea and other hot and cold drinks. Now, other coffee shops are following in their footsteps.
For example, in Hong Kong, there are over 300 Starbucks coffee shops alone. I happened to be in Hong Kong last month, and I was thrilled to find out that there is a Starbucks here! After my visit, I asked a few of the baristas what coffee machine they use. The answer: a Dualit.