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Introduction |
Picture yourself living in a small studio apartment. It is 8 p.m; you open the door and see your 300 pound neighbor standing there. Behind him is a truck load of his stuff and he informs you with no uncertain terms: "Step aside espresso boy, I'm moving in with you! Oh, and I'm also bringing in my goat." Well, that's what happened to the Expobar Office Lever, which was transformed into Brewtus.
Expobar used an existing machine, designed to house a single boiler, and added to it another boiler and a control box, plus all the additional wires and tubing. The Brewtus under the hood is crowded. The good news is that it is not as crowded as I feared it might be, and the wires are neatly tucked together. As to the machine components, Expobar uses standard parts. No parts have specifically been designed for the Expobar Brewtus. If Expobar goes out of business tomorrow or discontinues this line, you can still get a replacement for any failing part by buying it from a standard part distributor.
Routine maintenance is a normal part of owning a high-end espresso machine, such as adjusting brew pressure or inspecting the cause of a problem. Over the years you may need to replace parts that wear out in time, such as a failing thermostat or water pump. I ask myself these questions regarding the machine's materials and workmanship: What is the quality of the machine's components and how well the machine is assembled? How accessible are the parts a user may need to adjust or replace? Let's look at these considerations in turn.
Expobar has the reputation for delivering equipment at the lowest price. For example, the Expobar Control has been the highest value-for-dollar prosumer machine available in the US for several years. They accomplish this by focusing their costs on the practical, business-end of espresso equipment, namely a big boiler and a beefy group. Niceties like a brew pressure gauge are omitted to keep the cost low. Looking over the Brewtus you will see these same conscious choices of investing costs where it delivers the biggest bang for the buck. For example, don't look for fancy steam knobs and two portafilters with every unit.
The Brewtus features standard, reliable, medium-grade components. Again, we are dealing here with a compromise to fit a machine within a certain budget. However, some owners report spotty attention to details. Some examples:
I believe Expobar can improve the machine without raising its price.
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OPV adjustment |
Accessing the interior of the machine is simple.
This may look a lot of steps, but it is a three minute job. However, if you need free access to the machine from all sides, you will also need to remove the water tank panel, on the left side of the machine using a 3mm Allen wrench. You can buy a set of metric wrenches at your local store for less than twenty dollars, or pick one up individually at Sears and most Ace Hardware stores for a few dollars.
The most common adjustment a user will make under the hood is brew pressure adjustment. This adjustment is done by turning the over-pressure valve (OPV) adjustment screw clockwise to increase pressure, and counter-clockwise to decrease it. The OPV is attached to the pump and controls the pumps maximum pressure. For that, there is no need to disassemble the tray panel, and a tug with one hand on the OPV assembly reveals the OPV white adjustment screw. With a small flat-head screwdriver, a user can adjust the valve.
As to replacing parts, that depends on what need replacing. For example, replacing the pressurestat is very straightforward. Both boilers stand upright and the pressurestat is easily accessible. However, if the pump need replacement, allow more time to handle the repair since it is more difficult to access. It requires turning the machine on its side, and accessing a difficult-to-reach fitting hidden under and behind the boilers. Don't worry too much though; should repairs be necessary, WholeLatteLove technical support will guide you with step-by-step instruction, plus the knowledgeable members of the Brewtus Group are only a mouse click away.
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