Coffee machines do not have the ability to clean its self whether it is a semi-automatic or super automatic espresso machine. But some automatic espresso machine has built-in diagnostic and maintenance reminders which help users to take necessary action when maintenance is required.
When a machine required cleaning you should take it seriously otherwise your coffee test become worse. Here I am classified cleaning procedure into three parts; Day to Day, weekly & Monthly. Also, it is essential to follow manufacturer maintenance & cleaning recommendation which instructed in manual.
When you prepared daily 5 to 10 cup of espresso or latte or Americano by you loved automatic espresso machine its become oily and deposit minerals and milk proteins. And day by day it becomes more clingy and harder if it’s not clean according to its frequency of usage. Let’s check daily/weekly/monthly cleaning basic tips and advice.
Day to Day Cleaning
Drip tray and the dreg drawer: Every automatic espresso machine must have the both of these parts for holding overflow water and coffee debris after everyday use. The process of cleaning this unit is straightforward and easy to clean. Simply remove the drip tray from its exterior, and empty contains water and rinse it with fresh water.
For the dreg drawer apply the same process, after removing it from the machine just clean it with fresh water and wipe it by a fresh towel. Some of the automatic espresso machines have auto reminder option and remains you when it is full. You can take this advantage if your machine has the auto reminder option and clean it whenever you need.
Milk carafe and Pannarello: Milk-based product can make your carafe oily, and long times frizzing makes it more oily by milk protein. Repeated using of oily carafe may reduce your natural coffee taste and also lead you to divert another direction. To get a better taste of coffee clean the milk carafe when it is empty. Separate the milk carafe from its exterior and place in the dishwasher and clean it by fresh water after every cleaning process dry it and relocate it again for a better espresso shot.
Pannarello or steam wand plays the leading role when you need a perfect creamy foam. Continuous use of your coffee machine without cleaning it may create blockage inside the wand. Most of the machine has its own option to clean it after daily use. If the built-in clearing process does not solve your purpose, you may clean it by the manual process by pallo espresso brush which often used to clean the steam wand.
Every single use of your coffee machine it is recommended to clean the steam wand outer surface by a damp cloth to prevent unwanted milk foam burning.
Basket & shower head: Two types of portafilter comes with automatic espresso machines, pressurized and non- pressurized. Both of this has a basket which nicely set up inside the portafilter group. To clean it at first you need to isolate from the portafilter by using a teaspoon and clean it by a pallo espresso machine brush or others similar traditional brush.
Reserve 1/2 liter hot water from the machine in a pot and clean it by using the brush. Also clean the portafilter inside correctly by the same process.
Use the same brush to clean the shower head also. To avoid unwanted bitter taste, you should clean it daily or as much as it required according to the frequency of use the machine.
Weekly cleaning
Brew Group & Beans hopper: after use of week your espresso machine may contain more oily substance from the used coffee beans. Brew group is a vital part of an espresso-based machine that makes extraction and brews your favorite cup of coffee. It is just like a heart of an automatic espresso machine.
Two types of brew group usually come with an automatic espresso machine one is removable, and another is not removable. Remove the brew group from the machine if it is removable and clean it by fresh water. Before inserting it in the machine make sure you dry it properly.
Are you worried about your non-removable brew group cleaning issues? There is nothing to be worried because non-removable brew also can clean by internally. In this case, you have to use cleaning tables which often found in markets.
The using process is so simple and time convenient. The machine will do everything for you because most of the auto espresso machine comes with an automatic cleaning cycle. Before clean the non-removable brew group you have to put the tablets in the bypass doser and start an auto cleaning process.
Every machine has not the same cleaning procedure; therefore, I request you to please see user manual for your understanding. Here I have found a video on YouTube about how to clean an automatic espresso machine using tablets.
Clean your bean hopper by a soft and fresh towel to remove the oily substance from it. If the hopper is removable, you may also clean it by fresh water and dry it before using it.
Monthly Cleaning
Do you feel your espresso machine brews bit bitter taste of coffee? Is the color of coffee looks like unnatural with high mineral content water? Well, it’s the time to descaling your machine by the appropriate cleaning process. In this stage, you also should check all installed o rings and seals. Because due to lose or damage both of these coffee taste may worse, and color seems different.
Different machine has different types of descaling process, some are recommended powder some are liquid, and few are tablets. Except this, you also can run a descaling process by traditional white vinegar to remove deposit minerals and keep your machine clean.
The process of descaling is almost same for all espresso machine only difference in their function. Some have automatic descaling function, and some are manually proceed. Before start descaling of your espresso machine, it’s recommended to strictly follow the user manual which comes with the machine.
