Know the machine
What is on the outside
Three rocker buttons with a light under each, a steam knob on the right, and nothing else: no display, no menu, no pressure gauge. Tap a part to see what it does.
The names used here are the manual's: filter holder, brew button, drain pipe.
What is on the inside
One brass boiler sits on the group. A vibration pump feeds it, a fixed valve on the pump limits the pressure, and an electric three-way valve behind the group starts and stops the water.
Two more parts are inside: a one-shot thermal fuse clamped on top of the boiler, placed by eye in this model, and, on EU and UK machines, the 20-minute timer board beside the pump, which is not modelled.
One boiler, two temperatures
The same boiler makes coffee and steam, at two different temperatures. So there is a short wait between the two, and a step to do after steaming.
- Coffee: steam button off. Wait for the coffee temperature light.
- Steam: press the steam button and wait 15 to 20 seconds for the steam light. Steam for no more than 60 seconds: the manual warns that longer can empty the boiler.
- Hot water, and refilling: open the knob, then press the brew and steam buttons together.
- Back to coffee: steam button off, then run a cup of water through the group to cool the boiler. Otherwise, the manual says, the coffee may taste burnt.