Keeping your cups, group handles and equipment warm
22 January 2021 by Matt Lawrence
Warmth.
Keeping your portafilter or group handle warm is a crucial little step when making your espresso. Why? Simple terms and in reality you really should be keeping all your equipment warm.
Cup Temperature
- The perfect espresso is usually served in a warm cup and sometimes in a glass. Espresso machines have a cup warmer, a heated tray on top of the machine where cups and glasses are stored and heated when not in use. If you need to use a cold cup, Its necessary you warm it first by rinsing it with hot water. All baristas keep their cups on the cup warmer. However, some place them upside down to keep out insects and dust. The perfect espresso is served in a cup or glass that is designed to absorb and retain heat. A heated cup performs two main functions
- 1) It insulates the espresso
- 2) It prevents the heat of the espresso from dissipating
Group Handles and Portafilters
Keep your group handle warm, before every drink rinse through your group head with your group handle in place, If your equipment is cold (Cup or portafilter) then you immediately reduce the temperature of the drink by 10 degrees, This obviously decreases the quality of the espresso by affecting the extraction process.
Keeping your group handle locked in your coffee machine when not in use is fine, Just be careful the handle is not ‘Fully locked over’ as this reduces the wear and tear on the seals on the inside of the group! Also be careful the handle is not locked into the coffee machine for a great considerable amount of time, Baristas have known the espresso to taste ‘metallic’ which transfers to the espresso although this is still a widely talked about topic and is a matter of enterprise standards.
Keeping your group handle warm has significant rewards, A major one being additional oils are released in the extraction of the espresso which in theory leads to a better crema.
Flushing the group head
To flush the group head, you simply turn on the extraction control for a few seconds before attaching the group handle to make an espresso. This is a good practice to adopt, particularly if you have not used the espresso machine for a while because it:
- Removes coffee bean residue from the shower
- Drains old, stale and cold water from the group
- Brings the temperature of the group closer to the temperature of the extraction water.
