A post from our recently launched newsletter sent out to our subscribers.
| 3 weeks into 2012 and time for our quarterly group maintenance reminder.If you or your business is already on a regular quarterly espresso machine group maintenance regimen, congratulations you are far ahead of the curve.For those of you who are not replacing your espresso machine’s group gaskets, group screens, and portafilter baskets regularly this email is a service Espresso Parts provides especially for you. We send out 4 quarterly espresso machine group maintenance reminders on or near the beginning of each business quarter. This is the Q1 notification for the calendar year 2012.Why would you want to perform regular maintenance on your espresso machine groups so often? Great question. We have provided some of the basic answers for you below. |
|
|
New Products
Before we delve into the depths of scheduled group maintenance we thought we would share a few of our new and exciting products with you.
 |
EP5 & Compressore
Tampers in Bamboo Wood
Last Friday we released versions of our Compressore and EP5 espresso tampers in natural bamboo wood. Not only is bamboo a sustainable renewable source of eco-friendly wood materials but these tamps just plain look and feel great. The handle surface is as smooth as can be and these bamboo handles are light weight and strong focusing the majority of the weight towards the tamper base, right where you want it.
Espresso Parts Design 5 Espresso Tamp ~ Bamboo
Starting at $58.45
Compressore Espresso Tamp – Bamboo
Starting at $68.45 |
|
|
 |
EP5 & Compressore
Tampers in Walnut Wood
Walnut is hard, dense, tight-grained and polishes to a very smooth finish. The color ranges from creamy white in the sapwood to a dark chocolate color in the heartwood. When kiln-dried, walnut wood tends toward a dull brown color, but when air-dried can become a rich purplish-brown. Because of its color, hardness and grain, it is a prized wood, making it perfect for the barista work area.
Espresso Parts Design 5 Espresso Tamp ~ Walnut
$65.45
Compressore Espresso Tamp – Walnut
$65.45 |
|
|
 |
NEW Bonavita Gooseneck Kettles
The unique gooseneck spout provides terrific water control for manual coffee brewing and tea time. The Brushed Stainless Steel and gooseneck spout add an attractive, unique styling to your kitchen. Dishwasher safe and easy to fill.
Bonavita 1.0 L Gooseneck Kettle
$29.99
Bonavita Electric 1.0 L Gooseneck Kettle $49.99 |
|
|
 |
Bonavita 8 Cup Coffee Brewers
One of a small number of coffee brewers certified by the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s Certified Brewing Equipment Program. The filter basket allows for easy filling, brewing, and cleaning. The High Quality Stainless Steel finish adds attractive, unique styling to your kitchen. Other features include high quality thermal carafe that keeps coffee warm longer, an easy to fill water tank, a 1400W heater for fast brewing and ideal water temperature, a showerhead provides full coffee grounds saturation, and is easy to clean.
Bonavita 8 Cup Coffee Maker with Thermal Carafe
$149.99
Bonavita 8 Cup Coffee Maker with Glass Carafe
$129.99 |
|
|
 |
Espresso Parts Bag by Rickshaw
Question: How to get all your Barista gear, and then some, to your coffee gig?
Answer: The Espresso Parts Custom Skull Rickshaw Bag. Each bag is recyclable and created with sustainability in mind. Velcro strips on the inside allow you to custom organize how and what you bring with you via accessory holders (not included) so you won’t have to keep digging around for what you need. Printed with our trademark Skull Cup and Portafilter-Wrench Crossbones logo and name.
Espresso Parts Custom Skull Rickshaw Bag
$90.00 |
|
|
|
The Importance of Quarterly Espresso Machine Group Maintenance
It should be common knowledge that minor espresso machine group maintenance should be done quarterly or at the very least twice a year. We try our best to preach it here at Espresso Parts. What this means is that group gaskets, group screens, and portafilter baskets should all be changed simultaneously in conjunction with a very thorough group head cleaning.
Why so often?
 Let’s start with taste: Build up of coffee oils around the gasket can adversely affect your espresso’s flavor.
Preventive maintenance: Over time your gaskets can become “baked” in place making them difficult to replace at best.
Changing the gasket, screen, and basket together: Over time the mating surface and bottom of the portafilter basket will inevitably wear. By the time symptoms like leaking portafilters become noticeable you have may have a bigger problem on your hands. Basket replacement suddenly becomes critical and expedited shipping charges may have to be paid to get the new portafilter baskets quickly. Your new $7-12 portafilter basket just cost you $40 or so. Don’t let it happen to you.
Tutorials
Over the years we have developed a nice set of tutorials for general espresso machine maintenance.
The Parts
Below you’ll find a selection of group gaskets, portafilter baskets, group screens, and even some kits that contain all you might need to perform your next group maintenance. We stock parts for most makes and models of espresso equipment. If you do not see parts for your machine search the Parts section on our website.
|
|
|
Espresso Machine Cleaning Products
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Espresso Machine Group Rebuild Kits
|
|
|
|
|
|
Portafilter Baskets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Group Screens
|
|
|
|
EP_TX_SCREENKIT_LM
$124.36
|
EP_TX_SCREENKIT_NS
$124.36
|
Go to EspressoParts.com for a full list of espresso machine cleaning products and replacement parts. |
|
|
|
|
Like this:
Like Loading...
The Design 5 tampers look a lot like the Clive tamper Style 5: http://www.clivecoffee.com/product/clive_tamper_style5.html
Which came first?
Clive opened in 2008 we started selling the EP5 in 2005.