The Espazzola fits most professional and semi-professional machines.
Whether or not the Espazzola is compatible with your machine can be easily checked by comparison with your portafilter and the tamper diameter. Further details can be found in our webshop.
The cleaning of group-heads in compatible lever espresso machines with the Espazzola is very easy and efficient.
Since the rim of the group-heads of hand lever machines are narrower in most models than those of pump driven machines, mounting of the Espazzola into the group-head is somewhat more difficult during first uses.
To make things easier it is helpful to bend the wire clips serving as cams downward. This can be done by pressing the seated clips sideways against the edge of a table.
The Espazzola is shipped in by far the most frequently used configuration with two cam clips on the sides of the cup.
However, you can easily convert the Espazzola for machines with two angled or even three cams on the portafilter. >Here< you will find the instructions.
When used with care, the Espazzola will be usefull for years to come. On closer inspection, however, one must distinguish between the membrane (the flexible ‘inset’) and the cup with the handle.
The membrane is a wearing part and will often last for about two years and is available individually as a spare part. At some point it will tear - but still remain usable in many cases. If used properly, the cup and the handle can be used for much longer periods of time.
For both parts, careful handling significantly increases durability. If you make sure to push the Espazzola all the way up into the brewing group before turning it counterclockwise and make sure not to use any force (never necessary for cleaning), you will be rewarded with a much increased service life.
In overload situations, the wire clips can jump out of their seatings or can get bent. You can avoid this by making sure that the Espazzola is pushed all the way up into the grouphead before locking. You can find more details in this frequently asked question: >Why do the wire clips get sometimes damaged?<.
You can find replacements for the wire clips in our >shop< at the end of the product list.
Please note: each Espazzola is shipped with three wire clips. If you only use two clips on the cup, you already have a spare clip! It is included in the bag in which the Espazzola was packed in.
The wire clips on the cup spring out of their seatings if an overload occurs. This is deliberate and intentional, as these parts are the easiest to replace.
This overload usually occurs when the Espazzola is locked into the group head before it has been pushed all the way up into it. The wire clip is then still in the cut-out in the edge of the brewing group and is pressed against the metal edge.
It is therefore important to push the Espazzola all the way up into the brew group before locking, past the first resistance. The wire clips are then situated completely in the groove in the brew group and are not damaged when locking.
So please make sure that you push the Espazzola all the way up when inserting it into the brew group before locking it!
The cleaning agents of all common manufacturers are compatible with the materials used in the Espazzola and can be used together with our tools without any problems.
However, with the Espazzola the group-head will get clean quickly and easily even without the use of chemical agents. We therefore recommend that no additional detergents are used.
The shape of the Espazzola prevents pressure from building up inside the cup. This is intentional because the plastic would not withstand the high internal pressure and would burst. That’s why you can’t backflush with the Espazzola.
However, we do think that back-flushing with successive bursts at short intervals is not very efficient. The chemical detergents used in this process take at least several minutes, rather hours, to dissolve the stubborn coffee deposits attached to the inside of the shower screen and to the walls of the water supply pipes. In the usual back-flushing process, however, the cleaning solution only remains in the brewing group for a few seconds and is therefore largely ineffective.
We recommend cleaning the group-head daily, possibly several times a day, with the Espazzola alone. We use back-flushing with detergents only at longer intervals (approximately once a week) and we leave the water with the dissolved detergents in the group-head for at least several minutes after the first burst, then rinse thoroughly. In our experience, the group-head remains significantly cleaner with considerably less effort this way.
PLEASE NOTE: In case of prolonged exposure, lubricating greases can also be removed from the hydraulic valves. This can result in increased mechanical wear. If in doubt, please ask the manufacturer of your espresso machine.
We recommend rinsing the Espazzola with clear water after use.
If necessary, it can also be easily cleaned in the dishwasher. Alternatively, the Espazzola can be soaked in a cleaning solution with one of the usual cleaning agents for group-heads.