Cool tool report – Cafelat grouphead brush

Cool tool report – Cafelat grouphead brush.  This is a tool that I would have never bought if it was not offered on Roaste, but on the other hand it was a tool I always wanted.  It is available at the following link through Roaste…

http://www.roaste.com/product/EspressoSupply/Cafelat-Espresso-Machine-Br...


It would not be a good purchase for a machine that is does not have a 58 mm group head (I don't think they have smaller sizes and it woudl not fit in a smaller group).  It is a fairly simple device.  It is a round circle of bristles that fits snugly in the group.  It gets the hard to reach parts up under the lip.  I am a clean freak and make sure that things are fairly immaculate in my group and most of it is easy to do between backflushing and a simple wipe down with a cloth or paper towel, but as you approach the edges under the rim it is harder to be thorough.  I take out a small brush and clean there regularly and it will do the trick.


The Cafelat brush will not clean anything that you cannot clean on your own with a much cheaper brush, but it does do it faster and makes it more fun.  Since the brush hits almost the entire circle at once instead of five percent of the circle like most brushes, it is easy to imagine that it will work about 20 times as fast.  I think this is probably true.  


Most of all it is, like every product I have used by Cafelat a well conceived, well built product that is nicer to use than you would anticipate before using it.  


The pros of the brush are that it is well built, durable, and works well.  The cons is simply the price tag.  It is expensive for a tool that you do not need, but that you will enjoy using.  I am glad I have one and I will not be giving it up.