Cold coffee is more popular than ever. Iced lattes and americanos, cold brew and nitro cold brew, and RTD coffee cans are all among the go-to options of modern coffee consumers.
But, as consumer demand increases, coffee shops need to react quickly to ensure they are able to offer the kind of menu variety shoppers have come to expect. Preparing cold coffee beverages introduces a new set of necessary skills, equipment, and costs, and keeping both service and financial disruption to a minimum is key.
By installing a cold brew tap, coffee shops can ensure that their well-honed operations are not compromised by added complexities. Instead of staff members constantly retrieving, measuring, pouring, and replacing cold coffee ingredients, they can use a cold brew tap like Flo-Smart to dispense consistent quantities of up to four different liquids at the touch of a button.
And, the best cold brew taps don’t stop at coffee dispensing; they can dispense any non-carbonated, non-pulped liquids directly from refrigerated bladders under the counter. With a cold brew tap, your counter space will be clean and tidy, and your service operations will be more efficient than ever.
We spoke to Martin Senabulya, co-founder and executive director at Q.C.I., to learn more.
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What is a cold brew tap?
At Flo-Smart, our cold brew tap is an automated beverage dispenser capable of dispensing up to four types of non-pulped, non-carbonated liquids at the same time. With four individual taps, Flo-Smart mitigates the need for busy café counters to play host to myriad different beverage containers and cartons and keeps workstations tidy and organised.
Alongside non-dairy plant-based milk, juice, wine, and water, Flo-Smart can dispense ready-to-drink cold brew directly to serving cups and glasses. To fulfil a customer order for cold brew coffee, the barista needs only to press a button and place the vessel under the tap for a precise pour.
Above the counter, you have the Flo-Smart cold brew tap system, a durable, low-footprint design manufactured from premium materials. Its small footprint minimises bench-top impact, while its elegant aesthetic contributes to an overall improved customer experience.
Purpose-built, food-grade stainless steel nozzles in either a two-tap or a four-tap set-up allow for consistent hands-free operation and easy cleaning to maintain hygiene standards. Below the taps is an integrated jug rinser and drip tray to further aid easy cleaning.
Built-in jug sensors match the jug being used by the barista to the dispensing liquid and volumes you have pre-set in your Flo-Smart system. By automating this step, we are able to save coffee shops time and money, heavily reducing waste that occurs through baristas ‘eyeballing’ measurements instead of precise amounts.
Below the counter, the Flo-Smart system is designed to work seamlessly with 18-litre containers or standard industry bladders housed in refrigerators. Flo-Smart features a direct-line dispensing system, which means there is no need to retrieve or replace individual beverage cartons or containers. Instead, the bladders are filled ahead of busy service periods to keep your staff moving and serving customers as quickly as possible.
How will a cold brew tap improve my business?
Cold brew coffee is quickly becoming a leading coffee beverage channel. Younger consumers are opting for cold brew in increasing numbers thanks to its temperature, naturally mellow profile, customisability, and portability.
As such, it’s vital that modern coffee shop operators leverage its popularity to the full extent. Adding cold brew to a menu can increase complexity – it requires different brewing equipment compared with hot coffee and needs to be refrigerated to remain fresh.
Technology and automation have been transformative across multiple areas of the coffee industry. Coffee production, cold brewing, and milk dispensing have all improved greatly.
“Modern technology helps us create more transparent, accessible, and sustainable coffee products,” says Martin.
“On the green coffee side, it can be used to determine cup score, moisture content, and density quickly, accurately, and objectively. In return, this improves consistency and productivity.
“Technology improves service speed and quality in a cafe, too, by reducing the distractions a barista would have during coffee making – automated coffee equipment serves this purpose. Customers appreciate faster service.”
With a cold brew tap, you can deposit your brewed cold brew into one of our 18-litre bladders for up to 360 200 ml cold brew servings on demand. If your business serves cold brew but not quite at these quantities, our smaller industry-standard bags are a great option.
Instead of your staff having to retrieve a jug of cold brew from a refrigerator, accurately measure and pour a drink, and then replace the jug before taking a following order, a cold brew tap allows them to press a button and dispense a perfect portion simply.
With a four-tap set-up, the remaining three taps can be dedicated to high-volume liquids like dairy milk, non-dairy plant-based milk, juice, water, or wine. Thus, by installing a cold brew tap, you also enjoy the accurate and convenient dispensing capability of Flo-Smart across multiple liquids.
To source your own cold brew tap, visit our website or get in touch with the Flo-Smart team directly.
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