Source: http://hubpages.com/hub/Espresso-Machine-Maintenance-and-Cleaning

No matter whether you utilize a Lelit espresso machine in your home or a different model, among the factors that many home espresso lovers forget about is the regularly needed cleanup and upkeep you’ll want to perform to help keep your equipment in tip-top shape. In this article, I wish to clarify some of the most typical cleanup tasks you’ll want to know about to obtain the finest coffee from your own home espresso equipment, even if you are not necessarily utilizing the Lelit.

After each and every shot

Following each individual shot, you should perform a couple of things. Soon after the shot is complete, you ought to remove the portafilter, and knock out the espresso “puck”. Some Lelit users will rinse out the portafilter at this time, but I would recommend simply using a cloth to wipe out the filter basket and surrounds. The issue with running water on the portafilter to wash it in between shots is the water temperature out of your tap will likely be considerably below the temperature of the portafilter. This can lessen the heat contained in the portafilter and can cause a less than optimum extraction environment for your shot.

Additionally, after taking out the portafilter, run a bit of water through the shower screen of the group head. After that take your cloth and give the shower screen of the group head a clean to tidy up any leftover grinds and dry it off. Now you’re all ready for an additional shot.

Every day after using the device

When you are finished with your machine for the day, I suggest carrying out a fast daily cleaning. It only takes a moment, however it will leave your machine nice and thoroughly clean for the following day’s use. Once again, remove the portafilter, but this time wash it out and wipe it completely clean. Do not use soap. You should not use cleaning soap on any surface that makes contact with espresso as the soap will breakdown the oils in the course of extraction and the oils in espresso grinds contain the vast majority of the taste.

Go ahead and run even more water through the group head and wipe down the shower screen. At this stage, I follow-up by using a group head brush to completely remove any leftover grinds from the group head area and specially the rubber gasket with which your portafilter comes into contact. You want to keep this gasket good and clean so that the portafilter makes a nice, stable connection with it. This allows the pressure within the portafiler to build up to the essential degrees.

Wipe down the face area of the device and the drip plate, and you’re all set for the next day!

Month to month upkeep

Monthly, I make an effort to do some more cleaning and upkeep of my Lelit home espresso maker. If you are making use of your machine about every day, descaling once per month is important. I have used a number of descaling agents to prevent and remove mineral deposits from the internals of my device (boiler, piping, etc.), however they all work about the same. They often can be found in a powdered or liquid form which you will mix with warm water within your tank. You’ll draw the solution into the appliance, turn it off and allow it to sit for a bit, and then repeat. When you’re done, you’ll want to run quite a bit of freshwater through the machine to wash all of the leftover descaling agent from the boiler.

After the descaling, I additionally make an effort to carefully wash the water tank. Most home espresso machine users let a large amount of water sit in the tank (you can pour it out each day if you like and let it dry), so cleaning it every now and then is important to prevent any bacterial growth. The water tank on the Lelit is very easy to take out and clean, so I’ll occasionally do it more often.

Every 6 months

Around every six months, I also replace the group head gasket. I in fact keep a few them readily available as they are very inexpensive and I save money on mailing expenses. You’ll basically need to pull the old rubber gasket down and place the new one in. You are able to go longer between changing them if you don’t have any problems, however, I’ve just found that the longer I wait, the more difficult it is to remove the gasket. I use a small flathead screwdriver to pop it out easily.

With proper cleaning and maintenance, you’ll find the Lelit to be the best espresso machine for providing you with years of home espresso enjoyment.

Source: http://732u.com/add-style-for-your-espresso-using-the-pump-espresso-machine/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=add-style-for-your-espresso-using-the-pump-espresso-machine

These days, there are various electrical pump machines obtainable in marketplace. Every of them is greatest in some specific respect, but you need to be conscious with the pros and cons of each of these machines before investing of one’s valuable bucks. If you’re looking for the machine that can arrive out with all of the options of one’s issues then the ideal choice for you is to choose Pump Espresso Machine. Prior to purchasing of devices you must check Espresso Machine Reviews for that proper choice.

