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Permalink Reply by Scott on June 1, 2012 at 11:38am

Having been on both sides of this -

First as a barista, we had one in our store and I found useful.  The brand was Hyatt or Whyatt.  Other then cleaning it was a work horse.  I think they went out of business or got bought out, cause I can't find information for them.  All metal design.  I don't think it needed service of any kind, beyond store level cleaning and milk tubes replaced, in ten years.  

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As a tech, I used to service ShurShot dispensers.    The idea is great, but a nightmare to keep clean.  And at least on the models I used to service, there were a lot of failure points.  They ate parts.  

As to answering your specific question -

It would reduce the need to bend over and reach for milk in an undercounter fridge (the most common in use in Espresso shops).  

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Permalink Reply by Jacob Casella on July 6, 2012 at 7:12am

The shops I work for use behind-the-bar, on-counter milk coolers that use 5-gallon milks delivered to a lever-opened tube.  We usually get these from our milk provider.

Pros: Fast and easy to use--really the main pro here.  No bending over.  Less waste packaging.  Milk stays at a stable temperature, since you only have to open the cooler when changing.  You might get a price break on larger milk containers (ours is fairly negligible compared to 1-gallon jugs).

Cons: Some drip on the counter.  Take up valuable counter/wall space.   Biggest con is changing them: very time-consuming in the middle of a rush.  Also requires short baristas to hoist a 40ish lb awkward milk box to shoulder height or higher.  Potential for catastrophic spill during the change.  Depending on model, it may be difficult to fit blender pitchers/cream carafes under the nozzle.

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