Too Much Coffee

Hi guys,

I recently began running a mobile espresso cart in London and due to some local politics have lost my electricity supply. My Brasilia Majore is also gas powered but regardless of how many adjustments I make I can't get a strong blue flame - only a sooty yellow one. Does anyone know what might be going wrong? Airflow and gas flow rates have been adjusted already. My machine supplier has not been able to help which is very useful!

It sounds like your machine is set up for natural gas rather than butane/propane. You will need to get a different set of jets from Brasilia. Write them directly about the problem.

Thanks Bruce. The machine is advertised as LPG powered but I will definitely drop them a line.

RobLockyear wrote:Thanks Bruce. The machine is advertised as LPG powered but I will definitely drop them a line.

Rob, as strange as it sounds, LPG is not always LPG. Throughout the world "bottled gas" varies in consistency and in burning properties. In addition to propane and butane it may contain isobutanes, propenes, isobutenes and butenes.

I bought a Miele cooking hob for the kitchen and it came set up for natural gas, but had a set of LPG jets that worked terribly. I called Miele and told them the numbers of the jets and they said that those were meant only for South America and they sent me the proper set for northern Europe. The orifices of the European ones were smaller and worked better. I don't know if that is of any significance to you or not.

On the other hand I remember our deceased friend Danny McNulty saying that few espresso machines worked well with gas. He used one in his first cart, but always looked for an electric hookup because the boiler heated much faster on electric.

Welcome to TMC Rob . I hope you get the problem sorted.

Welcome to TMC Rob.

Thanks for the welcome guys. I will have a look down the "jet" alley and see if that makes a difference. It is amazingly frustrating to be sold a machine and have no technical support available. Really gets my goat! The empty shop on my street is starting to look quite tempting now. Nice La marzocco, stable temps, running water, electricity... that would be the life!

Nice and warm too ..... go on go on, you know you want to ......