The right espresso routine
A well-maintained espresso machine works more reliably (period!). If you watch a good barista at work, you will notice that professionals incorporate many steps into their routine to keep the workplace clean. A quick empty brew here, a quick wipe there. Even as a home barista, it makes sense to get used to these little tricks; your machine and espresso will thank you. If you stick to the following points, you are basically in a good position:
- Always wipe the steam lance immediately after frothing and clean the nozzles with a burst of steam.
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- Always remove the portafilter shortly after brewing.
- Do not allow coffee residues to dry on the sieve
- Rinse the brewing group briefly after each use (2-3 seconds)
Clean brewing group
If there is one thing you should keep clean on an espresso machine, it is the brewing group. The rough cleaning is done by backflushing. Those who are hardworking use a cleaning brush or even an espazzola. We always empty the drip tray before we start backflushing...
Backwashing
- Insert blind sieve into the portafilter
- Clamp the portafilter
- Start the extraction and wait approx. 5-7 seconds
- End subscription
- Repeat process 3 times
Backwashing with cleaner
The "normal" backwash removes larger particles from the brewing group in everyday life. What remains is grease. This "coffee grease" is intentional; in many brewing groups it is a natural lubricant for the moving parts. Over time it changes the taste, unfortunately not for the better. So once a month you should say goodbye to the pleasant deposits. Caution: We do not recommend using the cleaner more often, as this can lead to increased wear on the brewing group.
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- Insert blind sieve into the portafilter
- Put one tablet/1 teaspoon of cleaner into the blind sieve
- Clamp the portafilter
- Start the extraction and wait approx. 5-7 seconds
- End subscription
- Repeat process 3 times
- Remove the portafilter from the brewing group and rinse thoroughly
- Let the machine run without portafilter for 10 seconds
- Start the extraction and wait approx. 5-7 seconds
- End subscription
- Repeat steps 9&10 at least 5 times
- Rinse the drip tray thoroughly.
Brush for the brewing group
Almost every machine comes with a small black brush with very firm plastic bristles. If you've always wondered what this is for... Exactly! The rest is pretty self-explanatory. If you scrub regularly, you'll extend the life of the brewing group seal.
Remove shower screen
For a deep clean, you can remove the shower screen and, depending on the brewing group type, the nozzle above it. This way, even the last residues can be removed from the brewing group. Definitely recommended in terms of cleanliness, but only very few Domo baristas practice it regularly.
Cleaning the steam lance
Cleaning the steam wand is very easy. Immediately after frothing, wipe the steam wand with a damp cloth. Make sure that all milk residue is removed. Once it has dried, cleaning becomes more difficult. Use a strong burst of steam to remove any milk residue from the nozzle openings.
If milk does burn, soaking it will help. In our opinion, there is no need for special cleaners for the steam lance.
Clean water tank
The water tank should be cleaned thoroughly once a week. To do this, remove the water tank from the machine and clean it in cold water and, if necessary, a mild detergent. Then dry it or allow it to dry.
Cleaning stainless steel espresso machine
A neatly cleaned portafilter machine is a real eye-catcher. Fortunately, however, very few machines are just for show, and milk splashes and small coffee stains are inevitable. But how do I clean chrome and stainless steel without causing scratches? We recommend soft microfiber cloths. Remove the stains with a damp cloth and then dry immediately with a second cloth. This will make the machine shine like new again in just a few minutes.
Boiler cleaning
Strictly speaking, you don't clean the boilers, you just prevent contamination. With dual-circuit and dual-boiler espresso machines, you should make sure that the main or service boiler also gets fresh water regularly. To do this, it is sufficient to take a large cup of water from the hot water nozzle every few days. The machine then pumps fresh water into the boiler. If the hot water nozzle is in regular use anyway, you can ignore this advice.
On the subject of limescale : We would also like to mention here that, based on our experience in the workshop, we strongly advise against descaling a portafilter machine with a boiler yourself. Portafilter espresso machines should always be operated with water at 3-4°dH. Then limescale will not be an issue for years. During professional maintenance, the machine is dismantled for descaling. This is the only way to ensure that all of the descaler is removed from the system.