FAQ | Gourmet Coffee Service | Gourmet Java Express

• The Espresso machines cost nothing to you, our client. We do not sell, lease or rent them. Gourmet Java Express will place the machine in your office for free! Our business is selling espresso-based beverages, not the equipment used to make the espresso.

Do we have to make any financial commitments?

• No. We do not require any contracts, any plumbing, remodeling or installation of fixtures. Unlike some companies, we do not even ask for a vendor’s exclusivity or non-competition agreement from you. We are very confident that you will prefer our solution to any others.

• We do not require that you guarantee a specific minimum number of cups be sold – though in fairness, we do reserve the right to relocate or retrieve the system if sales are not sufficient to support the installation.

How much does the coffee cost per cup?

•Our coffee is just a buck a cup…$1.00. Price may increase in profit sharing placements.

•The entire menu is set considerably below the price of a premier local coffee bar, regardless of the selection. Caffé Americano (black coffee) to Mochaccino.

• We supply the cups, stirrers, lids, artificial sweetener and sugar at no extra charge.

How do we pay for our Cappuccinos?

We offer three distinct options. A Gourmet Java Express Service representative can discuss which one best fits your company:

1. Direct bill: For businesses that already pay for an office coffee system, and wish to make this an employee benefit, the machines will simply keep a log of cups dispensed. We send a weekly or monthly bill to the office representative. No fuss, no coins, no bills, no tokens. No worries.

2. Subsidized vending: For those businesses wishing to subsidize the coffee, we can set up a reduced charge coin cand bill ollector, and couple that with a direct bill system for the balance based on the number of servings in a given period. For example, a business might choose to cover the first 50¢ per cup, and everyone pays the difference of 50¢ at the time of ordering. We then bill the company for the number of cups dispensed at the subsidized rate every month.

3. Standard vending: For those who will supply the floor space, but require everyone to pay as they go, we activate the coin/bill collection mechanism with lockbox.

Can we set this up as a vending machine and
use it to make money?

• Of course! In fact Gourmet Java Express will service the machine and give you up to 20% of the net revenue. No work for you! Just free money!

Operations
& Practicalities

How is your machine different from the pod or single-cup machines for home and office use?

• Our Barista Supremo individually grinds fresh-roasted whole coffee beans for every separate cup ordered. No coffee is pre-ground waiting for an order, much less pre-ground and packaged. Our freshness is unsurpassed.

• Unlike any other brewer or pod device on the market, our machine prepares its beverages in separate chambers and uses separate dispensing tubes. Your Café Latte will not taste of hot chocolate, nor will your cappuccino taste of French Vanilla!

• Mechanically there is no comparison: Pre-measured pod machines can produce a fine cup of coffee. They cannot produce authentic espresso.

1. Most machines are simply drip coffee brewers. You still must load pre-ground and pre-measured coffee pods or cups, then dump the grounds for yourself at the end of the cycle. While there may be a variety of flavors, it is still simply brewed coffee.

2. Other machines are marketed as pod-based espresso machines. Unfortunately, most can only produce two to three bars of pressure, compared to the 9 bars (132 pounds per square inch) of a professional barista machine – and ours. It might mean double-strength coffee, but it is definitely not espresso and cannot produce crema.

3. The appearance of foam is just that – it is the result of forcing a liquid through fine openings and thus creating thin, temporary foam. The technology is very similar to that of inkjet printers. Our SAECO® system actually creates a true, rich, long-lasting froth with powerful mechanical frothers running at over 20,000 RPM.

4. Those few very expensive machines that do produce something resembling espresso still require that you steam/froth your own milk with a built-in wand. Hence you are forced to maintain your own supply of fresh milk, steam it for yourself, and clean up after yourself.

5. The convenience argument is simply not convincing when all these machines have done is packaged the coffee for you, but leave it to you to do all the rest of the work

– brewing to steaming to cleaning.

• There is no choice of coffee supplier: Pod machines require pods. Pods are pre-measured and pre-ground. They are also designed so that you are committed to that one source of coffee pods, regardless of which brand of coffee is contained in the pods. The same restrictions are equally true of the single-cup brewing systems on the market.

This is simply the Gillette razor blade model of captive commerce at work in a different setting – your office.

