Nugget ice: the smoothie operator

Hubbard Systems says nugget ice is the new ‘best in class’ for smoothies and blended drinks

When it comes to smoothies, ice is an essential.  According to Hubbard Systems, who distributes the Scotsman range of icemakers, there’s a new ‘best in class’ ice for smoothie-making: nugget ice.

There’s a variety of reasons for the nugget’s crown.  In terms of the ice itself, it’s small and relatively soft so it blends very easily and quietly, plus it’s kinder to blades – so it’s perfect for smoothies and other blended drinks.  Because of the way it’s made, by compressing flake ice, it is very cold and has little residual water, so its chilling power is highly effective, too.

It’s not just the ice that’s perfect – the equipment lends itself to ‘smoothie operators,’ too.  Nugget ice machines produce lots of ice from a compact footprint, so they’re ideal for any site where space is a limitation – such as coffee shops and most high street operators making blended drinks.

For example, the Scotsman N 622 nugget icemaker has a footprint of just 559mm by 610mm, and is 585mm high.  A modular machine, designed to sit on top of an ice bin, it can make a whopping 266kg of ice per day.

Another benefit of nugget ice is that it’s truly multifunctional.  As well as being ideal for blending, it can be used ‘straight’ to chill drinks; the machine’s high capacity makes it perfect for bottomless drinks service; it’s great for cocktail making; perfect for ice buckets; plus it can be used for food display, just like flake ice.

Being both multifunctional and compact, nugget icemakers tick two key boxes in terms of equipment trends.  But they tick a third, too: they are environmentally sound.  That’s because the way nugget ice is made, from compressed flake ice, creates much less waste water than conventional ice cubes do.

“Nugget ice has become the biggest ice type in the USA in recent years and, given its benefits, it’s easy to see why,” says Simon Aspin of Hubbard Systems.  “We launched a complete range of nugget machines at Hotelympia and we’ve had significant interest from customers in all sectors of the market.”

The Scotsman N 622 has a list price of £7,615.

Hubbard Systems is the UK distributor for the market-leading Scotsman range, which is available via dealers nationwide.  For more information on the full range of Scotsman ice machines, and details of local stockists, freephone Hubbard Systems on 0800 616559, call 01473 350045 email sales@hubbardsystems.co.uk or visit www.scotsman-ice.co.uk