Coffee has been a staple part of our daily lives for several years. However, it is unreal how reliant we sometimes are on our daily shot of espresso that sometimes we cannot even imagine a world where we can’t grab a cuppa in the morning. Hence, it is not surprising to find commercial espresso machines in almost every office building, not to mention the numerous cafes and coffee shops all over the city.
Seeing that this is the case, it is illogical that some of us have a cuppa every day yet do not know how a commercial espresso machine works:
The water and pump
Any kind of espresso, irrespective of the type of espresso machine, starts with water. Water is either taken from a small reservoir or directly from a standard plumbed mains connection. These reservoirs work fine for small volumes; however, a frequent-use professional machine needs a reliable piped source. This means that a good espresso needs water that is clean and without too much mineral content. Water supplied at the normal household pressure simply does not have enough force to make its way through a condensed coffee puck in the way that produces an espresso. This is where the pump comes in.
In any modern espresso machine, an electric pump is used to create the requisite pressure. This means that espresso needs about 9 bars or 130 PSI of pressure. In comparison, most car tires are required to be between 30 and 35 PSI.
There are generally two common types of espresso machine pumps. Normally, commercial espresso machines usually feature complex rotary pumps to supply this constant pressure. Particularly, this type of pump uses a rotating electrically powered mechanical disc. In addition, these domestic machines often have a vibration pump, which then uses an electromagnetic coil to push and pull a piston, allowing the vibration pumps to only create pressure when you pull the shot.
The boiler
An espresso machine’s boiler is completely responsible for heating the water in the system. This means professional machines usually have a double boiler system, ensuring that they have one particularly dedicated boiler for brewing and one expressly for use with the steam wand.
These double boilers solve the problem of having different temperature needs. That means the water for brewing should be at least 93℃ (200℉), and it is required to reach hit 100℃ (212℉) for steam.
The Group Head and Portafilter
There are essentially different types of group heads; however, they are all made up of the same basic parts in various configurations. Therefore, this is where you will find the portafilter—which is the metal filter basket that holds the ground coffee. The group head also includes a portafilter lock—a pressure switch—and a channel to allow water to move to the portafilter from the boiler.
Nowadays, two major types of group heads are saturated and semi-saturated. The former are exposed to the boiler. These saturated group heads quickly come to the same temperature as the brewing water because they are essentially an extension of the boiler, flooded with hot water. Therefore, they are made stable in terms of temperature.
At Koffeeone, we are focused on providing premier coffee machines that are fitted with the latest upgrades in technology to ensure that you get a great cuppa on your way to work or during your day. We do our very best to distribute the world’s finest commercial coffee machines, grinders, etc., that are available to be supplied to cafes and offices all over the country. Contact us now to place your orders!!