There are a lot of benefits connected to Pump Espresso Machine which tends to make it a high quality item. 1 of them is the utilization of high weighted components attached to the device which tends to make it different from the one’s that use plastic parts which may be effortlessly hurt. Brewing and steaming temperatures also plays substantial role in selecting of a excellent machine. The steaming temperatures of Pump Espresso Machine is around 260 degrees with brewing happening at 195 degree.

Essential Elements In Pump Espresso Machine
The energy that Espresso Device should have to be able to operate perfectly is 750 watts. The porta filter is an additional thing to become mentioned when purchasing any Coffee beans Device. The porta filters must not be light weighted and low cost. The high quality of porta filter must be excellent sufficient to take the load of motor. If you are an espresso lover you then have a lot of options of selecting the espresso machines. Some of them are steam ones, semi automatic espresso makers, manual ones. Brewing and steaming temperatures also plays substantial role in choosing of a excellent device. The steaming temperature of Pump Espresso Machine is around 260 degrees with brewing taking place at 195 degree.

Obligatory Things To become Considered
The mandatory things to be required in Air pump Coffee beans machines are coffee beans, heat and h2o. If you’re prepared with these stuffs, then you can taste a quality blend of coffee. Prior to generating coffee you must grind espresso pinto and black beans to a level that it can be easily combined with heated water. Following mixing espresso with heated h2o you can effortlessly give it an unforgettable taste that you would be questioning to have. The quality of taste depends on the stress, pace and temperature of its motion.

In manual devices, the procedure is honestly different as levers are utilized in it for generating pressure. If you are familiar with web then you can view a number of websites that are specialist in offering info associated to Pump Espresso Machine. Before purchasing of those devices, you are able to also view Espresso Machine Reviews which may help you out in choosing the best things for the home.

Therefore, if you want to make yourself free from stress and worries then Pump Espresso Machine can be the best option to expertise the taste of espresso. Espresso Machine Reviews can also help you in selecting the machine.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?New-Coffee-Machines-Use-a-Water-Solenoid-Valve&id=5437315
By Sheldon Kelly

Sleek and modern coffee machines have new and useful devices for purifying the water. The water solenoid plays a high importance role in the coffee machine for its purifying option.

The new coffee machines with water solenoid valve kits have these key features:

They automatically dispense up to 320 cups, sugar and cold drinks in glass bottles and snacks (chocolates, chips etc) or doses.

It also comes with an espresso high quality version of espresso, maintenance and easy cleaning. These water solenoid valve coffee machines support the most used parallel and serial MDB’s BDV and Executive payment systems.

Its features include standard full-range CPU, customizable settings, customizing and configuring trays and spirals and also a health and safety feature for both the user and operator.

Technical Specifications for a water solenoid based coffee machine:

A single electronic system and a single payment system for distributing hot and cold beverages, painted steel sheet housing, expanded polystyrene insulation, tempered glass with two layers of insulation, Slot product distribution: horizontal pivot equipped with anti-theft system, Containers and tanks in contact with food grade resin approved, mobile plastic trays, which provides a resistance to weight. The position of the trays can be easily be adjusted. Sugar and water, coffee and cups, spoons.

The system of the machine can configure itself automatically and reset each time the device fails. You can program your temperature and also the selling prices (up to 25 selling prices) It also has an electronically controlled boiler temperature, an internal moisture collector and additional collector steam in the product distribution.

It has fluorescent tube lighting, electromagnetic vibration pump for the espresso version. Equipped with an anti-frost sensor: automatic cycle defrost and anti-overflow. Reset the simple case of errors and make an automatic restart of the machine.

It has a boiler safety valve, safety relays for 24 V components, safety thermal voltage line powered devices, safety thermostat and anti-boiling instant products for the instant version. Manually use of the water solenoid kit and water purifier kit, CE, VDE and UL for the espresso version.

User Interface

- Keyboard with 9 buttons for direct selection of hot drinks and 6 buttons for cool drinks and snacks
- 4-button selection: / sugar, decaffeinated / barley and without glass option
- 2-line alphanumeric display, 20 characters

Get this friendly coffee machine with water solenoid from the best you can. It’s in your best interest, after all.

