Much like a car, espresso machines require regular check-ups from a trained professional to prevent potential issues and replace worn parts.
Service Sphere Director Maurizio Marcocci says it’s surprising how many café owners and roasters still don’t understand the benefit of regular maintenance.
“Imagine if your car is not turned on for a whole year. When you try to turn it on, most likely your battery is going to fail and it might blow out a bit of smoke. Similar things will happen to an espresso machine,” Maurizio says.
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Overexerting a coffee machine can also cause problems. If the cafe’s prized possession and ultimate workhorse isn’t turned off regularly, Maurizio says it’s likely some components will start to fail when the machine is finally turned off for a service.
It is for this reason that Service Sphere recommends a six-month preventative maintenance schedule, where different components will be replaced at each interval depending on the equipment brand and model.
This is just one of the many tips that participants can learn at Service Sphere’s Technical Training 101 courses.
Service Sphere’s Service Manager, Huw Harts, runs the two-day course which provides participants with an entry-level understanding of how single boilers coffee machines operate, and how to correctly clean and maintain them.
The first day focuses on single boiler coffee machines, as well as practical demonstrations on how to maintain your coffee machine. Maurizio says the hands-on class allows participants to see the inner workings of a coffee machine and gain a greater understanding of its functionalities.
“Some of the material we go through includes the components of a single boiler machine, how they operate, fault finding techniques, and the differences between single and dual boilers,” Maurizio says.
On day two, the focus shifts to grinders. The information conveyed at the course includes the differences in grinder models (blades, automatic vs. electronic, and grind adjustments), as well as fault finding techniques.
“We look at dosing chambers in particular and pull them apart so the audience can understand how the individual components operate, how to clean them, and what needs to be changed,” Maurizio says.
He adds that while having a technical mindset will help participants digest the information, someone without coffee machine experience can easily understand the content. A more formal, higher level of technical training is also offered to Service Sphere’s service partners and technicians within the industry.
Beyond technical machine training, Maurizio says it’s important to give course participants a strong understanding of coffee so that they can make adjustments on their device when required, such as a fine or coarser grind, and communicate with their technician should an error occur.
As the industry evolves, Maurizio says Service Sphere will continue to look to incorporate different machinery into its courses to help customers stay connected to industry changes.
“Technology is advancing and super-automated equipment is becoming much more prominent. We don’t really touch on this type of equipment in our public training courses, so that is something we’ll definitely look at as that segment grows,” he says.
Service Sphere plans to run its next Technical Training 101 class in early 2019. Anyone interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the inner workings of their espresso machine and grinder are encouraged to book their spot, and keep it – just like a good preventative maintenance schedule.
For more information, visit
www.servicesphere.com.au/training or contact Alana Lombardi on 0417 515 980
