Needless to say we were pretty excited to partner with the WCE and Nuova Simonelli in supporting the efforts of the WBC and WrBC. For years we’ve seen these sets, coveted them, and even received 1 or 2. In the past similar sets have contained an espresso cup and a cappuccino cup. We gave this traditional approach some thought and found ourselves inspired by coffee’s social side. We wanted to create an opportunity to share one’s love of coffee and thus our concept for a “Coffee for two” set was born.

The 2013 WBC set contains 2 cappuccino cups and saucers from the EP porcelain collection with custom printing featuring the very cool WCE Melbourne logo and art. We housed the set in a custom gift box designed by Espresso Parts using the colorful and whimsical WCE Melbourne identity and iconery patterns provided by to us for the project by WCE.

How do you get one of these sets? Well if you aren’t headed to Melbourne for the event chances are you are out of luck. However even if you are not a judge or key volunteer or sponsor they’ll be selling additional cups in the merchandise area

We had an amazing experience making the annual journey to The SCAA Event! This years event was located in Boston  (across the country for us Espresso Parts folk) and promised to be an epic showing. We were especially excited with the unveiling of the new Espresso Parts display which features many of our greatest core products and the center piece of the display our restored and customize GS Hybrid.

This year we were showcasing a Custom La Marzocco GS2/GB5 MP designed and fabricated in the Espresso Parts Custom Shop! This beauty features the classic profile of the GS2 teamed with the GB5 Mechanical Paddle group and PID controlled brew boiler and steam boiler. GB5 steam valves with Sproline Vortex and Foam Knife tips. Sproline group screen and screw. Handmade teak side panels and portafilter handles (no CNC machines here!) Body powder coated semi gloss light gray and pearled cream. Brew boiler powder coated matte black. Two layer back panel, pearled cream and high gloss black, honey comb pattern. Finally to top it off we included some tall, Italian designed, chrome legs that go on for days! You may now wipe up the drool from your screen..

During The Event we were fortunate to sponsor some exciting events one of which was sponsoring the US Aeropress Championships and  judging The Most Innovative Brew Method. We saw some really great methods and it came down to Andy Sprenger and his double filter method versus Dut Goodman’s awesome copper tubing heating system. Andy won not only because the method was innovative but because his coffee scored higher with the sensory judges. He was very happy to receive his custom Triple Brewing Station prize.

*We now have the opportunity to bring this to the next level. A group of industry pros (including us!) headed by Skip Finley and Patrick Burns have been working to create a Latte art competition that can send an American Barista to the World Latte Art Championship. Right now there aren’t any WLAC sanctioned events in the U.S.A. which means no American competitor at the world level. We are here to change that.

At SCAA in Boston we will be helping present the first Latte Art Exhibition. On top of helping to organize the event we are the official porcelain sponsor for the Latte Art Exhibition!! That’s right! All of the Baristas will be pouring their beautiful latte art in OUR porcelain. While this event will not qualify anyone for the WLAC it will show that we have the ability to organize such an event. From this event on we hope to bring sanctioned latte art competitions to the masses.

To read more about the event check out the SCAA Special Events page.

*We from this point refers to the group of coffee pros.

Olympia, WA– We’re beyond stoked to announce, Espresso Parts Porcelain Collection has been selected as the official cup sponsor for the World Barista Championship and the World Brewers Cup! Competitors may throw down their drink with our stylish Tulip Cappuccino! Plus you might just spot our sturdy Diner Mug hanging about during the WBrC competition, be on the look out!

The 2013 event is set to be a milestone expected to attract a record number of visitors from all over the world, even more so now that Espresso Parts has joined the fun! Best of luck to you intrepid baristas, cheers mate!

Love Espresso Parts!

Top The Espresso Parts Rinser has been helping professionals save time, money, and water for nearly 5 years now! Our newest build represents everything we’ve learned and includes a number of key feature enhancements.

