QUESTION: What coffee machine does 7-11 use? I was in there recently and they have this machine now that has whole beans in a hopper on top and it makes an individual cup for you when you press a button. It was really good! – Earnest L
ANSWER: Many convenience stores and gas stations have seriously upped their game in the past few years with new coffee machines to compete with coffee shops. Several have converted to bean-to-cup brewers with an expanded beverage assortment. We’ve written about Racetrac, Circle K and QuikTrip in the past, and which Swiss made machine they were using, so we were curious to know if the 7-eleven coffee was made using the same machine. They are not!
7-eleven stores have gone with a different commercial bean to cup coffee machine from the Swiss manufacturer Franke. At the store we visited in Dallas, they were using the Franke A800 Fresh Brew commercial machine.
At the store we visited, 7-11 had the Franke machine set up with three different bean choices for regular coffee — the house blend, Columbian or the 7-Brazilian-Blend. The proprietary 7-eleven beverages are reportedly all made with arabica beans. The machine was also set up to make a fresh-brewed cup of regular hot coffee or ice coffee with a medium and large size coffee. After you choose your beans, the machine gives you the option of room for cream or not.
If you choose iced coffee, the machine instructs you to fill the cup 75 percent full of ice. If you follow those instructions, it fills up your cup perfectly. Many locations have expanded their 7-eleven products to include specialty drinks, some with cold brew, hot lattes and espresso shots in addition to hot coffee drinks with a condiment station with various toppings to customize your drink. You can be your own barista!
I tried the house blend as a hot coffee and the Columbian as an iced coffee and the good news is both of them were a very, very good cup of coffee. I was surprised at how good the coffee is, and very pleased, because that store is only a few minutes away from my workplace. They have affordable coffee and many 7-eleven outlets have a loyalty program which could come in handy for serious coffee lovers.
If you aren’t into waiting the small amount of time to make your own cup with the Franke machine, they still have several options from the Bunn commercial coffee makers. When I tried those coffees, they were hot and recently made, so I believe that the employees are regularly filling them and replacing the coffee with fresh coffee.
Convenience store coffee has gotten so much better recently that it has changed my own habits. Where I would in the past look for a Starbucks on a road trip, it is much easier to know that I can stop at several different major gas station and convenience store brands and get a very high quality cup of joe at a low price, with quick self service. It’s easy to grab your own cup of good coffee and get right back on the road.