All in a days work...

The life of a barista is more than just the glam of standing behind the espresso machine pumping out a steady stream of delicious drinks and doing rockstar style high kicks - it also means rolling up the sleeves and getting the hands dirty from time to time. At Evrgreen our espresso machine is the heart of the cafe, and its important to keep it in tip-top shape.


In the last 60 days roughly 18 000 drinks have exited our front door- about 70% of which have been produced by our machine "Big Red". Tonight it was time to give the old gal a break and do some much needed maintenance.

After steaming roughly 2400 litres of milk, it was time to take apart the steam wands and give them a good cleaning. Here (above) you see Jay working on the steam valve mechanism. Aside from rebuilding the steam valves we also replaced the water filtration cartridges which have filtered hundreds of litres of H20 - and gave the boiler a good flush to ensure that the water quality in your cup is top notch. Regular cleaning of the machine is a must for any barista serious about making great drinks.

Here you get a birds eye view of the inner working of the machine, at the centre of which is a 5000w boiler which delivers the steady stream of 202 degree water we use to make that delicious espresso you enjoy so much. So next time you're by Evrgreen, be sure to give big red a little pat on the back and say "keep up the good work!". I'm sure the encouragement will be appreciated!