Our Rinser is not just for steaming pitchers, it works with pitchers, glasses, bar wares, any vessel with a diameter of 1″ to 4 1/2″ (20mm to 115mm) that needs a wicked good rinsing fast.
Bigger and Better Actuator Star
The new actuator star is made from an NSF approved diecast composite which features a larger diameter (now 4.875″, was 4.375″) , more pronounced non-slip ridges, and a more durable thicker thread body to endure extra downward pressure.

New Surround for Counter Top Model
All counter top models now include a sleek new black ABS base.

New Spray Assembly
All stainless steel valve body with machine finishing and a fitted brass pin for smoother valve action. New spray head is all stainless and is now machined as part of the valve body with slightly larger holes which eliminates clogging and serves up more water faster for a quicker rinse action.

Easy Installation
Water & Waste Attachements. Water Inlet is 3/8 John Guest and drain is a 1/2″ drain.

Check out all our Rinsers at http://www.espressoparts.com/RinsersDipperwells

The Bay Area Coffee Community was born! BACC is a six month latte art competition series that will take place in the Bay Area. The first event kicking off at Barista Nation SF. Each event will pit Baristas against each other to see who can pour the best latte art! These events will help create an even stronger community in The Bay and will be open to the public. The three winners from each event will receive points, at the end of the series the people with the most points will be the all around winners. So, the more you compete the more likely you are to win the all around competition! Espresso Parts decided to sponsor the awards. We wanted to make an award the wasn’t only aesthetically pleasing but also functional. We finally decided on tamp trophies! Our in-house design wizard Dave White came up with the beauties you see below. The Kino tamp handle features the BACC logo and the base is marked with the EP logo and the competition year. The handle also features a pistol grip that was inspired by The Bay Bridge. You really want to win one!!

I was super stoked to find out that I would be accompanying Matt & Melissa (owners) to the Barista Nation SF/BACC kickoff. I had two bags for the one day trip, one was completely full of swag and the other a change of clothes. We flew into SFO got our rental car and headed for Sightglass Coffee.

After we got some awesome coffee in our system we made our way to Barista Nation. The event took place at The Women’s Building in The Mission. The building itself is covered with some amazing paintings and is the first woman-owned and operated community center in the country! Once we got our badges we split up.

 I REALLY wanted to see Ken Olson’s talk “Doing Good While Doing Good Business” but our flight arrived too late! The next discussion on my itinerary was “Why We Do What We Do” led by Jeremy Kuempel of Blossom Coffee Inc. & Rip Pruishen of Rip Van Wafels. They went over the process of concept, prototype and product. These guys are so smart it’s crazy!

One of my favorite discussions was from the Keynote Speaker Katie Carguilo. She led the crowd through her career from Barnes &  Noble to being the NE Champ. She is so dang humble and down to earth. I can’t remember her exact quote but she mentioned that just because she won the regional and US competition doesn’t make her the best Barista in the room it means she did really good at a game. AMAZING!!!!

The night ended with the BACC’s first throwdown. Not only were there awesome trophies there was also a food truck feeding hungry Baristas outside of the event. We had over 30 people compete for the top three spots. Everyone brought their A-game and a fun time was had by all. Big thanks to all of the baristas that showed up!

Winners Josh Bonner of Stanza (3rd), Che Garcia of Ritual (1st) & Demart Denaro of Blue Bottle (2nd) with judges Ant Walach (Sightglass), Katie Carguilo (Counter Culture), and Pele Aveau (Blue Bottle)

Make sure to check out http://www.bayareacoffee.org/ for upcoming events.

Happy New Year, welcome to 2013.

Here’s to new beginnings. Cheers! Salute! Sláinte!

We often toast to the health of our family, friends, and neighbors during this time of year. Why not toast your espresso machine’s well being too?

