Espresso Machine Cleaning & Maintenance

You spend a lot of money on your espresso set-up, so you want to make sure its working in tip-top condition. Luckily though, they’re very easy to keep clean. In our service centre we often have machines come in for maintenance with a lot of mess. This is not good for your machine but will also affect the quality if your coffee. So we have put together a short video for you to run through general cleaning a maintenance.

Water and Your Espresso Machine

The single biggest issue we see in the service centre limescale build-up. It will substantially shorten the life of the machine and cause costly repairs. 

The best way to combat this issue before it starts is using only filtered water.

For both plumbed-in and reservoir machines, we recommend a water softening and filtration system. For as little as £23.99 it is life-long insurance against the single biggest cause of failure.

Daily Maintenance

Purging the Group Head

After you brew your espresso, it is important to flush, or purge the group head. You can do this by simply taking your portafilter out as soon as you can after pulling your shot and wiping it clean. Then proceed to purge the group head for about 1-3 seconds to ensure all coffee grounds and oils are being flushed out of the screen. If you let the espresso grounds sit up in the group head, it will cause buildup. 

Purging the Steam Wand

Steam wand purging is also very important as milk buildup can cause damage and affect flavour as well. You want to make sure to purge your steam wand both before and after you steam your milk. You can do this by simply placing a rag over the end of the steam wand and turning it on for 1-2 seconds prior to steaming your milk. This ensures you aren’t getting any residual water from the steam wand into your milk. After you have steamed your milk, be sure to immediately wipe the steam wand clean and then purge again for an additional 1-2 seconds. This is done best with a damp cloth.

Water Backflushing

Another option to add to your daily routine is a quick water backflush. an easy way to do this would be to keep a portafilter handle with the backflush basket ready inserted, you should receive a backflush basket with your machine. Once you are done for the morning, a quick flush and wipe down of the shower screen. 

Every 2-4 Weeks

Every 2-4 weeks this is when you would do a full clean. For this interval, you will remove the shower screen, and soak both the screen and your portafilter basket in a solution of Puly Caff. Scrub your group with a brush and do a full detergent back-flush.

Once a Year

At the year mark, it is a good idea to replace your group gasket and screen. It would also be a good opportunity to descale your espresso machine. We sell a few products which help you do this, here is also a step-by-step guide on how to descale your espresso machine.