We have put together the following ‘Top Tips’ to help you brew better and look after your machine, however, you can find the full technical specification here.
FILTERED WATER IS ESSENTIAL
If you are using your FETCO batch brewer in ‘manual’ mode (filling from a jug in the top) then you absolutely must use filtered water. Filtered water has a reduced water hardness, so your coffee tastes better and avoids limescale build up inside your machine. Scale buildup will cause a malfunction and invalidate your warranty.
USE A MEASURED VOLUME OF WATER
We will generally supply a measuring jug with your brewer. 2L is the maximum volume that can be poured in and will brew a full 1.9L jug, as some water is retained in the used grounds. If you pour in more than 2L the brewer will leak.
You can brew a half jug by pouring in 1L and adjusting the weight of coffee accordingly to 60g.
CHANGING YOUR FETCO TO ‘AUTOMATIC’ OPERATION
Your FETCO batch brewer can be connected to a mains water supply via an in-line water filter, making it quicker and easier to operate. There is no need to draw filtered water from a separate source and brewing starts with a tap of the touchscreen. Setup is straightforward, provided a plumber has made available a threaded water main tap close to the machine, with an appropriate 3/8 or 3/4 inch ‘male’ connection. We suggest your filter is changed annually and we will monitor your usage and remind you when it needs changing.
THE ALL IMPORTANT GRIND CONSISTENCY
A tasty brewed coffee depends on the water moving through the basket of coffee grounds at the correct speed – we describe this as ‘extraction’. Generally you should work to 60g of ground coffee for each litre of water. We recommend starting with 110g for a full brew into the 1.9 litre vacuum serve jugs. Then you may adjust to taste.
If the grind is too fine the water can’t flow through the coffee and will fill up in the filter paper and escape over the top. The brewed coffee may have grounds in it and it will certainly taste flat and slightly bitter. This is over-extraction. Another indication of too fine a grind is that the used grinds may look ‘swampy’ in the basket and the filter paper will be dirty to the top. You should see a nice flower shape in the used grinds as per the image and the paper dirtied to no more than 150mm above the grinds.
If the grind is too course the water will flow through too quickly and not dissolve all the flavours from the coffee. This is called under-extraction and your coffee will likely be thin in body and taste a little sour. Taste is really the only marker here.
FILTER PAPERS
We supply filter papers that are the correct height and weight for your FETCO batch brewer and basket. Other filter papers may affect the speed of extraction or not fit your basket. We can deliver additional filter papers with your next coffee delivery should you require.
VACUUM SERVING JUGS
Keeps coffee fresh and hot for hours without a hotplate. The specially designed vacuum serving jugs keep your coffee hot and fresh for a long period of time without using a hotplate, which destroys the coffee taste. They ensure coffee is kept at drinking temperature for up to eight hours but tastes best up to 2-3 hours.
Always seal your vacuum serving jug lid correctly before brewing – align the printed arrows and rotate a quarter turn clockwise. If you don’t seal the lid correctly your coffee will cool very quickly.
CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE
Your FETCO batch brewer requires little maintenance. We’d suggest a descale every two years, which we will remind you of.
Your vacuum serving jugs should be rinsed daily with soapy water then fresh water thoroughly. Do not put in a dishwasher. Over time the metal skin on the inside of your vacuum serving jugs will become tainted by the coffee. Depending on use and how long coffee is left in the jugs, the inside will turn from a silver to gold; then brown. Any brown residue will taint your fresh coffee and should be cleaned. We supply sachets of cleaning power – half a sachet should be mixed in the jug filled with hot water and left to stand for 30 mins. Then the cleaning agent should be rinsed out with a brush or sponge and plenty of fresh water. The inside of your jug should return to a bright stain-free silver colour. You shouldn’t need to do this more than every couple of months if you’re rinsing daily and not leaving coffee in the serving jugs overnight.