One of the most important preventive maintenance tasks you can perform on your espresso machine is regular basic group maintenance. Just think of it as a ritual. Your espresso machine and you are about to spend some quality time getting to know each other. And we’ll do our part too. In addition to offering free shipping on the largest selection of parts available, Espresso Parts is committed to sending group maintenance reminders all throughout the year.

This is your 1st group service of the New Year. We’d love for you to join us. It’s time to order your parts and tools.

The Importance of Espresso Machine Group Maintenance

It’s common knowledge that minor espresso machine group maintenance services should be performed quarterly or at the very least, for lower volume shops, twice a year. We are espresso machine group head maintenance evangelists here at Espresso Parts and we try our best to preach it!

We also recommend replacing your group gaskets, group screens, and portafilter baskets all at the same time, following a very thorough group head cleaning. When backflushing we recommend using Espresso Parts Espresso Machine Cleaner.

Espresso machine group screen cut open depicting how much buildup can occur over time.
Beat up, old, cracked baskets.

Why Quarterly?

Here are 2 reasons why we think it is a good idea.

Flavor: Build up of coffee oils around the gasket and above/within your group screen can seriously 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 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.

Do you use some groups more than others? Most places do. Even so it’s best practice to perform the maintenance on all of your groups at the same time. That way your machine remains consistent and uniform regardless of which groups get used.

Maintenance Tutorials

Over the years Espresso Parts has developed a set of tutorials for general espresso machine maintenance.

• Espresso Machine Backflushing (video and written tutorial)
• Changing Espresso Machine Group Gaskets (written tutorial)
• E61 Group Gasket Replacement & Maintenance (written tutorial)
• and a host of others in our Espresso/Coffee Tutorial section.

Parts Ship Free
at Espresso Parts

Espresso Parts covers your ground shipping for ALL domestic deliveries (Now including Alaska and Hawaii). Now including Alaska and Hawaii!!!

Make sure to use the coupon code PARTSSHIPFREE. It can be entered during your check out process on the check out cart page.

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.

Performance Upgrades

Are you the type that is always looking to push the threshold of quality and consistency? If so this might be an ideal time to consider HQ Parts. HQ stands for High Quality and our HQ Parts Line is made up of aftermarket precision upgrade components designed to take you, your machine, and your espresso to the next level. Our Sproline offerings such as group screens and steam tips are made to last. When kept clean in conjunction with your daily backflushing regime they will substantially outlast common manufacturer made components.

Need Parts Assistance? We Can Help.

If you can’t locate what everything you need below you can find parts specific to your machine in our Commercial Espresso Machine Parts section. If you are still having trouble finding the parts you need try our online customer service chat or or give us a call at (800) 459-5594 or (360) 357-7781. We are available to help from 8AM to 4PM PST, Monday through Friday.

Publishing the new Flying Portafilter Demitasse post earlier reminded me that we hadn’t blogged our newest barista inspired shirt design.  Act now and you can be the first barista on your block to have one. They are moving fast so get yours now before this first batch is gone.

These t-shirts are American made, printed locally and designed by Espresso Parts. The Flying Portafilter shirt is part of our exclusive branded collection and we’re pretty sure it’s the best shirt ever made by humans!

All shirts are made of a very soft slate gray colored heather, ring spun fabric. 50% combed cotton, 50% polyester. The Flying Portafilter print is dark forest green.

Made in the USA
50% combed cotton, 50% polyester
Rib collar
Fabric weight: 4.4 oz per square yard
Printed locally

Get it here!

New to our shelves this week is a batch of our classic tulip shaped porcelain demitasse printed up with our newly released Flying Portafilter.

EP Porcelain cups and saucers are manufactured to our exact specifications by one of the best porcelain manufacturers in the world. We have taken great efforts to ensure that these cups meet the demands of restaurants, coffeehouses and espresso bars.

We recently released a brand new shirt with our Flying Portafilter Art and they are indeed flying… off the shelves. Get one before they’re gone.