17/09/2007 by andrew.

I would like to open a competition for the most stupid local council - I believe that Cardiff County Council has to be striding out front.

We have the most expensive car parks except London in the UK - standard is 70 per 1/4 hr- it was recently 70p hour.

We also have this wonderfull idea that if sport is being played in Cardiff all drinks - even non -alcoholic drinks have to be served in a plastic container -so a bottle tin of say coke or lemonade has to be decanted into some ridiculous plastic container - no supporting the environment and what a waste of time -remember we have / or had until recently the highest paid Chief Exec in the Uk -the man is provong his monies worth.

There’s always a place for such people in the ” ministry of silly walks “

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06/09/2007 by andrew.

I watched Freddie Mercury last night on channel 4 -much missed showman giving his all in Brazil - a recording from the recent past. A great singer and performer much missed by many - I walked up cromwell road soon after his passing past his house and read some of the very moving graffetti left by bereft fans.

Too wake up this morning to hear that Pavrotti had died is terrible news!
We all have a limited time in this ‘mortal coil’ but somehow these guys tend to fade away… [as the Stones once said!]
As a light opera fan I am sure many will agree that he will be sorely missed!

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04/09/2007 by andrew.

Does the water temperature on your coffee machine make a difference - well yes it does. Commercial espresso machines rely on heat exchangers to produce about 95degrees. This can vary depending on how busy you are and the quality of the coffee machine.

The more we experiment with different coffees the more we taste the difference with temperature.
The problem you have when i convince you that there is a big difference is how do you alter it?

I am aware of only three models on the market offering you the option, the V6 espresso machine [ i declare an interest - we sell it!]the Della Corte or the La Spaziale - all premium priced machines but what a difference with quality!

You though have to make up your mind- is it worth the extra money?

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03/09/2007 by andrew.

Whilst I am a coffee addict i think claiming that it will also keep you slim is taking the whole thing a bit too far - still you know what they say about fools and their money? See the rubbish here.
Perhaps i am too cynical?

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30/08/2007 by andrew.

Our commercial coffee grinder on our main site - in my opinion looks like a mazzer?

Its a great grinder - lots of nice tech bits and we are not the only company to realise this as Illy Coffee have just signed a contract and getting supplies is more difficult but anyway heres your opportunity to buy a great coffee grinder!

So while we still have stock of the F5 coffee grinder you can get a great bargain!

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28/08/2007 by andrew.

Slow coffee is one of the most common telephone questions we have. A few simple tips for getting to the bottom of this problem.

Look at the dial on the front of the coffee machine - on some models you may have two, but the one you are looking for is the dial that reads 1 to 8, this will record your water pressure at rest [ should be min 1bar to max 6bar ].

When you make coffee that reading should be 8 - 8.5 bar. If the pressure is less then this the pump needs altering [ there is an adjusting screw to +] If you can’t adjust or the needle reading flickers when the espresso machine is used its likely your pump needs replacing.

If the pump is reading a correct pressure then it is the grind on your coffee bean grinder -check by looking at the grounds in the coffee handle - if they are sloppy and not a dry cake then the grinder will be the culprit.

Adjust your coffee grinder coarser by rotating the dial beneath the hopper by a few clicks [ follow the G - means grosser ie coarser ]-and you will have probably solved your problem.

PS do not get hung up by the american obsession of 22 seconds for a coffee - some blends need less, some a little more -that is the skill of being a barrista. 

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01/06/2007 by andrew.

So you have your second hand coffee machine and you have followed our tips before purchase but you need to service your machine.

You have two alternatives -use an engineer or do it yourself. Well its not rocket science but where do you get the parts from ? Some parts can be obtained from your local plumbers merchant but not many or else you can go to a specailist merchant of espresso machine spare parts or ask us too help you find the part. Actually sometimes the most difficult thing to do is decide which spare part you need -just ‘blog us’ and we promise to answer in 24hrs or less.

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30/05/2007 by andrew.

This blog is to help anyone who wants to buy or rebuild an espresso machine. If you have a problem or want to know where to obtain a part this is the place to come - ask the question and we will do our best to help you.

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