Pod problems

Those of you who use coffee pods to make your espresso based drinks will find them clean and convenient to use, and in low volume food service accounts we find that they work very well in ensuring a consistent standard of drink. I know that may upset the purists by my saying this, however sometimes it is a case of "horses for courses"

A problem that has been brought to my attention in the last few weeks is the apparent slowing down of the flow of water through the coffee pod. Instead of the usuals 20 seconds or so, one individual found that it was taking up to a minute to extract an espresso. What was going on?

The immediate reaction is to believe that the grinding of the coffee has changed, not an unreasonable thought. However becuase of the tight tollerances needed by the pod packing machine to make pods this is almost certainly the least likely problem.

Clearly the next areas to check are things like pump pressure and if the spray plate is clean. Both of these issues can be checked easily with the group handle removed. If the spray plate appears blocked it will be a case of taking it out and cleaning. Once clean you'll get a better idea if the coffee pump is functioning properly. If the pump isn't functioning properly, then it could be time for a new machine, it's difficult to replace this part cost effectively.

However the solution to the problem that I expreienced is not in the group head, but in the group handle. Although the insert that the pod sits in can appear clean I have found that the holes can become blocked with micro particles of coffee which are particularly difficult to remove. This fact was clearly demonstrated when we removed what looked like a perfectly clean insert and replaced it with a brand new insert. Hey presto! everything started to work correctly again.

Replacement inserts for domestic machines are not supplied as standard, so you will either need to talk to your local store, or hopefully go on-line and get the part that way.

Enjoy that espresso!