• There are no means by which a larger number of cups can be produced quickly and conveniently with a pod or cup-brewing device.

• Our custom-designed SAECO® system offers freshness and flexibility:

Our machine is designed to accept only whole beans, which are freshly ground for each individual cup of coffee.

What can we do with our old coffee machines or service?

• Keep them or remove them at your option. This is why we do not demand a non-competition agreement or exclusive vending rights. Many people prefer brewed coffee to espresso sometimes, or you may simply wish to have a large potful of drip coffee with which to serve a number of people all at once.

• We offer the Barista Supremo as a supplement and alternative to whatever coffee program you have in place, not necessarily as a complete replacement. But for the times and for those who want something great, our machine is always ready to go at the press of a button. Great coffee without the great fuss.

What do we need to furnish?

• Three things:

1. Our espresso machine needs slightly more floor space and height clearance than a standard water cooler.

2. Power

– it needs a standard 110/120-volt electrical outlet (dedicated if possible).

3. And, of course, people who really appreciate good coffee.

How large are these machines?

• The overall bulk and footprint of the Barista Supremo is roughly comparable to that of a standard full-sized office water cooler – in other words, much smaller and more compact than one might expect, given its remarkable capabilities.

• Dimensions on base: 16.2”W x 62.2”H x 21.2”D. (Roughly 1’4” wide, 5’2” tall, and 2’ deep.)

• Weight: 101 lbs.

What if we need to brew a lot of coffee all at once?

• A standard high-quality drip-brewing machine should produce a carafe of coffee (about 8 to 12 cups, of about 4 to 6 ounces per cup) in about 10 minutes. A pour-over system such a Bunn might be as fast as 5 minutes. You should also take into account the additional time it takes to add sugar and creamer to individual taste.

• At less than a minute per cup, 10 servings from our Barista Supremo will take only about 10 minutes, with a few seconds between cups just to move them from the platform to your serving tray. Each cup can be any 1 of 8 possible choices from our menu, and every cup of coffee is brewed from a freshly ground dose of premium beans.

Try to match that on the typical office coffee machine!

Can we use our own china instead of the cups dispensed from the machine?

• Absolutely. One of the front panel buttons can be set as a “No Cup” selector. Press it, and the built-in cup dispenser is disabled. Your beverage will flow into the cup of your choice. Just be careful that it has 8 ounce or greater capacity.

• Pressing the “No Cup” option also disables the internal sugar dispenser, so you will need to add sweeteners separately. We provide a wide selection, as well as stir sticks.

What about trash and recycling of wastes?

• There is virtually no trash. We repeat – there is virtually no trash. Our machine grinds whole beans from the internal hopper. Unlike other coffee machines, there is no packaging for the coffee or any of the ancillaries to throw away – no paper filters, no aluminum cups, no pods, no pouches. Nothing. As we like to emphasize – great coffee without the great fuss.

• Exhausted coffee grounds are dropped into an internal bin for collection and composting. Home gardening enthusiasts
are more than welcome to take all they like, as coffee grounds make for wonderful organic fertilizer.

• Wastewater from the automated cleaning cycle is collected in a sealed, internal bin for collection and disposal.
No toxics are involved at any point.

Menu Information

How fresh is the coffee in these machines?

• We regularly order our coffee in small batches from our local Tampa Bay roaster, Ammerida Imported Coffee, specifically to assure maximum freshness. (Freshly roasted coffee, once exposed to the open air, retains its peak flavor for a maximum of two weeks.) Local sourcing assures us both responsiveness and accountability.

• Whole beans stay far fresher for far longer than pre-ground coffee. That is why our machines only grind beans to order for every cup. There is no backlog or reservoir of pre-ground, rapidly deteriorating ground coffee in our system, waiting around for the next order.

• Our machines are specifically designed to deliver a maximum of 120 cups of coffee. They are the exact opposite of the typical once-a-month, set-and-forget machines we all know and studiously ignore. That means we will probably be restocking your Barista Supremo at least once per week, and quite possibly much more often than that. We rotate our stock and that guarantees the freshness of your cup.

Which specialty coffee roaster do you use?

• Ammerida Imported Coffee produces an espresso roast to our specifications. Our local Tampa Bay specialty roaster not only offers a fresher product, he is also able to react quickly for us in the event we have special orders.

