Coffee Machine Cleaning
Maintaining clean coffee machine cannot be stressed
enough. If all espresso machines
were cleaned regularly, espresso quality would increase several
fold and create a larger market demand for espresso drinks. Cleaning a coffee machine is equally important as
buying good beans, roasting properly, and blending well.
Cleaning Coffee Machine
Although most porta-filters are black inside,
when properly cleaned they will have a shiny metallic surface.
After one day of not cleaning the porta-filter coffee oils
will accumulate, go rancid, turn black, and ruin the espresso.
If your espresso comes out thin, white, and rancid tasting
this is usually the problem. If the espresso does
not pour as it should, try cleaning each of the coffee machine parts thoroughly.
It is important to clean the porta-filter, basket, and screen
heads hourly by quickly scrubbing with a small piece of
a green Brillo pad. A couple times each day and at
night these components should be cleaned using tri-sodium
phosphate (TSP) or a safer alternative such as Puro Caff.
Scrub thoroughly, but quickly to avoid cooling the group
head or the porta-filter too much, and rinse thoroughly.
While scrubbing the porta-filter, back flush the group head
for 30 seconds with the blind basket in place and a teaspoon
of TSP. Follow with at least 5 rinsing cycles.
If you have never cleaned your porta-filter before, place
it upside down in a milk pitcher, fill the pitcher with
water covering only the metal, add a couple teaspoons of
TSP, and boil the water using the steam wand. Scrub
periodically. This should get out the worst rancid
coffee oils. If all else fails order a new porta-filter.
You will be amazed with the results by simply focusing on
coffee machine cleanliness. In fact, try an espresso before
and after cleaning. The difference in cup quality
should be the only reminder necessary to convince you
that coffee machine cleaning should be a regular part of your espresso routine.
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