Barista Magazine

AUG-SEP 2017

Serving People Serving Coffee Since 2005

Issue link: http://baristamagazine.epubxp.com/i/853621

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94 barista magazine Traditional heat-exchanger machines heat their brew water with contact from the steam boiler, which is well above boil- ing, between uses, resulting in less consistency in extractions due to some temperature loss (or boiling brew water) at the groups. You might need to train the staff to do a little tem- perature surfing if the machine has been idle for more than a few minutes to get everything back in line. —Alex My grinder is on its finest setting and I can't move it any farther, but I need my coffee finer. What do I do? It sounds like you are either in need of new burrs or a range adjustment. When the burrs get dull, they can't properly grind the coffee, and instead pulverize it, which results in a very uneven particle distribution. Plus, if you go so fine that the shots run in the right time frame, your grinder may jam. When they get really dull, you can even feel the coffee coming out a bit warm or hot due to the extra friction happening in there. For portion-control-type grinders (Mazzer E series, Mythos, K30, etc.), you may also notice your dose being er- ratic, or you may be constantly needing to set the grind time longer and longer. If it's neither of these things, though, you may have a grinder that needs to be calibrated. All of these possible causes can be tricky to fi x and do properly on your own, so we would recom- mend you give your local tech a call (or at the very least see if you can track down the manual for your grinder before attempt- ing anything yourself). If you do work on your own grinders, be sure to unplug them while you do so. That way you keep all of your fi ngers! —Alex Is it ok to dump milk out through your drip tray? I've heard it's OK, but some people are super against it. This is an age-old question that's been circling the cosmos for centuries. Coming from someone who has been on countless service calls to blow through that dark and smelly spiral tubing, however, I must say: For the love of all that is good, do not pour milk of any kind down your drip tray! The drain box and tubing below already gunk up quick with coffee grounds and oils, so the milk just gets caught up in there and turns into stinky little slugs. You and your tech will be much happier if you get yourself a pitcher rinser dedicated to the cause. In closing I would simply like to say, in the immortal words of Ron Burgundy, "Milk was a bad choice." —Double J

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