Source:http://www.recipesandeasy.com/2010/10/28/5-steps-to-espresso-machine-heaven/

Tip One – Let your espresso machine heat fully
The components inside your espresso machine that contain water such as the boiler are typically made of metal. Allowing these components to heat by turning on your espresso machine at least 10 minutes prior to the first coffee will create a more consistent heat for your coffees. Also use this time to heat your espresso cups before use, use the steam nozzle in hot water mode to fill the cups. Some espresso machines have built in cup warmers that take a couple of minutes to heat up.

Tip Two – Use fresh water
With coffee, fresh everything is best. Tip out your espresso machines water container each day when you’re making your first coffee. Use fresh filtered water and you’ll taste the difference. Using filtered water will also extend the life of your espresso machine, reducing calcification and lime scale build up.

Tip Three – Use fresh coffee
If you don’t have an automatic espresso machine with a built in grinder then buy a separate grinder to go with your machine. Each time you use your espresso machine, only grind enough coffee beans to fill the filter cup. This will ensure a lovely deep crema on your espresso or espresso base. Store your beans in the freezer until you’re ready to grind them, this will help them to retain their flavour. Also store any ground coffee in the freezer.

Tip Four – Use the correct grind and correct tamping
Talk to your bean supplier about your espresso machine and check that he’s supplying the correct fineness of ground coffee. Preferably use your own grinder to achieve the optimum fineness. Softly tamp your ground coffee into the filter handle, not too hard or you won’t achieve a decent flow rate. A good rule of thumb is that it should take about 25 seconds for 30ml of espresso to be poured. Get the stopwatch out to get an idea of how your espresso making is going.

Tip Five – Experiment
There’s so many variables at work with an espresso machine that you’ll have to make many coffees to truly appreciate the different coffees you can make. The temperature, the beans, the grind and the flow rate will all give different tasting coffees. You’ll know you’re getting it right when your espresso machine produces a thick golden crema and a sweet, rich espresso. And most importantly, enjoy!!

Source: http://espressomachinetips.graduateblogspot.com/espresso-machine/steam-piston-or-pump-espresso-machine

It would be a real treat to be able to create your own espresso drinks at home, wouldn’t it? But before you go out and buy an espresso machine you have to learn about the various types of machines on the market.

Let’s look first at the electrical steam driven espresso machine. These are the least expensive espresso machines obtainable. Steam pressure is what makes these machines function. Water heats up in an airtight chamber until it becomes steam and is then rapidly forced through ground espresso and right into a carafe or cup. Electric steam machines are only able to get the water pressure up to about 1 bar which is really not enough pressure to extract and brew actual espresso (the preferred pressure at which espresso is brewed is about 8 bar). And this lack of pressure doesn’t produce a very good crema. These machines will typically include a steam wand for steaming and frothing milk. In my opinion these types of machines should really not be considered as espresso machines because the best they can do is create a strong cup of coffee.

Next we’ll talk about a manual machine that utilizes a lever and piston. Instead of utilizing pressure generated by steam, the pressure utilized in a manual lever machine to brew espresso is created by a piston that is attached to the lever, which, when pulled, forces the heated water through the ground coffee. This type of espresso machine gives you total control over the entire brewing process such as dosing, tamping, pulling the manual lever to pressure the water through the espresso grounds, and timing each of these operations. Pre-heated water is drawn to the brew group when the lever is moved up which moves the piston upwards. When the lever is subsequently pulled down it forces the hot water, under pressure, through the ground coffee. This is where the phrase “pulling a shot” comes from. These lever and piston devices are capable of producing a pressure of 8-9 bar, the benchmark pressure of a genuine espresso drink.

A barista with numerous years experience utilizing one of these machines tends to make it look easy to make a perfect espresso. But there is technique to be learned which more likely than not results in many, many failed efforts prior to mastering the skill. For my money I want something a little more user friendly.

