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With the widespread popularity of specialty coffee culture, more and more coffee enthusiasts are starting to purchase coffee equipment, coffee gear, and coffee beans online, and teaching themselves how to brew a cup of coffee they're satisfied with.

In recent years, the coffee equipment market has also introduced various espresso machines suitable for home use, so many coffee enthusiasts will set up an espresso machine at home.

Because they don't have a deep understanding of espresso machines, quite a few people fail to clean them promptly after use or perform regular deep cleaning, causing various small problems to appear after the machine has been used for a while...

For example, the steam gets weaker, the water coming from the group head is uneven, or water leaks during extraction after the portafilter is locked in... What should we do when these situations occur? And how do we maintain an espresso machine in daily life?

"Daily Cleaning of Home Coffee Machines"

Currently, the Front Street store uses an espresso machine that is suitable for home use as well as for community/small coffee shops. Coffee machines used in ordinary households are generally easier to clean because they aren't used as frequently. However, you still need to pay attention to cleaning right after use, as well as regular cleaning of the parts~

Daily cleaning refers to the cleaning steps we need to do after coffee preparation is complete. Usually, two parts need attention: timely cleaning of the steam wand and timely cleaning of the group head shower screen.

1.Timely Cleaning of the Steam Wand

After heating and steaming milk, a thin layer of milk foam will remain on the steam wand. If not cleaned promptly, the high temperature of the steam wand will cause the milk foam to stick to it and gradually burn on. Over time, it will not only easily spoil and produce an off smell, but the solidified milk will also clog the steam holes, causing the steam output to weaken later on.

Therefore, after finishing milk frothing each time, immediately wipe off the remaining milk foam with a clean damp cloth, move the steam wand tip above the drip tray area (do not point it toward anyone), and then turn on the steam again for a short purge, with the purpose of blowing out any milk that may remain inside the steam holes.

2.Timely Cleaning of the Group Head Shower Screen

The shower screen is the mesh part of the group head, and it is the part that directly contacts the coffee grounds every time coffee is brewed. Since the coffee grounds are tamped tight, coffee liquid can only seep out of the portafilter basket once the pressure reaches a certain range. So before it seeps out, part of the coffee liquid may still flow back, and even when the coffee finally seeps out, some coffee oils and grounds may remain inside the shower screen.

If it is not cleaned for a long time, a large amount of residue and oils will remain in the shower screen and pipes, thus affecting the taste of the brewed coffee.

Therefore, after extracting espresso each time, remember to remove the coffee puck from the portafilter basket. The coffee residue clinging to the shower screen can be rinsed off by pressing the group head water release button, or you can use a cleaning brush to remove the coffee residue attached to the shower screen. 

"Cleaning Before Turning Off the Coffee Machine"

Generally, if it is a home-use coffee machine, because it is not used very frequently, there is no need to use special cleaning powder often. However, you still need to use the blind basket that comes with the coffee machine (a portafilter basket without water outlet holes) to perform backflushing, using the pressure generated by the coffee machine itself to let hot water continuously wash the group head and, because the water cannot flow out, be drawn back into the pipes to clean coffee residue and release it.

After backflushing is complete, remove the blind basket portafilter, then turn the switch on so that water flows from the group head while using a brush to clean coffee powder/coffee stains remaining in the recessed part of the group head (brush gently and be careful of splashing hot water). Finally, wipe the entire coffee machine clean with a clean cloth.

After turning off the power, we also need to open the steam wand valve to release the remaining steam, to avoid steam water remaining in the pipes for a long time and causing scale buildup. Finally, pour out the remaining water from the coffee machine's water container, then rinse and dry it.

"Regular Deep Cleaning of Coffee Machine Parts"

Even if timely cleaning is done after each coffee preparation and cleaning is also done before shutdown, over time it is still hard to avoid coffee stains remaining inside the shower screen, and milk stains will more or less clog the steam holes.

1.Deep Cleaning of the Steam Wand

There are two situations in which steam holes become clogged: one is clogged by scale, and the other is clogged by milk residue. Generally, the tip of the steam wand can be removed; if not, then we soak and clean the entire steam wand.

For the former, we need to use special descaling powder diluted according to the ratio and soak it. For the latter, we can soak it in hot water, then use a special steam hole cleaning brush/SIM card pin to clear it, and finally place the steam wand above the drip tray area, then turn on the steam again for a short purge and observe whether the steam output returns to normal.

If it does not recover, and you are sure it is not caused by clogged holes, then you need to contact the coffee machine after-sales service/repair technician for inspection and repair.

2.Deep Cleaning of the Shower Screen

Although we clean the shower screen frequently, the shower screen is a bowl-shaped part, and we only brush the bottom of the shower screen; the inside cannot be brushed. But if the shower screen is removed and reinstalled often, it can also easily become deformed. So we need to prepare special coffee machine cleaning powder (available online in small packaged portions).

Then proceed just like daily backflushing, but with one extra step of adding powder. First, remove the portafilter basket from the portafilter handle, attach the blind basket, and put about 3g of coffee machine special cleaning powder into the blind basket.

Then lock on the portafilter handle and press the extraction button. Due to the resistance of the blind basket, the coffee machine will release pressure during pressurized extraction, thereby "sucking" the cleaning powder into the pressure relief pipe and cleaning it. The backflush time with cleaning powder should not be too long; about 15 seconds each time, operated continuously 3-5 times, because the pressure relief valve may risk damage if it works for a long time.

After backflushing 5 times, pull out the portafilter handle, and you can see water with coffee grime and foam in the blind basket. At this point, press the extraction button to first discharge some of the dirty water containing coffee cleaning powder, then use a cleaning brush to scrub the group head and shower screen clean.

3.Deep Cleaning of the Portafilter Basket

If you are using a portafilter handle with a spout, then a lot of residual coffee liquid and oils will remain inside, and if not cleaned for a long time, it will give off a foul odor. Therefore, prepare a basin of boiling hot water, pour in some coffee machine cleaning powder, stir well, and place the portafilter handle and coffee basket into the basin to soak for 30 minutes. Afterward, rinse off the dirty water containing cleaning powder with clean water.

"Regular Maintenance of the Coffee Machine"

If water leaks from the side during espresso extraction, or if the portafilter handle cannot be locked in tightly and aligned after being attached, then the gasket may have hardened~ At this time, we need to buy a new gasket to replace it.

(The left is a hardened gasket; the right is a new gasket)

The group head structure of each coffee machine will differ. As for how to disassemble the group head and take out the gasket, it is recommended that you contact after-sales service first, and then proceed with disassembly.

First, turn off the machine, wait for the coffee machine to cool down (to avoid burns), and then remove the group head. Next, we can first soak and clean the shower screen/rinse it clean with clean water and a brush to remove coffee stains inside the mesh.

Then, after removing the aged gasket, wipe clean the coffee residue on the group head with a clean cloth, as well as some carbonized gasket residue left behind because the gasket was not replaced in time after aging.

Then put the new gasket onto the shower screen and install it back onto the group head together. The method of replacing the gasket will vary for different group head models, so you absolutely must ask after-sales service clearly before starting~

"About the Water Used in Coffee Machines"

For home espresso machines, it is recommended to use filtered water~

Unfiltered water/water with too many impurities or minerals can easily cause scale buildup in the coffee machine's boiler, which at best affects the coffee's flavor expression and at worst reduces boiler efficiency. If a large amount of scale attaches inside the boiler, the cost of repairing and cleaning the boiler is not a small expense.

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.