Equipment Best Use Practices

Equipment Best Use Practices


Best use practices, helpful advice, and big picture equipment care scenarios are considerations recommended by Black Rabbit Service when using and tending to coffee equipment. Review the Safety Information guide as well as the Equipment Manufacturer Documentation resources prior to using and servicing equipment.


There's a lot going on in an espresso machine. Most of it however, is not as complicated as it seems... and many operations can be understood by following a few tried and true practices. 

Coffee Preparation:
  1. Only run coffee through the espresso machine!
  2. Review Espresso Shot Troubleshooting guide for helpful tips and tricks when dialing in espresso shots.
Use All Groups & Steam Wands:
It is easy to fall into a bad habit of utilizing the grouphead closest to the grinder(s). Especially in times of low productivity. While this is not terribly detrimental... it is important to pull shots through each group at regular intervals during coffee service. This prevents grouphead components from remaining idle for too long and potentially lowering performance.

In the long run, groupheads and steam wands which remain idle for extended periods of time tend to develop flow issues and uneven gasket wear. Additionally, spreading use across a piece of equipment promotes even wear of preventative maintenance parts.
  1. Dispense / Quick Purge:
    1. Run a quick rinse after an espresso shot.
      1. Button 2
    2. Rotate steam knob to dispense a burst of steam after a steaming cycle.
      1. Wipe steam tip and wand surface with a towel.
Idea
Tech Tip! Running a quick rinse (Button 2) after an espresso shot and activating steam for a short duration after a milk steaming cycle will purge any coffee grounds, oils, or milk residue from components.

Cleaning & Preventative Maintenance:
  1. Integrate procedures such as Backflushing into daily cleaning tasks!
    1. Routine Cleaning Procedures
    2. Drip Tray Cleaning
  2. Use the correct tool for the job when maintaining your espresso machine:
    1. Basic Tool Kit
  3. Schedule Routine Preventative Maintenance with Black Rabbit Service:
    1. Preventative Maintenance
Avoid Placing Wet Items on Espresso Machine!
  1. Despite their function of producing hot water and steam... espresso machines are designed to stay as dry as possible. Internal moisture can manifest as a fault or exacerbate an existing issue:
    1. Common Issues
  2. Avoid placing perishable, heat sensitive objects, or ingredients on the cup tray.
Avoid Moving Equipment:
  1. Power, water, and drain lines (while flexible) are intended to remain in place.
    1. Moving the espresso machine may cause damage to the drain hose leading to leaks.
      1. Cup & Drip Tray Cleaning
  2. Moving equipment may cause damage and/or throw espresso machine errors if done improperly.


Grinders, albeit more straightforward than an espresso machine, also share a few best use practices worth mentioning. 

Coffee Preparation:
  1. Only run coffee through a grinder!
  2. Detailed in the Espresso Shot Troubleshooting guide, coffee (puck) preparation is crucial to grinder expectations and functionality.
  3. Routinely verify grinder is dosing the correct amount of coffee.
  4. Review the adjust grind setting guides below:
    1. Mazzer Robur Auto S (Espresso) Grinder
    2. Mazzer Super Jolly V Pro (Decaf) Grinder
Alert
Avoid large grind adjustments and adjust grinder incrementally! 

Preventative Maintenance:
  1. Schedule Routine Preventative Maintenance with Black Rabbit Service:
    1. Preventative Maintenance