The final type of device that we’ll look at is the electric pump espresso machine. Previously we’ve looked at machines that used steam pressure and piston pressure to create an espresso. This machine, as the name implies, utilizes an electric pump to force water through the system. Initially the pump is utilized to move unheated water from the reservoir into the boiler tank. When the water has been heated to the optimal temperature the pump then forces the heated water, under pressure, through the ground coffee in the brew group. With these devices you can set the exact temperature you want the water to reach before the machine quickly pumps it through the coffee grounds. Over the many years advancements in technology have created three sub-categories of pump espresso machines: the semi-automatic, the automatic, and the super automatic espresso machine.

If you are a purist, then you might think that a ideal simple and delicious espresso, espresso machine can make a damn good job creating a single, consistent cup of coffee.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/business-news/highend-coffee-roasting-company-ristretto-toasts-fifth-anniversary-15017390.html

A Co Down coffee roasting company is celebrating its fifth anniversary.

Ristretto in Banbridge supplies high-end restaurants across Northern Ireland. The company, which is based in Banbridge Enterprise Centre, was formed by Gregg Radcliffe and Mark Anderson after they left their careers in IT.

They had started roasting coffee in their garages years earlier.

“We thought it would be great to produce amazing coffee at home in Northern Ireland for others to enjoy,” Mr Radcliffe said.

Ristretto’s clients include many well-known restaurants – Michael Deane’s restaurants in Belfast, Balloo House near Comber and Parsons Nose in Hillsborough, Uluru in Armagh, Merlot in Enniskillen and Tedfords, also in Belfast.

The company has won gold stars for its espresso and filter coffees at the Great Taste Awards.

Its founders said a lack of quality fresh coffee available locally led them to start the business.

“The coffee we buy in is the highest grade specialist coffee and is ethically sourced,” said Mr Radcliffe.

“Coffee is a fresh product, like bread or fruit and it is only at its best for a few weeks after roasting. At the time there was nothing like that on the market so we did it ourselves,” he added.

Mr Anderson said there were three factors to the success of a coffee business.

“There are three pieces to the ‘great coffee’ jigsaw puzzle – the finest beans, the best espresso machines and an intense barista training programme. At Ristretto we place a strong emphasis on each of these.”

Read more: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/business-news/highend-coffee-roasting-company-ristretto-toasts-fifth-anniversary-15017390.html#ixzz1759Of82m

Source: http://relayforlifecookbook.com/what-are-the-benefits-of-coffee-espresso-machines/

As technology integrates with espresso machines, an increasing number of people are falling prey to its charms. Be it regular folks or celebrities, all are singing peons of these handy, smart devices. At a function, for instance, celebrities Lance Bass, Mya and Rene Russo were spotted enjoying their mugs of fresh espressos prefabricated from the latest coffee espresso machines. So, what makes them so popular? Why are they taking over our taste buds so rapidly? Here is a clue:

Coffee Espresso Machines: Advantages

Coming to the basics, the term “espresso” means express, which stands for their fast making of the brew. The organisation passes hot, compressed water through a pipe into the ground coffee to release their oils, and thus creating a fresh, tasty brew. These brewing components are also a anger because of their:

* Fast and Simple Service: They are faster and more effective than coffee makers of the yore. They also boast simple and convenient operations that are perfect for both domestic and office use.

* Convenient Cleaning: Its easy-to-remove parts offer non-messy cleaning, that negates the need for scrubbing and rinsing saving users’ precious time. Such simple cleaning paves way for regular maintenance, thus creating fresh, tasty brew each time. Components with self-cleaning properties are also acquirable (they are the ideal for offices).

* Durable: They are sturdy and offer optimal functioning at all times.

* Minimal Sound: Their noiseless performance ensures that quiet functioning, which ensures that you do not inform the whole home that you are making yourself a cup. A red light is the only indication that the component is working.

* Additional milk wands are acquirable for making flat whites and lattes; froth attachments for cappuccino lovers.

* Flexibility to fine-tune the amount and ground texture of coffee, temperature and water.

* Great variety in terms of extraction method (piston and pump driven and steam machines) and their working (manual and automatics)

It generally takes 20-25 seconds to create a double shot; water pressure and ground coffee texture also influences the time taken.