Thank you for purchasing the LUCCA A53 dual boiler espresso machine. In this manual, you should find everything you to need to operate and maintain your machine. Please read carefully before using your machine. And if we've missed anything, you always know how to contact us. Let's get started!
!! NOTE: ALWAYS KEEP YOUR ORIGINAL PACKAGING IN CASE OF RETURN FOR SERVICE !!
Machine Description
Included Accessories
- 1 portafilter bottomless
- 1 portafilter 2 spouts
- 1 triple basket (20-22g max)
- 1 double basket (16-18g max)
- 1 blind filter
- 1 cleaning brush
- 1 spare gasket
- 1 spare set of shower scresns
- 1 tamper (plastic)
- 1 instruction manual
IMPORTANT
Take note of the water quality requirements for espresso machines. This is imperative for the
function and longevity of your machine. The water mineral content should be between 5 and
50ppm and the water must not be distilled, deionized or reverse osmosis treated. Read more about the importance of water quality on the Clive blog.
TECHNICAL DATA
|
Power |
2050 W |
|
Water Tank |
3L |
|
Dimensions (in) W x D x H |
15.7 x 16.3 x 15.1 |
|
Net Weight |
65lbs |
FIRST TIME UNBOXING AND SETUP
INSPECT BOX FOR DAMAGE
When you receive your LUCCA A53, please inspect the box it came in for damage. If you notice that your box is damaged, or any other damages as you set up your machine, please contact us at support@clivecoffee.com at your earliest convenience to troubleshoot. Any damage must be reported to us within 3 business days so that we can begin the process to resolve.
PLACE MACHINE ON YOUR COUNTER FOR INSPECTION
Once you’ve inspected your box, lift machine out of the box and place it on counter. Having two people lift the machine is very helpful. After the machine is on the counter, remove the bag covering the machine and inspect the machine for damages. If you see any damage, call us right away. We highly recommend holding onto the box and shipping supplies inside the box in the event you need to ship or stow your machine.
WATER QUALITY AND FILLING WATER TANK
Remove the softening pouch from water tank and fill the water tank up to the line two inches from the top of the tank. It is very important to use properly filtered and softened water for your espresso machine. You can test your water hardness using the water test strips provided with the machine. The ideal water hardness for an espresso machine is 50 ppm. If you have any questions about water quality please check our importance of water and your machine guide.
SETTING UP MACHINE
- Once you’ve filled your water tank with properly softened and filtered water plug your machine into your power outlet.
- The machine comes standard with a 20 amp plug but also has an adapter for regular three prong kitchen outlets. When the machine is plugged in the LUCCA light will illuminate and the power light will flash, signifying the machine is in standby mode.
- While the machine is in standby mode, with the water tank in place, hold down the power button and the hot water button(top right). This will turn the pump on and draw water from the water tank into the brew boiler. Once four ounces of water has ran through the coffee boiler you can release the power and hot water button.
- To turn machine on hold the power button down for three seconds. The power light will now be constantly illuminated the boiler light will flash, the 95 light will flash and the machine will begin automatically filling the steam boiler. Anytime the machine notices the steam boiler has had more than one ounce leave through the steam tip or hot water tap the steam boiler will automatically refill. The steam boiler is now refilling from being completely drained so it will take around 30 seconds for it to fill to the correct level.
- The machine will now begin heating. The numeric lights running horizontally across the control panel signify the heat of the coffee boiler, the 95 light will flash until the coffee boiler has reached operating temperature. The flashing boiler light signifies the heat of the steam boiler, the boiler light will flash until it has reached operating temperature as well.
- When the machine is in standard operating mode, the top right button draws water through the steam tap. Tapping it once toggles the steam tap on and will draw out about eight ounces unless tapped again to toggle the steam tap off. The hot water tap will only draw water once the steam boiler has begun building pressure. Holding down the boiler button for five seconds will turn off the steam boiler, turning its light off. Holding the boiler button down for five seconds while it is off will turn the steam boiler back on and turn the boiler light on. If the boiler light is off, you will not be able to froth milk. It is normal for the boiler light to occasionally flash very briefly once the machine is warmed up.
