An espresso machine looks like the obvious choice for a café, but the machine is only the start of the bill. You also need a grinder, water treatment, a trained barista and regular servicing. Coffee concentrate skips all of that. Here's how the two compare on real numbers.
What you need to start
Espresso machine route | Coffee concentrate route | |
|---|---|---|
Machine | ₹75,000 (entry single-group) to ₹1.5–3 lakh (two-group); premium brands above ₹6 lakh | None |
Grinder | From about ₹40,000 | None |
Water treatment | ₹25,000–60,000 | None |
Barista tools | ₹15,000–25,000 | A pump or measuring spoon |
Typical setup | About ₹2.3–4.3 lakh for a two-group setup | Your first order of concentrate |
Running costs
Barista: baristas in India typically earn about ₹1.2–3.8 lakh a year, roughly ₹10,000–32,000 a month. With concentrate, your existing staff can make every drink.
Maintenance: descaling, gaskets and part replacements, and you need a water softener to avoid scaling, which can void most warranties.
Coffee per cup: a double shot uses about 18 g of beans. At ₹1,600 per kg for good Arabica, that's about ₹29 a cup. STIR costs about ₹20–25 per cup at 20 ml.
Worked example: 50 coffees a day
Machine prices and salaries in this post are approximate, from publicly available data, and vary by brand and city. Assumptions: 30 days a month (1,500 cups), a ₹3 lakh two-group setup spread over 3 years, one barista at ₹20,000 a month. Milk, sugar and cups cost the same either way, so they're left out.
Per month | Espresso machine | Coffee concentrate |
|---|---|---|
Equipment (spread over 3 years) | about ₹8,300 | ₹0 |
Barista | about ₹20,000 | ₹0 (existing staff) |
Coffee | about ₹43,500 (₹29 × 1,500) | about ₹30,000–37,500 (₹20–25 × 1,500) |
Total | about ₹71,800 | about ₹30,000–37,500 |
Cost per cup | about ₹48 | about ₹20–25 |
Maintenance, power and wasted shots would add to the machine column. At 50 cups a day, concentrate costs about half as much per cup.
Speed and consistency
Speed: an iced latte with concentrate takes about 60 seconds. There's no grinding, tamping or waiting for a shot.
Consistency: every cup uses the same 20 ml, so it tastes the same whoever is on shift. With a machine, taste depends on grind, dose and the barista.
Training: new staff learn a concentrate recipe in minutes. Espresso takes weeks to learn well.
When an espresso machine makes sense
A machine makes sense for a specialty coffee bar where espresso itself is the product: straight shots, cortados and single-origin espresso served by a trained barista. For everything else, including lattes, iced coffee, cold coffee, Americanos and coffee cocktails, a good concentrate does the job at a fraction of the cost.
So unless you're serving espresso to specialty coffee drinkers, start with concentrate.
Try it in your café
STIR for cafés is 100% Chikmagalur Arabica, about ₹20–25 per cup, with a 9-month shelf life. See wholesale prices, or message us on WhatsApp for samples.
FAQs
Does coffee concentrate taste as good as espresso? In lattes, iced coffee and cold coffee, a good 100% Arabica concentrate holds its own. For a straight espresso shot with crema, a machine is better.
How much does a commercial espresso machine cost in India? About ₹75,000 for an entry single-group machine and ₹1.5–3 lakh for a two-group, before the grinder and water treatment.
Can I make hot drinks with concentrate? Yes. Pour it into hot milk or water for lattes, Americanos and filter coffee.
What's the cost per cup with concentrate? About ₹20–25 of STIR per cup, or about ₹35–40 including milk, sugar and ice.
