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Capo model 4YOU with steam |
Simple,
Fast, best quality Italian & Cuban
style |
Pre-ground,pre-measured coffee in Capsule sealed
in foil for freshness |
Capo model YOU2 without
steam |
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Guru's Choice
Non-oily espresso beans |
Bristot imported
Italian espresso |
Espresso machine
cleaning supplies |
Saeco Brew
grouup Maint. Kit |
The first part of trouble shooting is self analysis.
Machines mal-function if they are not operated as recommended
or not maintained as required. Before proceeding to the
trouble shooting table, please read the following Self
check:
1- Find out the hardness of water in your
area and determine the frequency for descaling. Filtered water
is not free from mineral salts. Water softener system is necessary
to eliminate minerals from water. Reverse Osmosis or use of
distilled water is OK if one can afford it.
2- How frequently has the machine
been descaled:
a- Over one year ago (Very poor
attention).
b- Every six months (not
enough)
c- Every three months (Fair
maintenance)
d- Every two months (Good
maintenance).
e- You are descaling the machine as
recommended but using the wrong chemicals.
CleanCaf and Cafiza are Coffee cleaning
products (formulated for back-flushing commercial machines. They
are not descaling chemicals. Please stop using these products.
Also use of Vinegar and Lemon juice are not suitable for descaling.
Manufacturers specifically prohibit use of
Vinegar.
Purchase Descaling chemical from reliable
sources.
3- Check the roast of Coffee beans that
are being used? Oily beans are not recommended for use in fully
automatic espresso makers. Manufacturer's warranty will be void.
Oily beans are a poison for the following models:
Charisma; Italia; Italia Digital; Divina
Deluxe, Syncrony compact, Syncrony Compact Digital, Incanto
Sirius & Incanto Easy. These models have a longer tunnel
through which ground coffee moves from grinder to the doser. Oily
coffee grounds jams the tunnel and cause malfunction.
4- How frequently the grinder has been
cleaned? If oily beans are used, the grinder and doser parts should
be cleaned once every month.
5- Fully automatic machines do not
need powdery grind. Check fineness of coffee grounds
frequently. Feel the coffee pucks for the fineness. Check the
fineness frequently. It should be like the table salt grain. Powdery
coffee results in over extraction. As a result Espresso will be
bitter and without crema. The load of pumping water increases
tremendously on the pump and life of the pump will be shortened.
6- The extraction time with pre-infusion
in fully automatic home models is much shorter ( 12 to 14
seconds for 2 Oz.) than in traditional machines. (Do not pay
attention to exchange of information on various forums. Those
discussions are for commercial machines).
7- If you like Cafe Americana, increase
the quantity by adding hot water instead from the
machine. Avoid extended extraction time as it will burn the
coffee grounds and coffee will be bitter.
8- For stronger espresso, reduce the
amount of water per shot instead of increasing the dose of coffee
grounds.
If one shot of 2-Oz espresso
is not enough, use two or three shots. Careless increase of coffee
in automatic machines can damage the brew drive
gears.
9- Do not leave the home espresso machine
"ON" when not in use. The commercial traditional machines are left
on 24 hours for different reasons that do not apply for home models.
Always turn the machine off using power switch (not by the sleep
mode switch).