- The one cup and two cup buttons on the left side of the control panel are for brewing espresso. They are both preset to dose about 1.5 ounces of espresso when pulling a shot. If your first few attempts at drawing a shot seem very far off in terms of the amount of espresso coming out before the machine stops, see the programming mode below on how to program volumetric dosing.
- At this point your machine is set up and ready for use. Now you’ll get to dial in your grinder and begin pulling shots. Your grinder should come with a user manual, describing how to adjust the grind coarser and finer to get your espresso dialed in for the shot desired.
View our Espresso Machine Brewing Guide for tips on getting started with pulling great shots!
PROGRAMMING MODE
When the machine is in standard operating mode, hold down the power button for five seconds; this will make the power light flash as well as the 95 light. To leave programming mode, tap the power button one more time and it will stop flashing and return to normal operation. From programming mode you can adjust multiple functions on the machine.
Tapping the hot water button in programming mode will bring the machine up one degree Celsius until it comes back down. The “95” preset is closer to 94 degrees Celsius. So illuminating the “100” light will set the brew boiler at 95 degrees Celsius, 105 at 96 degrees, etc.
Tapping the one cup or two cup button will begin to change the volumetric dose set for the button pressed. In order to accurately change the volumetric dose, you will need a portafilter with coffee in the group head to slow down the flow of water so the machine can accurately read how much water is desired per dose. Once you have the desired amount of espresso, tap the button you are currently programming again to stop the shot and save the new volumetric dose. If you attempt to change the volumetric dose without a portafilter with a puck in place, you will not get accurate dosing results.
VOLUMETRIC DOSE PROGRAMMING
The programmable volumetric dosing feature allows programming of the Single Cup and Double
Cup buttons to dispense set quantities of espresso.
Many users only pull double shots and program the double shot button for 1.5-2.0 oz for that
purpose. Then they program the single cup button for a larger amount for use in backflushing the
group or pulling shots manually. The beauty of the programmable dosing feature is that the
machine owner can be creative.
PROGRAMMING INSTRUCTIONS:
- With the machine on, press the Power button and keep it pressed for about three seconds;
- the Standby light and the light indicating the set temperature will start flashing.
- Fill portafilter with freshly ground coffee and press with a 53mm coffee tamper.
- Attach portafilter to group head and place a measuring cup under the portafilter.
- By pressing the Single Cup button the delivery starts and the 85-90-95 temperature
- indicators light up to show that the one-shot espresso dose is being programmed.
- When the coffee inside the cup has reached the desired quantity, press the Single Cup button
- again to stop the delivery.
- To lock the setting into memory, press the Power button once (do not hold). This will take you
- out of programming mode.
- Repeat steps above using the Double Cup button making sure you use freshly ground coffee
- in the portafilter. During programming of the Double Cup button the 100-105-110 temperature
- indicators will light up.
Take a look at our video on how to program volume here.
15 AND 20 AMP MODE
The machine has an optional 15 and 20 amp mode, set by Clive at 15 amp unless otherwise noted by customer. In 15 amp mode, the machine will only heat one boiler at a time, first heating the coffee boiler and then the steam boiler. In 20 amp mode, the machine will heat both boilers at the same time.
To change the machine between 15 and 20 amp, turn the machine off and remove the top panel from the machine by removing the phillips screw in the circular hole on the top panel and lifting the panel out. From here you can see inside the machine and flip the two-way switch in the back right corner of the machine to the desired setting.
Machine Care & Maintenance
The place we want to start is with water and detergent backflushing. We recommend a water backflush on any day the machine is used, but if you can just manage once a week that will be fine as well. Detergent backflushing we recommend about once a month for E61 machines.
The steps:
- Insert blind filter and add up to 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) of Full Circle wash. Lock your portafilter into the group head.
- Activate brew cycle for 10 seconds and allow the machine to release pressure. Repeat 5-8 times, depending on how dirty your grouphead is.
- Remove portafilter. Activate brew cycle and rinse portafilter in stream of water from group head. Stop cycle.
