Yep, it's a fair operation for sure. Interesting to watch activity in the roasting room. They just paid a large sum for an automatic bagging machine as manual bagging was becoming too onerous. They also have a barista school on site.
That looks like a fun machine. Do you get training during orientation? IMHO, that would the most important part of the new hire orientation.... along with the bathrooms and parking.
My cousin, back in the Old Country, has a Faema at their bar.... a three head machine I think it was.
Yes, what attracted me to the Profitec ( we have the 500 ) is that they minimized chrome and looks and put the money into the quality of the Internals. Our previous machine was an Expobar which had very little chrome but lots of stainless steel. At 25 years old it I retired it because parts were no longer available... but I still sold it for parts for 500 bucks!
IMHO, most "prosumer" Italian machines tend to be too fancy.
The professional machines are a different thing... They're work horses indeed.
The simple boiler jobs.... are interesting but the E61 group head is what ensures a consistent great cup of espresso. The lever, well. that's icing on the cake for home or small office use. For commercial use, the automatics with their built in buttons and timers offer consistency. We drunk lots of good coffee in Spain last year. The funniest thing was that my cousin was happy to make me double shots all day long, but he refused to make me ristrettos, (with water), lungos, drip or Americanos.
He's a traditionalist.... the only thing that goes with an espresso is sugar and a cigarette. 😉
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Sounds like a fun way to keep busy in your retirement. Fixing coffees is very challenging and satisfying.
I'm just the sales manager so it's not really my job. However we're a small team and sometimes it's more optimal for me to fix things rather than send out a tech.
I draw the line at electrical work as I'm not certified. Anything mechanical is fair game.
Today I had to do a 700km round trip through the country side to deal with 2 minor steam tap issues that nevertheless bothered important customers.
Not the highest volume customers, but ones that pay their bills before their due and continually generate more customers for me.
Quite a lovely day really, a long drive in the company car wasting company gas, listening to music and podcasts.
A bit of fun problem solving after I was supplied steam tap seals that were 2mm less thick that the ones they were supposed to replace.
A 'quality control' coffee from one site and some free pie from the other.
I love my job.
Anyone replaced the tubing inside an espresso machine?
It's the pipe going to the milk steamer.
Original split pipe is clear plastic, outer stainless braid and inner spring presumably to prevent kinking.
Around 70mm long.
I can find plain silicone tube (no braid) or PTFE (too rigid?).
Can't find anything braided.
It's a cheap machine so not worth spending much time & effort but I hate to throw away for what should be considered a service item in any sensible society.
It is truly considered a disposable item by the manufacturer as no spares are available.
Or to put it another way: a pile of Krups.
It's the pipe going to the milk steamer.
Original split pipe is clear plastic, outer stainless braid and inner spring presumably to prevent kinking.
Around 70mm long.
I can find plain silicone tube (no braid) or PTFE (too rigid?).
Can't find anything braided.
It's a cheap machine so not worth spending much time & effort but I hate to throw away for what should be considered a service item in any sensible society.
It is truly considered a disposable item by the manufacturer as no spares are available.
Or to put it another way: a pile of Krups.
LOL, never thought of that.
Previous experience of seeking manufacturer support (different product/brand) has led me to dismiss that option.
Enquiry sent.
I'll report back when I get a response.
Previous experience of seeking manufacturer support (different product/brand) has led me to dismiss that option.
Enquiry sent.
I'll report back when I get a response.
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On a side note.
I recently performed some surgery on my Steller Magister.
The old girl came with some silly steam and hot water taps that only actuate sides ways. They don't have the usual ball joint of just about every other steam tap.
They are somewhat annoying to use. They make it hard to get the angle right to make a good silky latte foam.
Also being pretty old, the tap didn't quite seal properly and parts were hard to find.
So during a recent spare parts order from Italy I threw some goodies in for myself.
Enter the VBM Lollo steam tap. These things are great: fairly simple and robust, common to a lot of modern machines and they have a lovely feel to the leaver mechanism.
