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Randy Phillips

@underground_mountain

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Western NC cafe equipment sales & service

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This latest restoration and customization belongs to @omiescoffee - their 20 year old @lamarzocco.usa Linea deserves special treatment. See the last pic for a before shot.

In addition to the custom 2 color powder coat, this machine got a royal makeover:
☕️ new Piero Capped coffee boiler
☕️ PID temperature control
☕️ barista lights
☕️ upgraded steam heat control
☕️ all new electrical components
☕️ built in shot timers
☕️ more accurate flow control
☕️ appropriate water filtration
☕️ kinda just new everything!

Special thanks to the crew at @steampunksrepair for making the installation successful and fun.

It’s important to reuse and recycle. It’s meaningful to have something that is as unique as your business. Something that is not made to be disposable. Something that can be a symbol of quality and legacy. The restorations that come through my shop are meant to be just that. I’m grateful to Omie’s for trusting the heart of their cafe to my care.

The folks at Omie’s and Steampunk’s were extra kind by masking for me in support of my compromised immune system. It was welcoming to feel included. Thank you for being thoughtful and supportive.

#espressorepair #espressotech #specialtycoffee
#madeinasheville #durham Randy Phillips and a newly restored La Marzocco Linea taken in Durham, North Carolina by @underground_mountain

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17 days ago

HIDDEN LAYER / Part 1 – Randy Phillips of @underground_mountain

Let’s get technical: coffee is a detail-oriented craft requiring years to master – whether you’re a producer, importer, roaster, trainer, barista, or cafe owner.

🔦 But there’s one coffee profession that often doesn’t get the spotlight it deserves: the independent coffee technician.

Since the first espresso machine, independent technicians have been on the frontlines of specialty coffee:
☕️ part barista
💧 part plumber
⚡️ part electrician
🎓 part educator
🤫 and a full-time machine whisperer.

🦸 For too long, coffee techs have been the unsung heroes of the industry. But they are literally under the counter of every successful coffee operation, combining their love for coffee and machine know-how into real value for every cafe under their wing.

Synesso is proud to spotlight this hidden layer of the coffee world – the technicians who are maintaining coffee equipment, supporting quality and excellence, and bringing lasting value to local coffee communities.

Recently, we sat down with Randy Phillips in Asheville to talk about what it’s like to be a technician and how @servicelayer formed.

#coffeetechnician #espressotech #espressomachine #espresso #espressomachinemaintenance #servicelayercoffee #servicelayer #specialtycoffee #cafeowner #coffeebar #coffeeshop taken in Asheville, North Carolina by @underground_mountain

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a year ago

#ashevillecoffee #espressotech #wnccoffee #avlcoffee #wnc taken in Asheville, North Carolina by @underground_mountain

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22 days ago

I gave my Game Boy Advance some upgrades.

WARNING: This content doesn’t feature espresso repair.

My old GBA SP was tired:
🎮 dim display
🎮 short battery life
🎮 long charge times
🎮 volume issues
🎮 kind of creaky in hand

Full annual preventative maintenance, new burrs, changed water filters, plus:
👾 new battery
👾 new modern display
👾 new volume control
👾 new speaker
👾 glow-in-the-dark body kit
👾 new silicone coated buttons

It’s so bright that charges itself to glow in the dark, the battery life is around 8 hours, and the sound is not awful.

It’s cool that places like @handheldlegend have all the parts to keep these older systems working. I’m not a collector, I play this Game Boy regularly.

It’s just like espresso repair, you have to have parts and service available or the machine life expectancy goes to zero. Seems that as long as I have a working main board, I can support my old Game Boy forever.

#gameboy
#espressotechlife
#restomods
#nintendo
#recycle taken in Asheville, North Carolina by @underground_mountain

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3 months ago

Scenes from a rebuild: If you want to rebuild an espresso machine, you take it all the way apart. It took about 6 hours to process this machine into a pile of parts.

Once it’s in pieces, I go through the body and frame to get rid of surface rust, clean up burrs, remove old rivets, old adhesives, and generally clean up the body panels for my powder coater.

