PODcast #68 : Espresso Pods News

Welcome to The PODcast, PodMerchant's newsletter of espresso pod news, education, tips and deals. Back issues of The PODcast are available online.

Happy Father's Day!

Father's Day is one of my favorite holidays. Perhaps it's because I have such great kids. This year my daughter gave me this espresso cup that she had painted at a local Paint A Dream. I absolutely love it.

Espresso Elucidations

Espresso Machine Warm Up Time

So you turn on your espresso machine, wait for the boiler light to go out, and then pull a shot. Since the light is out (indicating that the current to the heater is off), it must be warmed up, right? Well, yes, that's true. But in all likelihood, the temperature is now too high. This is because the actual temperature has overshot the desired temperature. Now the boiler will cool down until it once again hits the set-point (desired temperature) and the heater comes back on. And so on. Each time the temperature over or under-shoots a bit less until, at last, we have a reasonably stable temperature about the set-point.

This fundamental problem of temperature control is addressed with PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative (You do remember your calculus don't you?)) temperature controls, as can be found on the Ascaso Steel Uno. The PID temperature control produces a warm-up approximating the Ideal Warm-Up as shown in the above graph.

So how long should you wait before pulling a shot? I have no data to back this up, but an off-the-cuff answer is at least 30 minutes — 45 minutes would be better. Mind you, this is to achieve the goal of optimum temperature and is not mandatory. But for those of you seeking to improve the quality of your espresso shots, a prolonged warm-up period is a good idea.

PodMerchant News

Summer Sale!

If you haven't visited our online store recently you might not know that we're holding a Summer Sale. 10% the entire store. Your PODcast Coupon will work on top of that for even greater savings. So hurry on over and buy, buy, buy! (Sorry about that. I'm not much for writing advertising copy, but I thought I'd give it a try...)

Rewards Program

We plan to soon unveil a "Customer Rewards" program to reward customer loyalty. The plan as it currently sits involves accumulated points (like airline miles) that can be redeemed at checkout for reduction of the basket total or shipping costs. There is a possibility that this may replace our current rewards program — namely, the PODcast newsletter. Stay tuned. Feedback will be appreciated.

Caffe' del Doge Nero

Though we specialize in espresso pods, as you may know, we have recently been carrying select whole-bean coffees. I've been sampling these products, and I can recommend Doge Nero as a superb coffee. Which is also to say, it's the sort of coffee that I really like. Caffe' del Doge's single-origin coffees are likewise superior, but the Nero is a blend which is what I prefer, and based on our sales, it is also what the majority of our customers prefer.

Facebook

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PODcast Discount Coupon

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• The discount does not apply to illy Caffe' products.
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Keep on brew'n...


Kevin Garrett, The PodMerchant.