Brewer Basics 4: Basic Electricity
Compiled by Caffeine Motor Machines The key to understanding how brewers or any type of Espresso or brewing work is to have a basic understanding of the basic of electricity. The goal of this article is to give a clear simple explanation of how these systems work. With that you can better understand how each […]
Brewer Basics 2: Water Systems
It would be obvious to state that water is crucial in making coffee. Brewers combine simple engineering into systems to produce a complex product. One important system is also almost simplest, that is the water system. At its simplest level, a water system is composed of three primary components; the water inlet valve, water level […]
Ways to Support Your Remote Tech Team
Battling isolation – Ways to manage remote service techs. Managing your remote tech team is difficult. With the new normal, managing remotely can be even more difficult. I discovered the hard way that I needed to adapt my strategy to ensure that my techs were not feeling isolated and they were feeling supported. Humans are […]
The wonderful world of pressure relief valves
In any system where steam is generated there is always a possibility that over pressurization can cause a catastrophic failure of the pressure vessel. This could result in destruction of property, injury, and loss of life. This is a bad day no matter how you cut it and is the reason that every pressure […]
Brewer Basics 4: The Heating System
The most important step in making a good cup of coffee is heat. And you need to be able to control that heat because just a few degrees difference in temperature can turn a great cup into bitter carbon effluence. The Heating System consists of 8 common components: A thermal cut-off, heating elements, thermistor, thermostats, […]
Brewer Basics 4: Basic Electricity
The key to understanding how brewers or any type of Espresso or brewing work is to have a basic understanding of the basic of electricity. The goal of this article is to give a clear simple explanation of how these systems work. With that you can better understand how each system works. The explanations in […]
Meeting, and then exceeding, customer expectations
What drives a remarkable operation? I ask this question quite a bit. Ultimately the answer falls to meeting customer expectations while making sure we’re creating customer value that exceeds price perception. In my years in the restaurant and coffee business I’ve seen some good companies, some great companies and some truly remarkable companies. I’ve only […]
The Vacuum Breaker
Part: Vacuum Breaker Description: Steam Operated, one way valve Discussion: A vacuum breaker is a small steam operated valve on the top of the steam boiler that is open to the atmosphere until enough steam pressure is present to close it. Very old espresso machines did not have a vacuum breaker and two bad things […]
Pressurestat
Our Friend the pressurestat. Purpose: Pressure operated relay. In order to be useful and safe, the steam boiler needs a mechanism to regulate the steam pressure. The most common way of setting the steam boiler pressure is with a pressurestat. A pressurestat is a mechanical devise that turns a switch, or set of switches, on […]
UL Certification
By Arno Holschuh Once upon a time at an unnamed company in an unnamed city, a coffee company opened a new cafe. They had exotic tastes in espresso machines, and had purchased a beautiful, completely unheard-of model directly from a boutique European manufacturer. The crate was opened with care, the machine lifted onto the […]