While the panels and frame are at the powder coater, I process the parts I am going to reuse, acid dip to remove hard water deposits, anneal the copper tubes to they are pliable and order new parts.
#ashevillecoffee #espressotech #lamarzocco #restoration #espressorepair taken in Asheville, North Carolina by @underground_mountain

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4 months ago

🩵 It wasn’t too long ago that I stopped by @scoutsdoughnuts for some @bridgecitycoffee and to check in on one of my custom built @lamarzocco.usa Linea restorations. At the one year mark after the restoration, it still feels new.

I did some preventative maintenance and left knowing this 14 year old machine is going strong.

I hear that if you want to make ton of stainless steel, you also have to make 1.8 tons of CO2. I choose to remake these machines in part because we are in climate collapse and our resources matter. Our actions matter. Our choices matter. The status quo is ridiculous, let’s rebuild everything.

#recycle #resue #rebuild #restore taken in Greenville, South Carolina by @underground_mountain

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4 months ago

This La Marzocco Linea turns 24 this month. @omiescoffee decided a good birthday present for their 3AV would be a complete and total reconstruction.

This machine has picked up a lot of crust over the years, and outgrown some of this old tech.

I am going to give this machine a Linea PB style brew path along with a new coffee boiler. I’m going to add barista lights and finally update the heating control - this thing is still running the old mechanical thermostat (iykyk)

I am working with Omie’s to plan the 2 color custom powder coat and their choice of upgrades to give this machine another 24 years of life.

Thanks to Addison for trusting me with the heart of your business!

#espressorepair #espressotech #servicelayercoffee ashevillemade #ashevillecoffee taken in Asheville, North Carolina by @underground_mountain

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5 months ago

Scenes From A Rebuild

This 19 year old 3 group GB5 EE is serial 505, it’s has had a rough life. It’s been all over western NC and has come into my shop for a deep overhaul and update. Not quite full restoration, not quite a full rebuild, more like a resurrection.

Treatments include:
🔧acid bath
🔧copper annealing
🔧brain transplant
🔧heating control upgrade
🔧a few safety upgrades
🔧new valves
🔧exorcism
🔧some light machining
🔧some new wiring
🔧streamlined hydraulic system

Still waiting on a couple of last minute parts, but this dirty pile of metal will be fit for another 19 years of service soon.

#espressorepair #wnccoffee #lamarzoccogb5 #ashevillemade #espressotech taken in Asheville, North Carolina by @underground_mountain

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6 months ago

💛 I got to check in on a custom @lamarzocco.usa Linea I built for my friends at @fearlesscoffeeco recently. At just over the one year mark, it’s doing great. It still feels new.

This machine is 15 years old this year, but you can’t tell unless you look at the serial plate.

I really enjoy these restoration projects. I get a chance to flex my tech skills and produce something that can double the lifespan of an old machine.

Someone recently asked me why are La Marzocco machines always the ones that get this treatment. It’s because there’s a bunch of older La Marzocco out in the world and they are made to last if you know how to keep them going.

Hey Fearless Coffee, thanks for taking good care of this one. Custom mustard yellow la marzocco Linea espresso machine taken in Johnson City, Tennessee by @underground_mountain

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6 months ago

I’m up fitting a 19 year old GB5 in my shop. One of the upgrades I’m doing is changing the placement of the flow restrictor to be more easily accessible for service.

Tapping the old group caps to accept the newer style flow restrictor is super easy and crap way to modernize this machine.

PreDonghi La Marzocco GB5’s are a favorite espresso machine of mine. I have whole kit of upgrades planned for this one.

#ashevillecoffee #wnccoffee #avlcoffee #espressotech #espressorepair taken in Asheville, North Carolina by @underground_mountain

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7 months ago

You don’t need to know how to braze to be an espresso tech, but it helps. I was able to refabricate this ruptured tube and create a bolt on solution to fix freezing damage.

It’s difficult to have all the tubes in stock for every machine variant.

I am a total hack. I taught myself how to braze with some advice from other techs and repair people.

I hate seeing a frozen espresso machine. But I love being able to fabricate a repair.

#espressorepair #espressotech #espressotechnician #coffeerepair #ashevillecoffee taken in Asheville, North Carolina by @underground_mountain

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10 months ago