When should I set up my espresso machine?

If you have an espresso machine which you use daily, then the only time you need to set this up is if you have a new variety of Two Chimps coffee!

Setting up your espresso machine is super important to get the most flavour out of each and every bean. If not, then the hard work that goes into producing coffees that taste amazing can be lost on a badly set up machine.

sitting on a sofa holding a mug of two chimps coffee

Our Coffees

Let’s look into what we do here at Two Chimps HQ. If your espresso machine isn’t set up correctly, then all of the following is lost too. Don’t worry; however, not only do we roast the best coffeebut were on hand to set up your espresso machine for you, giving you less to worry about.

We specially choose each of our coffees. We use only the highest grade speciality coffee, selected from a list that our importer supplies us. Once we have chosen coffees that we like the look of, we order samples, roast them and get the whole team involved in a cupping session. This way, we get to try before we buy to ensure we are getting only the best. This is great for team morale, as it means we get to hang out together and drink coffee, which is one of our favourite things to do!

The nature of our roles, and being a small family run business, often means that we spend time apart. Andy will be roasting; Laura will be preparing the orders. Matt will be shouting about us on social media. Vic will be looking after her wholesale customers. This means that when we get to come together as a team, it’s fun! This also means when choosing which coffees we like, four chimps are tasting and making a team decision. Chimps, assemble!

Cupping at Two Chimps HQ

Roasting

Because all of our coffees are individual and unique, they are all roasted slightly differently and have very different tasting notes. Some of our coffees are ideal for espresso with flavours of chocolate and nuts, whereas others are more suited to filter brew or cafetiere. Sounds confusing? Fear not, that’s what we are here for.

Once you’ve tasted our coffee and decided which is your fave, we will be on hand to set everything up for you. We’ll train any staff on the basics of using the machine as well. Once the machine is set, you won’t need to do this again. Unless you decide to change your coffee for a different Two Chimps variety!

Because we source our speciality coffee direct from smallholding farms, the harvest is usually quite small; therefore, we’ll change our coffee once it’s no longer available. This means that we are sourcing and roasting many wonderful different coffees from all over the world and supporting several different farms. Because speciality coffee is the best of the best, the price is a lot higher than if we bought commodity graded coffee. This means that the farmer receives more money for their hard work. Because the grade of coffee is so high, it is worth many times more than the Fairtrade or rainforest alliance minimum. Read more about Fairtrade vs Direct trade here.

roasting coffee

Are you new here?

If you’re a new business and have just bought or rented a brand spanking new espresso machine, then firstly, thank you for choosing Two Chimps Coffee! You have made a great choice. It’s best to get your espresso machine set up correctly before you start to use it. As part of our process for new customers, we come and spend some time with you setting up your machine. Once the initial set up has been done, you won’t need to go through all of this again. It will need to be tweaked now and again over time, but we will show you how to do this. It’s dead easy.

Setting up your machine

Setting up your machine correctly is very important. It is the thing that has the most significant effect on how your coffee is going to taste. If you are ordering your coffee as whole bean, it is just as vital to make sure you’re grinding the coffee to the right consistency.

Although you are receiving the best quality coffee, the way it’s brewed can be the difference between a great cup of coffee and a terrible cup of coffee. The last thing we want is for your customers to be left with a sour taste in their mouth!

Having a good quality on-demand grinder will help you achieve your perfect grind. The way we get to that delicious cup of coffee is to adjust these variables until we find that lovely sweet spot. If the coffee is ground too coarsely, this means the water will flow too quickly giving you a sour-tasting coffee. Not nice.

Similarly, if the coffee is ground too fine, the water takes too long to get through the beans, and you’ll end up with a bitter-tasting coffee. By working out the amount of coffee needed, the correct grind size and the perfect amount of water flow, we can create a delicious coffee every time.

Port filter espresso machine

Help is on hand

If you ever feel like you need more help setting your machine up once we’ve gone, we’ll more than happily pop back to see what’s happening and help you out. It’s all part of the service when you buy freshly roasted coffee from us.

Alternatively, we can grind your coffee for your espresso machine. This will ensure the perfect grind every time. It is a little more fiddly at your end to make sure the correct amount ends up in the portafilter.

We only grind to order, so your coffee will always be super fresh. We’d also recommend that you order little and often. This way you know it’s been freshly roasted and ground just before every delivery.  Here at Two Chimps we believe that fresh is best, and therefore choosing whole bean would guarantee that your coffee is the freshest it can be. Grinding yourselves is best if you can.

coffee being ground into a portafilter

One last point to mention which can affect the taste of your coffee is dirt! We recommend keeping your grinder and your machine in tip-top condition. This means cleaning regularly. It doesn’t have to be a pain either!

We recommend backflushing your group heads with cleaning granules that will clear the build-up of coffee residue and oils. It only takes a couple of minutes at the end of the day to ensure your machine is clean. Doing this will also help it live for longer.

hot water dripping from the shower head of an espresso machine

We also provide cleaning crystals which will help remove the build-up of oil on your grinder burrs. The burrs only need to be cleaned about once every two months. Easy! You can read more about cleaning right here.

If you have a question or need help – give us a call!

Get in touch

Join the troop