A good cup of coffee is affected by many factors, one of which is the cleanliness of your coffee machine. Any built-up oils and grime can taint the flavour of your homebrew and leave your coffee tasting bitter. So, if you want great coffee, you’ve got to do the dirty work and make sure your machine is clean at all times.
There are three main types of espresso coffee machines. Manual, capsule/pod and automatic. Meaning some parts will exist on some models and others that don’t. With some expensive coffee machines that could cost $5000 or more, it’s best to keep it clean and work for as long as possible.
How to clean a coffee machine
You’ll need to segment your cleaning priorities for the coffee machine across every day, weekly, monthly and annual cleans. There are smaller cleans that’ll need to happen if you’re using your machine every day, and bigger cleans to do every month.
Split your time up like this so you don’t end up using up all your time doing long cleans every day, while you’re also getting the best quality coffee your machine can brew. If you’re confused about any of the terminology we use, we’ve included a glossary further down the page.
Daily coffee machine maintenance
Anything that is used in the process of producing espresso coffee should be wiped frequently to remove grinds and oils that are left behind. It’s recommended that if you have an automatic machine, clean it every day and rinse it after each drink.
Basic removable wash: wash any removable parts
Outside clean: wipe down the outside of the machine with a soft damp cloth
Drip tray rinse: empty the drip tray and wipe it down
Milk frothing wand: wipe down and purge the milk frothing wand
Weekly coffee machine maintenance
Your machine should be cleaned more thoroughly at least once a week (or fortnight if you don’t use it every day) with a cleaner. Regular cleans like this will support the flavour of your coffee every day and make your monthly clean easier.
Clean each component: thoroughly clean the housing, water tank and drip tray with a wet cloth when required. Never use solvents or abrasives on the outer machine surface. With some coffee machines, the spout outlet can also be removed for ease of washing.
For pod-style machines: empty the used pod receptacle by sliding the container out. Never put your hands into the capsule shaft.
For manual-style machines: empty your knock box, which is the part that collects used grounds from the portafilter.
Monthly coffee machine maintenance
On a monthly occasion, it’s recommended to clean the internal parts of your coffee machine by following a process called ‘backflushing’:
Backflush: requires you to run a cleaning cycle (if your machine has one) or backflush (for three-way-valve systems) using a coffee machine cleaner. This will help to remove any oils and grime built up in the internal piping of the group heads. Follow up with a rinse cycle (if available) as coffee cleaners are typically quite strong, and you don’t want to be left with residue inside.
Cleaning portafilters: for manual machines, clean the portafilters by removing any traces of coffee and soaking each component (including the filter basket and shower screen) in a bucket of cleaning solution, then rinsing them off with water. After, wipe out the filter basket with a clean cloth.
Cleaning shower screens: The group head shower screens may be secured by a screw, which you’ll need to remove to clean away any grime build-up. You can use a toothbrush to help remove any coffee grounds. The group head’s rubber seals should also be wiped with a cloth to remove ground coffee build-up. This may vary depending on the coffee machine brand.
Annual coffee machine maintenance
Every year you should dedicate some time to a much deeper coffee machine clean. Here are the things you should do:
Descaling: descale the coffee machine (by following your manual)
Deep clean: soak the group head, shower screen and portafilter in a coffee machine cleaner solution
On-board hopper clean: clean the on-board hopper with a damp cloth
For stainless steel machines: if your coffee machine has a stainless steel design, you can use metal polish to finish
Coffee grinder cleaning: if your machine features a coffee grinder, brush grounds from around burrs.
Coffee machine terminology
If you’re confused about any coffee machine lingo, here are some coffee machine parts you need to know about:
Portafilter: a filter-basket with a handle that holds the coffee grounds and locks into the group head
Group head: the permanent metal attachment at the front of the machine to which the portafilter attaches. It transports hot water out of the machine into the portafilter’s filter basket.
Shower screen: sits inside the group head and disperses the water to ensure it spreads evenly over the filter basket, which is holding the coffee grounds.
Knock box: the container (plastic or metal) with a rubber bar across the middle that collects used grounds from the portafilter.
On-board hopper: the container that holds your coffee beans until you’re ready to grind them.
Contact Appliance Repairs Cairns Technical Team to service your Coffee Machine, your coffee will taste better when we service it. Call us to discuss your needs
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