Pressure-profiling commercial machine for cafés that take it seriously.
Care schedule
5 tasks for this machine.
Purge and wipe the steam wand
DailyMilk that dries inside the tip cooks onto the steel and will not brush off later. A wand cleaned within seconds of use stays clean indefinitely; one cleaned tomorrow needs soaking.
What you need
- A damp cloth kept only for the wand. A pin or the tip key for the holes. Milk-system detergent such as Rinza or Puly Milk for the weekly soak.
What goes wrong
- Wiping without purging, so milk stays inside the tip and sours. Letting the wand cool before wiping. Opening the tip holes out with a drill bit or a thick needle, which permanently ruins the steam pattern. Using the same cloth for the wand and the drip tray.
The procedure
- Purge the wand for two seconds immediately after steaming, before you pour the milk. That clears whatever got sucked back up into the tip.
4 more steps
The full procedure is in the app, along with a reminder when this is next due. Add the Strada EP to your shelf and it keeps track.
Get the appBackflush the group
WeeklyThe three-way valve lets you push water backwards through the shower screen and out to the drain, which is the only way to clear the oil and grounds that collect behind it. Neglect it and every shot picks up a stale, ashy edge no matter how good the coffee is.
What you need
- A blind, or blank, basket for your portafilter and a coffee detergent such as Cafiza or Puly Caff. About 3g of powder - a level scoop, not a heaped one.
What goes wrong
- Backflushing a machine with no three-way valve. Overdosing the detergent. Stopping after the detergent stage, so the next four shots taste of soap. Never brushing the screen, so the detergent lifts the oil and it settles straight back onto it.
The procedure
- Confirm your machine has a three-way solenoid valve. If running the pump with a blind basket makes water hiss out of the drain box, it does. Lever machines and most thermoblock machines do not, and forcing it pressurises the pump against a closed circuit.
5 more steps
The full procedure is in the app, along with a reminder when this is next due. Add the Strada EP to your shelf and it keeps track.
Get the appClean the shower screen
MonthlyThe screen and the recess above it hold a film of coffee oil that no amount of shot-pulling shifts. It is the most common reason a well-dialled machine slowly starts tasting muddy.
What you need
- A screwdriver or hex key for the screen bolt, a soft brush, and Cafiza or Puly Caff for the soak. A group brush for the underside.
What goes wrong
- Working on a hot group and burning a hand. Overtightening the bolt and dishing the screen. Soaking and refitting without brushing the recess, so the oil is still there. Losing track of the dispersion block's orientation.
The procedure
- Work with the machine off and the group cool enough to touch. The screen bolt sits directly over a hot boiler.
5 more steps
The full procedure is in the app, along with a reminder when this is next due. Add the Strada EP to your shelf and it keeps track.
Get the appCheck water treatment
Every 3 monthsOn a saturated-group or plumbed machine the maker's position is to prevent scale rather than dissolve it. Descaling one of these yourself can shift a flake into a gicleur or onto a probe and turn a service into a rebuild.
What you need
- Hardness test strips or a TDS meter. Whatever softener, resin cartridge or RO and remineralisation setup feeds the machine.
What goes wrong
- Running pure RO water and corroding the boiler. Changing cartridges on the calendar while the hardness reading says otherwise. Doing a DIY citric descale on a plumbed machine and dislodging scale into the group. Testing the treated water once at installation and never again.
The procedure
- Test the water going into the machine. Aim for roughly 50 to 100 ppm total hardness with 40 to 70 ppm alkalinity - soft enough not to scale, buffered enough not to corrode.
4 more steps
The full procedure is in the app, along with a reminder when this is next due. Add the Strada EP to your shelf and it keeps track.
Get the appReplace the group gasket
YearlyThe group gasket hardens and compresses with heat. A dead one leaks around the portafilter, makes the handle sit further and further clockwise, and lets pressure escape that should be going through the puck.
What you need
- The correct gasket for your group - 8mm or 8.5mm thickness for an E61, model-specific elsewhere. A gasket removal tool or a corkscrew. Food-safe silicone grease, optional.
What goes wrong
- Choosing thickness by guess instead of measuring the old one. Scarring the group seat with a screwdriver. Leaving fragments of the old gasket in the seat. Replacing on a schedule while ignoring the handle position, which is the actual indicator.
The procedure
- Confirm the diagnosis first. A gasket is finished when the portafilter handle has crept well past its original position, or when water weeps from the group during a shot.
5 more steps
The full procedure is in the app, along with a reminder when this is next due. Add the Strada EP to your shelf and it keeps track.
Get the app