4 Group La Marzocco Rebuild

Recently Coffee Physics was challenged with the task of rebuilding the 4 group La Marzocco Linea. It's an understatement to say that this espresso machine gets a lot of use, with coffee lines 30 people deep slinking out the door on a summer day, this La Marzocco gets put through some of the highest volume usage I have seen an espresso machine go through. Not to say that the owner doesn't love their espresso machine, they do, but from time to time a million mile check up has to be done.

This machine was taken all the way down to the frame. The only thing that was not rebuilt, repaired, or replaced was the main power switch and the CPU deck.

Like any high usage espresso machine, it was dusty, with some hardened wiring, there was some scale in the boilers and in the copper lines, signs of a couple of degraded gaskets, but no serious defects. Then I set to work taking it down to the frame.













The coffee boilers, group heads, and all the copper tubing got an acid bath to eat away any build up of hard water deposites and to generally clean up the surfaces to mate with new gaskets and seals.











Once all the mechanical hardware and boilers were back in place, I installed the wiring and the upper front panel, complete with new button pads and manual switches. all the body panels got a little polish, but the authentic patina created by years of steady use still shows through.

It was a pleasure to preform such a thorough rebuild.

rp

Coffee: From the Grounds Up

Tonight was my first session at UW "From the Grounds Up" series.
Guest speaker: Mark Pendergrast, author of Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How it Transformed Our World
http://www.nasw.org/users/markp/grounds.html

Full house! It was exciting to hear from a researchers perspective about the coffee industry - general culture, social & environmental impact...Mark was witty and charismatic. I wish we had more time to listen, learn and engage on a personal level. I already have my trip to Oaxaca on my "list" but tonight's lecture definitely moved it up on my priorities.

We're all aware of the market value of the black gold but it was fascinating to hear some hard facts that prove how easily this thing I love can be too much to handle.

I vow to be a smart and compassionate coffee connoisseur - enjoy and not destroy.

I can't wait for the next session.

Self-proclaimed coffee geek,
Gustavo

Hi/Lo's from Portland, OR

U.S. Barista Championship -
Just amazed by the talent of the baristas...and the creativity! Their knowledge and their passion was inspiring. Great to see how many folks in the community were out to support - made for a fun event. The energy in the room was contagious - could that have been the caffeine buzz? Maybe. It was sad to get to the finals and have no PNW representation, but now I have to visit Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea next time we're in Los Angeles, CA or Chicago, IL - they rocked it out! Congratulations to the 2009 US Barista Champion - Mike Phillips, heading to Atlanta, GA to represent the United States.

Barista Prom at Bossanova -
The event definitely proved to be a great way to end a very long day for the semi-finalists - and fans. Gustavo represented CP well...he got down with a blues tune by The Doors. He had several groupies by the night's end. It proved to be the BEST Prom ever!!!

Visit w/our Portland family & friends -
As always, thank you all for the hospitality. We always have a blast in P-town. Good biz, good talks & good memories to fill a blog ;) Seriously, we love you all. See you soon!


Grab a cup, pour the coffee and let caffeine jump start your week!
Gustavo
Coffee Physics Team

Message for Starbucks friends

To All of our friends at The Bucks,
We wish you the best of luck getting through another tough day.
Please keep us posted on your work status - and let us know if there is anything we can do help.

Warm wishes,
Gus and Maria

We are fine in 2009

Many of our friends and family keep checking in with us to make sure CP is resisting the economic downturn...Out of fear that there is not enough wood in the world to knock on, we often respond with "we're hanging in there, we're okay, everything is great".

The truth is, we ARE fine but we ARE cautiously optimistic that services will continue to be in demand as customers hold on to their coffee equipment longer than they had in the past. It is no longer the gilded age! Not everyone is in the position to purchase and replace equipment every 12 months and that's alright, that's better than alright. It's great! No excessive cost and unnecessary waste.

We are very excited to be of service and effectively assist our customers in saving money. What a concept - a service & repair company that wants customers to have less repair calls...Quality vs Quantity? We say YES, we can ;)

The absolute fundamental aim is to make money out of satisfying customers. - Sir John Egan

As for all of our friends & family...how are you? We wish you all much love, patience and luck as we all move forward in 2009 and beyond.

Keeping in touch,
Coffee Physics Team

Recession-friendly service

It's official, as if we all didn't already "feel it" - we are in a recession.
The state of our economy is the outcome of bad behavior by many but now we all are paying for it.

We know how tough it is to keep up with rising costs of products, gas and taxes...and we don't want to pass on the pain to our customers.

The best way to avoid high-cost repair on your equipment is to be proactive!

There are two simple ways to take action today:

• Preventative maintenance - Sometimes used as a buzz term by larger organizations but it's a concept that should not be lost during this tough economic environment.

  Straightforward way to avoid problems with your equipment...and spending too much on emergency issues.

  
  
• Training - Make sure you and your staff has the latest education...know how to handle your coffee equipment properly to avoid costly mistakes. Too many times are we called out to work on a machine that simply could have been used properly (and cleaned) without consequence.

  We like to visit all of our customers and be the "heroes" of the day, but not if it's impacting their bottom line.

Remember, we're a coffee equipment training, service & repair company - all elements have their place in our efforts to help you deliver the highest quality cup of coffee.


Recession-friendly,
Coffee Physics Team

Happy Turkey Day

Thanksgiving...CP is giving thanks for the kindness, goodwill, support and counsel we've received in the past 6 months since inception.

We are humbled by the friends and family that believe in Coffee Physics - believe in us.

We believe in working towards something bigger than what was started without compromising quality and service. We believe that we'll know when to slow down and when to simply be grateful. We know we always have to give back to move forward. ** I think I just wrote our mission statement **

We are so very thankful for the opportunity.

Back in December.