The surgery was harder than I thought. I didn't occur to me that domestic and commercial plumbing might be different. Commercial machines are mostly 3/8" BSP whilst domestic seem to be mostly 1/" 4 BSP.
Threads alone took me a while as BSP thread bears absolutely no physical resemblance to the name.
I used brass air tool fittings to go from 3/8 to 1/4. Luckily the length of thr couplers was perfect to replace the old steam tap body and a mate up with the plumbing.
A step drill was used to take the old 14mm hole put to 18mm to fit the new steam tap body.
The same was done for the hot water tap.
Some m14 stainless bolts were used to block the extra holes from the old taps.
Here's the result. Much prettier, much more functional, a nice heavy mechanical leaver to play with.
I recently performed some surgery on my Steller Magister.
The old girl came with some silly steam and hot water taps that only actuate sides ways. They don't have the usual ball joint of just about every other steam tap.
They are somewhat annoying to use. They make it hard to get the angle right to make a good silky latte foam.
Also being pretty old, the tap didn't quite seal properly and parts were hard to find.
So during a recent spare parts order from Italy I threw some goodies in for myself.
Enter the VBM Lollo steam tap. These things are great: fairly simple and robust, common to a lot of modern machines and they have a lovely feel to the leaver mechanism.
The surgery was harder than I thought. I didn't occur to me that domestic and commercial plumbing might be different. Commercial machines are mostly 3/8" BSP whilst domestic seem to be mostly 1/" 4 BSP.
Threads alone took me a while as BSP thread bears absolutely no physical resemblance to the name.
I used brass air tool fittings to go from 3/8 to 1/4. Luckily the length of thr couplers was perfect to replace the old steam tap body and a mate up with the plumbing.
A step drill was used to take the old 14mm hole put to 18mm to fit the new steam tap body.
The same was done for the hot water tap.
Some m14 stainless bolts were used to block the extra holes from the old taps.
Here's the result. Much prettier, much more functional, a nice heavy mechanical leaver to play with.
I lovve this thread. Simple but essential physics are at hand for our delight. A small part of humanity that we get a say in.
I mostly drink a short black with cream at home.
However my 4 year old really likes a fluffy with her breakfast so the steamer gets a good workout.
A blessedly spoilt little thing. We didn't have no fluffies when I was a youngin'.
However my 4 year old really likes a fluffy with her breakfast so the steamer gets a good workout.
A blessedly spoilt little thing. We didn't have no fluffies when I was a youngin'.
Takes less time than posting here and may have better effect 🙂 Imagine people putting such devices together. Such a company must have stock or can point to a supplier.
Large differences though as you said. Some support their stuff even after 10 years and some not even anymore after 2 years. Some give the parts for free and some ask ridiculous prices or simply say to buy a new device.
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russc:
Try a piece of copper tubing from airconditioner parts shop (or pneumatic parts shop), that will work. Fittings will be easily available.
Stainless steel is a bit difficult to use, being stiff, it would be ideal.
High temperature hoses are available, but in that size and length, very difficult.
Try a piece of copper tubing from airconditioner parts shop (or pneumatic parts shop), that will work. Fittings will be easily available.
Stainless steel is a bit difficult to use, being stiff, it would be ideal.
High temperature hoses are available, but in that size and length, very difficult.
Neat?
What do Northern Europeans know about expresso? My cousin and I were getting a double shot cafe con leche and a croissant every morning on the way to the 1st grade.... The family's restaurant had one of them four group heads machine... We were drinking expresso at the age of 8... no, they didn't allow us to have the customary accompanying cigarette as the adults.
My shots are so neat that any neater and I'd have to use bleach.
Use Italian beans with a nice roast, 19.6 gm in my grinder with built in scale. Tap, level, tap and then draw the shots.
Manually controlled profile... low flow until the water starts to flow, then open up the flow. At around 18 secs, close down the flow a bit and then finish to 27 secs ( two more than standard ). As it pours, it's all golden chocolaty... When it settles, the crema is about half an inch. Then add about a third of an ounce of hot water from the right spout. Very carefully and slowly so as to not knock down the texture of the shot.
