Tag: Latte

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McDonald's Battles to be Breakfast Champs

McDonald’s really wants you to drink its coffee! The fast-food giant is battling against Starbucks, Taco Bell and Dunkin’ Donuts to capture a greater share of the breakfast market.  But can the burger chain reinvent the wheel when it comes to coffee? And can the public embrace coffee from a place that serves McNuggets?

As the breakfast wars wage on, McDonald’s has introduced a slew of new coffee products- from specialty spiced beverages and bagged beans. But with many of their flavored beverages coming in over 400 calories, the coffee offerings are about as healthy as a Big Mac.

Here are five ways McDonald’s is ramping up their coffee game:

  • 1. Free coffee, again.

    In April of this year, McDonald’s offered free cups of coffee during breakfast hours for two weeks. Now that it’s fall, the chain is renewing their complimentary coffee offer, which is from Sept. 16-29. 

  • 2. McCafe to hit grocery store shelves.

    Like Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts, McDonald’s has decided to expand its coffee offerings to the home brewer. Next year, fans of McCafe will be able to buy the burger chain’s signature roasts in grocery stores. According to the LA Times, McDonald’s will offering several roasts including breakfast blend, decaf, and French in 12-ounce bags and ready-to-brew pods. 

  • 3. Jumping on the Pumpkin Spice bandwagon.

    Pumpkin spice flavor is everywhere. But McDonald’s only began offering the fall favorite to it’s menu last year. But apparently, it won’t be available at every location so Starbucks will likely stay on top of the #PSL battle. 

  • 4. Expanding pastry offerings.

    What makes good coffee even better? How about something sweet on the side. Last year, Starbucks acquired La Boulange bakery in an effort to boost premium snacks and pastries. This year, McDonald’s began testing mini bundt cakes in select Florida markets. The little cakes come in three varieties: classic cinnamon coffee cake, lemon and double chocolate.

  • 5. Amped up fruity drinks.

    Fresh, flavorful…and healthy? McDonald’s has tried to capture the non-coffee cafe crowd with a range of fruit smoothies and fruit iced teas.  This is similar to Starbucks Shaken line.

So with McDonald’s, along with several other fast food chains, battling to be first in the breakfast market, the first concern is usually the water quality. Remember, 98% of most breakfast drinks (teas and coffees) are water. So if you’re looking to perfect you coffee and lattes, give us a call. We know exactly where to start. 800-942-7873
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Perfect Crema!

Great Espresso starts with great water. The first thing an operator should do is test their water to find out the hardness. Water hardness is measured in grains per gallon, a grain is (64.8 milligrams) of calcium carbonate dissolved in 1 US gallon of water (3.785412 L). Espresso is 85-96% water and that water is extremely important to drawing out the flavor of those expensive coffee beans.

But what determines the taste of a great tasting espresso? Crema! Crema is the flavorful, aromatic, reddish-brown froth made when air bubbles combine with fine-ground coffee’s soluble oils. The strong presence of crema in an espresso shot indicates a quality, well-ground coffee and a skilled barista (professional coffee maker). Crema, compared to drip coffee, helps give espresso a fuller flavor and longer aftertaste. The key to creating that perfect crema is tailoring the hardness of the water and Pentair/Everpure working directly with Specialty Coffee Operators and Espresso Equipment Manufactures developed working solutions to take care of espresso water regardless of the number of grains of hardness at an operators location.

The ESO7, 9607-25 (ESO stands for Espresso, the 7 just means the size of the filter cartridge) is a three-in-one system providing filtration, scale prevention and buffering/softening of  the water. The water retains enough mineral to bring out the espresso flavors. The ESO7 will take care of up to 5,300 grains of hardness or at 8 grains of hardness will generate 511 gallons of espresso before it will need to be changed. Need more capacity than that and more ability to work with the hardness of the water you want for your espresso?

The Claris XXL, 4339-14, unit will give you the same great 3 in 1 filter but also give you the ability to generate 2,910 gallons of espresso, (at 10 grains of hardness) but also has an adjustable DUOBLEND™ bypass valve that allows for a more precise adjustment of carbonate hardness. Either system is quick to install, easy to handle and fast to service. Not sure how hard your water is? Confused about what system would help “perfect” your crema? We can help! Call us at 800-942-7873. We are happy to answer all your question.

Click here to ask us a question!