What chocolate powder supplier do you use?

• We use Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa Whipper Mix. Those familiar with the offerings of Sara Lee will be already familiar with the level of quality we are stocking.

Will the milk go bad if the power goes out for
too long?

• No. Unlike systems that require refrigeration for an internal supply of highly perishable liquid milk, the SAECO® system is designed to use a premium, dry non-fat milk powder.

• This has five critical advantages.

1. Non-fat milk froths beautifully – much more so than higher-fat milks.

2. It is far less fattening by definition.

3. There is no possibility of the milk fats developing off flavors over time due to oxidation.

4. No energy is wasted to run an internal refrigeration system (that might itself fail).

5. There is no threat of a supply of liquid milk going bad over the long weekend, thus filling your cappuccino
with yogurt come Monday morning.

Can the menu be varied? What if we want hazelnut or almond flavors? What if we want a chai tea option?

• We have already included a premium French Vanilla Cappuccino option in our sample menu. Other alternatives are English Toffee, Pumpkin Spice, White Chocolate Caramel, Irish Cream, Almond Amarreto, Hazelnut Cappuccino, and Chai Tea.

• Bear in mind that unlike any other brewer or pod device on the market, our machine prepares its beverages in separate chambers and uses separate dispensing tubes. Every beverage dispensing tube is flushed after every cup has been brewed. Your chai tea will not taste of hot chocolate, nor will your cappuccino taste of chai tea!

Is there a regular black coffee option?

• Definitely, and it is a real treat. It is also known as a café lungo or café Americano. Instead of a regular drip coffee, the European style is to make a shot of potent espresso and then dilute it to regular strength with hot water. The difference – the rich, full flavor of true espresso, without a hint of the bitterness.

• The test is the crema, which is the golden brown foam that rises to the top of the black coffee. It is the end product of a good espresso extraction, and will only be found in a real shot of espresso.

We prefer sugar in our coffee – so what can we do?

• One of the menu option buttons is a sugar selector. You may choose how much sugar to add to your drink, or none at all.

Support

Are these systems reliable? What if ours breaks down?

• These machines represent the latest iteration of a proven, patented technology. The underlying mechanicals have an extensive track record of reliable operation in thousands of locations across Europe and the United States.

• The internal components are designed to be plug-and-play. Service issues are readily addressed in the field.

• Simply call the service number located on the front of the machine and a service team member will come within 24 Hrs. to fix any problem.

How many cups can it brew before it needs to be re-supplied?

• The machine is designed to hold 120 dispensing cups. Actual mileage may vary depending upon the precise distribution of beverage choices in your particular location.

What do we do if our Barista Supremo runs low or runs out of coffee?

• We schedule our regular service calls closely to reduce the likelihood of stock-outs. Odds are, we will service our machines before they run out of supplies.

• The top-mounted coffee hopper is transparent, so it offers a visual clue as to the state of the supply. The coffee beans will typically run out before the other supplies. Call us any time and we will be happy to restock the machine in very short order. Replenishment takes as little as 15 minutes.

What about the coffee grounds and cleaning?

• The Barista Supremo system is 100% self-contained.

1. The Filtered water we supply is used to brew the coffee and to automatically rinse out the system at regular, preset intervals.

2. The wastewater is trapped in a sealed waste container inside the cabinet for later disposal.

3. The exhausted coffee grounds are dropped into an internal trash bin for later collection and composting.

• Gourmet Java Express, Inc ‘s friendly customer service team will perform all cleaning and maintenance of the system every time we stop by to restock it. This includes filling the machine with fresh whole beans, sugar, water, milk, cups, and stirrers. The service team will clean the machine and empty old grounds We will do a full wipe-down, internal and externally, and regular preventive maintenance on the mechanicals. Appearances count.

Can we try the machine and then give it back if we don’t like the gourmet coffee?

• Of course, in fact we’ll give you a free trial period. At the end of the trial period, we are confident that you will love our coffee products so much you wouldn’t imagine parting with the machine.

• If for any reason you decide that you no longer want the machine and gourmet coffee service, call us and we will unplug the system, put it on a hand truck, settle the accounts, and haul it away.