If you're a coffee lover, barista or world champ there's no alternative to the coffee knock out box, its essential. Now we know you have to be brewing an espresso styled coffee for this handy tool to be worth adding to your brewing set up!
The coffee, knock out box for coffee is exactly what it sounds like. It's one of the most simple coffee accessories you can add to your home or cafe set up. These specially designed coffee bins are used in the disposal of coffee grounds from the espresso coffee machines group handle after every shot. Although super simple in concept, the choices in coffee grind bins are endless.
After each espresso coffee shot has been pulled, left-over grounds in the portafilter (known as the coffee puck) needs to be thrown away. Generally, the easiest way of removing these grounds is by knocking them out with a bit of force against the high quality rubber bar which is incredibly shock absorbing. Hence the term espresso knock box.
How many pucks do you dispose of a day? Do you have small bench space? Is there a lot of floor space near your machine? Is there room for a garbage chute around your machine?
There are many different brands and designs of coffee knock tubes and before purchasing one, you will need to understand your needs and what will be the best for your workflow.
We hold a range of the best coffee knock boxes from Dreamfarm, Crema Pro, Barista Basics, Rhinoware and Cafelat, which all specialise in different styles of Knock Boxes. Some of which are also dishwasher safe, so be sure to check out the user manual. We will outline the three main categories of knock boxes to help you choose your style of knock box!
In a commercial setup, the two common forms of coffee bins are the commercial floor standing knockout tubes and in counter knock box. The floor standing tube has been a common sight in Australian cafes for many years due to its practicality and ease to clean.
These coffee grind bins were generally solid in one piece, or a split-tube in which a liner bag could be used. A barista cloth is also commonly attached to allow to wipe the filter basket after the grounds have been knocked out. The industry leader in this segment has been the Crema Pro commercial knocking tube.
The in counter knock box is now fast gaining popularity over the floor standing knocking tube as it allows for the floor of the cafe to be kept clear and a faster and simpler workflow with the coffee bin being located under the in counter knock box.
This however does involve counter space and the counter to be cut which isn't always available especially for those with fridges or coffee jugglers under the commercial coffee machine. These in counter tubes allow for a minimalist look while keeping the mess in a larger bin under the counter. A common in counter knock box is the Rhinoware or Barista Basic knock boxes.
A well designed tube not only absorb the knocking action, but is easy to clean. Knock tubes with removable knock bars are easier to clean with minimise fuss. And also allows the tube to be easily replaced if needed. Ultimately a coffee grind bin makes for the fast and easy disposal of coffee grounds without the mess.
DO I NEED A KNOCK BOX?
We highly recommend using a coffee knock box. Removing the puck from your portafilter has never been cleaner or easier when using a knock box. If you value speed and cleanliness in your workstation, then there really is no other alternative.
As we have mentioned in our article, there are different styles to suit all needs of home and commercial users. There are bench-top, freestanding and countertop chutes to choose from.
WHAT DO I DO WITH ALL THE COFFEE WASTE?
Regardless of whether you are a commercial barista or a home barista, there are many ways to recycle and reuse your coffee grounds.
- Make an exfoliating scrub: Time to save money and your left over grounds! Use 1 cup of grounds coffee, 1 cup organic sugar or salt, ½ cup organic coconut oil, ½ tablespoon cinnamon and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract. Melt the coconut oil and allow to cool, mix ingredients together and allow to set in a mason jar!
- Clean up dirty hands: Using your coffee grounds to remove dirt and grime from your hands is a very effective way of reusing the grinds. Rather than purchasing harsh chemicals that will be washed down the drain and inevitably find its way into our ocean, here's a little trick. Melt a bar of soap into a container and add ⅓ cup of coffee grounds. Allow to set. You’ll have yourself an environmentally friendly exfoliating soap scrub.
- Fertilise your garden: Spreading coffee grounds around your gardens topsoil in small amounts allows the coffee grinds to give up nitrogen to the soil which in turn benefits the growth of your plants! Try creating a liquid fertiliser by adding 2 cups of coffee grounds to 20L of water, leave overnight and then its ready to go!
As we know by now, there’s a little more to brewing coffee than just putting a coffee capsule into a machine and hitting a button, well for a quality cup of coffee anyway. All of our accessories are meant to complement and significantly enhance your brewing experience and ability! Usually, you’d begin your espresso process by using a Dosing tool to weigh the appropriate amount of beans with your Coffee Scales before grinding your fresh coffee!
Your coffee grounds will be put back into your dosing cup and transferred into your Portafilter Basket which may be a single, double or triple! The Distribution tool will help you to evenly distribute the grounds within the Filter Basket prior to using a coffee tamper to compress the grounds. By placing your portafilter onto a Tamping Mat you’ll prevent damage to the portafilter handle or bench, simply place 10-30kg of even pressure down on the tamper and twist to polish. Lock the portafilter into your machine, use the scales under the spout with whichever cup, glassware or reusable cup you prefer and commence brewing.
Now when texturing milk it's important to use the correctly sized milk jug for the amount of milk you require. Once you texture the milk, use a milk Thermometer to get the ideal steaming time for whatever milk you’re working with and if in a cafe you might have the option of a Milk Jug Rinser which is incredibly convenient for the post brew clean! A chocolate shaker is a must for those mocha or cappuccino lovers. When the shot is pouring, make sure to use a barista timer or your scales to measure for the perfect extraction, we recommend 23g in and 46g out at an extraction time of 25-30 seconds. Knock the puck out in either a Knock Box at home or a Standing knock tube or in bench shoot if you’re in a cafe!
Now every machine deserves a good clean, check out our range of Blind Filters, cleaning brushes, cleaning products and chemicals! Everyone loves having a few beans up your sleeve so be sure to check out our favourite Coffee Storage units for home or cafe! If you've got a passion for coffee, well there's nothing tastier than some cupping, use some of our coffee Cupping Tools, such as bowls and spoons to bring this professional experience into your own home!