That is a masterful shot my man. Not only do we modify the grinder settings for the humidity of the day and the bags of coffee but we control very carefully the amount of coffee and the shot profile.
The flavor is outstanding. A bit of bitterness, really good body, and a great finish with no metallic twang whatsover.
The very little bit of hot water settles the taste profile, see? You still get the full taste of the regular shot (not a largo or a ristretto) but you get a smoothness... sort of like adding a couple of drops of filtered water into your single malt scotch whiskey.
Now, neat... You're talking to a master here.
Oh, @jean-paul.... dude... my espresso machine is German. I had a Spanish (Expobar) one for many years until it wore out, but the MBAs running the company decided to shift production to China in 2019... just before the Covid Pandemic hit and shut down the supply chain.
Grinders are Italian, both of them.
What do Northern Europeans know about expresso? My cousin and I were getting a double shot cafe con leche and a croissant every morning on the way to the 1st grade.... The family's restaurant had one of them four group heads machine... We were drinking expresso at the age of 8... no, they didn't allow us to have the customary accompanying cigarette as the adults.
My shots are so neat that any neater and I'd have to use bleach.
Use Italian beans with a nice roast, 19.6 gm in my grinder with built in scale. Tap, level, tap and then draw the shots.
Manually controlled profile... low flow until the water starts to flow, then open up the flow. At around 18 secs, close down the flow a bit and then finish to 27 secs ( two more than standard ). As it pours, it's all golden chocolaty... When it settles, the crema is about half an inch. Then add about a third of an ounce of hot water from the right spout. Very carefully and slowly so as to not knock down the texture of the shot.
That is a masterful shot my man. Not only do we modify the grinder settings for the humidity of the day and the bags of coffee but we control very carefully the amount of coffee and the shot profile.
The flavor is outstanding. A bit of bitterness, really good body, and a great finish with no metallic twang whatsover.
The very little bit of hot water settles the taste profile, see? You still get the full taste of the regular shot (not a largo or a ristretto) but you get a smoothness... sort of like adding a couple of drops of filtered water into your single malt scotch whiskey.
Now, neat... You're talking to a master here.
Oh, @jean-paul.... dude... my espresso machine is German. I had a Spanish (Expobar) one for many years until it wore out, but the MBAs running the company decided to shift production to China in 2019... just before the Covid Pandemic hit and shut down the supply chain.
Grinders are Italian, both of them.
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That does sound like a masterful shot. Nothing wrong with 27s imo.
We train people for anywhere between 25-30s as acceptable. Add 250ml of milk for your average NZ coffee drinker and people won't notice the slight differences in extraction.
For our market, the steaming of the milk is the more important bit (assuming the shot is decent) as well as the pouring into the shot.
This our current office machine until I find it a good home with a customer.
Later this afternoon I might swap it out for another machine that needs some testing and maintenance after coming back from a cafe that closed.
The owners were struggling in the current economy and so they've moved to Australia as so many New Zealanders do.
We train people for anywhere between 25-30s as acceptable. Add 250ml of milk for your average NZ coffee drinker and people won't notice the slight differences in extraction.
For our market, the steaming of the milk is the more important bit (assuming the shot is decent) as well as the pouring into the shot.
This our current office machine until I find it a good home with a customer.
Later this afternoon I might swap it out for another machine that needs some testing and maintenance after coming back from a cafe that closed.
The owners were struggling in the current economy and so they've moved to Australia as so many New Zealanders do.
Orphan Espresso is a great source for parts to rebuild classic lever machines
plus Doug and Barb are good people
(Check out their YouTube channel)
plus Doug and Barb are good people
(Check out their YouTube channel)
Faema makes a good machine indeed. That's a pro machine with the buttons.
Ours is a single head pro-consumer German machine with a lever. Actually two levers, one for the flow control and another for the extraction.
I'd love to plumb it so then the pump wouldn't have to kick in but wife says NO...
All of that for maybe four shots a day, max.... ;-)