- Insert blind filter. Lock your portafilter into group head again, this time with a clean blind filter without the cleaner. Repeat step 2 to rinse and make sure no detergent residue is left.
- Make and discard a shot of espresso (only for detergent backflush).
- Soak filters and metal portion of portafilter (do not submerge plastic handle) for 30 minutes in 1 teaspoon (6 g) of Full Circle powder per 32 oz. (1 L) of hot water.
- Rinse with water and put filters back (only for detergent backflush).
Once you incorporate backflushing into a monthly maintenance routine, the 5 extra minutes it takes to show your machine some love will save both your taste buds and your wallet but even a backflushing routine can’t clean out everything on the other side of your dispersion screen. However, a little scrubbing or a new dispersion screen can make a world of difference in the cup produced by your machine. The process of removing your dispersion screen and cleaning your machine is a simple one that we recommend once a week as a part of maintaining your machine and creating a quality cup of espresso. Below we will explore the removal of the different kinds of screens, cleaning and reinstalling.
Remove the screen
Central hex screw: Machines hold their dispersion screen in place in different ways. Some espresso machines like the A53 and Vivaldi have a hex screw in the center of the screen, holding it in place. With those machines, you can loosen the nut with the correct size wrench, 7mm in the case of La Spaziale machines, and once it is loosened it will unthread the rest of the way by hand, removing the screen with it.
Once you’ve removed your screen you can scrub all the built-up grime out of the inside of your group head and screen. To get all the unwanted build up out of your group we recommend a warm, wet rag and a Pallo brush. The rag will help to loosen up any hardened coffee grounds and debris inside the group head and screen. After you’ve scrubbed the screen and group with a rag give them a good scrubbing with a brush and use the rag again to clean out the leftovers.
We definitely recommend watching out to not use a brush with hard bristles on the screen as it can cause inconsistencies in how it disperses the water and give you channeling every time you pull shots with that screen in place.
Usually, between one and two years we recommend a new screen entirely, but the dual screens on the La Spaziale A53 and Vivaldi; so long as they are correctly cleaned with a soft brush and not bent when reinserting to the group they are known to evenly disperse water for years.
Tools you will need:
- Pallo Brush
- 7mm wrench
- Replacement Gasket - if necessary
- Towel
- Portafilter
Scrub the screen
Once you’ve removed your screen you can scrub all the built up grime out of the inside of your group head and screen. To get all the unwanted build up out of your group we recommend a warm, wet rag and a Pallo brush. The rag will help to loosen up any hardened coffee grounds and debris inside the group head and screen. After you’ve scrubbed the screen and group with a rag give them a good scrubbing with a brush and use the rag again to clean out the leftovers.
We definitely recommend watching out to not use a brush with hard bristles on the screen as it can cause inconsistencies in how it disperses the water and give you channeling every time you pull shots with that screen in place.
Some machines have an internal dispersion plate that is removable as well as an external dispersion screen, these plates are removable and also will need to be cleaned as they can have coffee grind build up over time.
So long as they are correctly cleaned with a soft brush and not bent when reinserting to the group, the dual screens on the La Spaziale A53 and Vivald are known to evenly disperse water for years.
Reinsert screen
Once the inside of your group and screen are pristine you can reinsert the screen the same way you removed it. When reinstalling a dispersion screen for a machine with a screw that holds it in place we recommend tightening it as tight as you can with your hand and testing the flow from the group head to make sure it is even. Generally, these screws do not have to be tightened past hand tight and doing so can cause the screen to warp, making them permanently damaged. However, if you notice inconsistent flow from the group after only tightening the nut hand tight go ahead and tighten it a half turn at a time and then retest the flow through the screen until it is even.
Now you're ready to start pulling shots! Check out our All About Coffee & Milk section to learn about steaming milk, latte art, our suggested starter espresso recipe, grinder dial-in tips and much more!
Helpful Links
All About Coffee & Milk | LUCCA A53 Articles | Water & Setup | Clive Blog
Espresso Machine Cleaning & Maintenance
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