The Coffee Machine

How do you get the perfect ‘crema’ on your coffee? Not many outlets manage it so how can you?

Its easier than you think - the crema or cream are the oils in the coffee - that’s where all the flavour is - and stale coffee is either old or the oils have dried out.

Keep your coffee fresh by only grinding when you need it, don’t allow the coffee beans to sweat [ get warm or hot ] and keep your coffee machine clean. There are some great products out there say Puly, which will get rid of coffee solids which are apt to become rancid. The start of a quality cup of coffee come from very simple steps -cleanliness and freshness!

Just discovered that March is caffeine awareness month - not sure whether its just the good ‘ol USA or worldwide!

So question is where’s the biggest coffee hit, espresso perhaps? Well no - caffeine is water soluble and water is only in contact with the ground coffee for 18 to 23 seconds or so unlike say filter coffee where the production of a jug of coffee takes 5 minutes.

Another titbit where does all the caffeine go when decaf. coffee is made? When you have your next glass of cola you are drinking it!

When we rebuild a commercial espresso machine we strip down to the chassis and acid dip everything. We are always amazed at the ‘gunk’ in the drinking water -as well as the limescale. If you buy a refurbished espresso machine its not just the outside thats important but also the fact that all the passageways have been totally cleared.
Just re-read that and Sounds a bit intimate!

And to cap it all all machines are computer tested to check all the electronics!

How do you know if your espresso machine needs a service? Isn’t this warranty is the question that we tend to be asked. A Coffee machine runs at a fairly high temperature and even if used correctly takes a fair bashing.

Where your coffee handles lock into the group head they are sealed watertight by a rubber seal. All heads on a commercial machine are maintained at a high temperature by thermal circulation -after a bout a year they dry out and need to be replaced - but the actual time can depend on how well you treat your machine -how regular your backflush, do you clean the head with a stiff brush like the coffee tool

The other items that need to be refurbished is the hot water tap and the steam -again for the same reasons - rubber seals tend to dry out and are then not watertight. The steam weeps or the hot water drips and however hard you turn those handles you cannot the drip!

One last word of caution - whoever you get to service your coffee machine make sure the engineer has original parts not copies, not so that you pay more but that the seals fit properly. Expect to pay around £200 per annum for a thorough front end strip as we refer to it!

And a final comment -if you are looking for spares and having problems we may be able to advise you as to where to get them -just email us or ring!