Iced coffee – it’s a smooth drink for cool customers

Foodservice Equipment Marketing’s Tempest blender is a whizz at making iced

FEM’s Hamilton Beach Tempest blender is a whizz behind the counter in any coffee shop or café. It’s fast, reliable and powerful, mixing up an iced coffee or similar drink in just 12 seconds.

The recent explosion of coffee shops on the high street has meant that anyone offering hot beverages has had to up their game to keep hold of market share. But, in the summer especially, not everyone wants a hot coffee, so the ability to offer iced coffees, such as Costa Coffee’s famous Frescato, is one way to edge ahead of the competition.

The Tempest’s patented wave action continually forces the mixture onto the blades, breaking down the ice from a granita texture to a super smooth drinks profile. Its two-speed setting, jump cycle and pulse button offer precision blending over a wide variety of drinks, further expanding the choice that can be offered to customers.

Designed for busy service, it has an automatic shut-off timer that frees up staff to start preparing the next order while the first drink is mixing. A 1.9 litre stackable jug with clear measuring marks is supplied as standard. Extra jugs are available from FEM to further speed up drinks delivery. To save even more time a red light flashes on the base if the jug is not positioned correctly, so the operator knows immediately why the motor won’t start.

The blender’s powerful 3HP motor has a durable metal drive coupling. If it gets hot a temperature gauge alerts the operator to run the cool-down cycle, to prevent motor burnout. Measuring just 45.7cm (h) x 17.8cm (w) x 20.3cm, plugging into a standard electric socket and with non-slip feet, the Tempest can be sited at any convenient serving point.

Making a great iced coffee with the Tempest blender is really simple. Just put a generous scoop of ice into the blender jug. Add a couple of shots of espresso, 175ml of milk and some sugar or syrup flavouring. Blend it all together for 12 seconds, pour into a tall glass and top off with a squirt of cream. Garnish with some sprinkles, syrup and a straw, serve and watch the customers coming back for more.