by Paul Martin, Technical Manager
The number-one cause of espresso machines breaking down is lack of basic maintenance. The 5,000th shot you brew should be as good as the very first one, provided your machine is well taken care of.
Making sure your machine is performing at optimum levels is a two-pronged approach. Firstly, the regular six and 12 months servicing is very important. A preventative maintenance check is like your annual car tune-up; we check the entire machine. We open it up, look inside – checking flows, times, pressures, making sure the machine is performing as well as it was the first day you got it. Because if it isn’t, you’ve just made a $15k mistake!
At the six-month mark, we change the shower screen, go over the group heads, replace any worn seals and rebuild the steam wand – there’s always a bit of wear and tear on those. It’s all fairly simple stuff, but every part of the machine contributes to that final brew.
At the 12-month mark we check and replace the safety parts on the boilers, like the anti vacuum and safety valves, as well as go through the flow meter sensors and solenoid valves to make sure they’re all within tolerance.
The second part of the equation is up to the machine owner. Here’s a breakdown of what you should be doing to ensure your machine has a long and happy life.
After every brew…
Do a two-second flush of the shower screen. This removes all the old oils and grind so that your next brew isn’t extracted through the old residues. Knocking the handle empty after every brew is also important – don’t let it sit in the machine.
After lunch…
Another good tip is to taste the coffee yourself throughout the day. Again, it should taste the same throughout the afternoon as it did in the morning. If you can taste any difference, make sure the wand is free of dried milk, and you’ve cleaned that head properly.
After every day…
At the end of the day or shift, make sure you back flush every head with chemicals, and that the steam wand is clean – nothing is worse than a steam wand caked with brown, dried-on milk. Of course, if you can keep your machine clean during the day, it won’t be as big a job.
Ultimately it’s simple, logical things: keep your machine clean, keep your space tidy. A customer may look at a neglected machine or barista space and think, “If you can’t look after the machine, what chance do you have of looking after me and my coffee?” I’ll be honest, I will walk out of a cafe if the machine’s not being taken care of.
A clean machine is a happy machine. A happy machine makes good coffee. And most importantly, a good coffee keeps customers coming back.
If you would like Paradox to look after your equipment and coffee supply, contact us today.