How to Clean Semi-Automatic Espresso Machines | Espresso Machine Maintenance Guide

Due to the widespread popularity of coffee culture and growing demand for coffee, many manufacturers have launched espresso machines suitable for home use, commonly known as home machines. Compared to commercial coffee machines, home machines are not only more compact in size but also more affordable in price. As a result, more and more friends have purchased coffee machines and started making espresso at home.

However, FrontStreet Coffee believes that most friends who purchase coffee machines are not coffee professionals. Therefore, when it comes to coffee machines, many people don't understand how to clean them properly. Without regular cleaning habits, long-term use of coffee machines can easily lead to various problems. For example: weak steam, uneven dripping of hot water from the brew head, unstable extraction pressure, water leakage even after the portafilter is tightly secured, and so on...

Don't worry, FrontStreet Coffee is here today to share how daily maintenance and deep cleaning of coffee machines should be performed. This will allow your coffee machine to be used for a long time, and your wallet won't have to bear "unexpected disasters." So let's start with the daily cleaning of coffee machines.

Daily Cleaning of the Steam Wand

After we finish frothing milk, a small amount of milk residue remains on the steam wand tip. If not removed promptly, this milk will be baked and caramelized by the residual heat of the steam wand after steaming, forming milk scale. Milk scale not only clogs the steam holes but also tends to produce odors over time due to spoilage.

Therefore, we can prepare a clean, damp cloth. After frothing milk is complete, quickly use this cloth to wipe the tip, then turn on the steam again for a brief burst to spray out the milk residue inside. This way, we can complete a simple cleaning of the steam wand.

Daily Cleaning of the Dispersion Screen

The dispersion screen is the part of the brew head closest to the coffee puck. When we finish extracting coffee and remove the portafilter, a lot of coffee powder will adhere to the dispersion screen due to pressure release. If not cleaned promptly, this coffee powder will be dried by the high temperature of the brew head, affecting the extraction and taste of the next cup of coffee.

Therefore, the dispersion screen is also an object that needs key cleaning! However, there are two cleaning methods for it. One is simple cleaning: after extraction is complete, we open the water valve and release hot water once, which can quickly carry away coffee powder residue on the dispersion screen. But this method cannot remove coffee powder from areas outside the dispersion screen, so at the end of each day's use, we need to use a brush combined with water release to clean the surrounding areas.

Daily Cleaning of the Portafilter

If you're using a bottomless portafilter, you'll also need to clean the inside of the portafilter at the end of the day. Because after a day of extraction, the spouts inside the portafilter will inevitably have a lot of coffee residue. If not cleaned promptly, long-term accumulation will also affect the taste of the coffee. Not only that, but it will also affect health.

Therefore, after daily use, we should pry out the filter basket and give the portafilter a thorough rinse. For friends using bottomless portafilters, cleaning the filter basket is sufficient, as their main cleaning target is not the portafilter itself, but the coffee machine that gets wildly splattered by the bottomless portafilter!

So that concludes the daily cleaning of coffee machines! Next, FrontStreet Coffee will talk about deep cleaning of coffee machines! Since everyone's usage frequency varies, you can decide on the deep cleaning schedule based on your own usage. For example, friends who use it frequently and make more than 10 cups a day should clean it every few days (daily cleaning is best). As for those who use it less frequently, for example, one cup a day, well... you can decide for yourselves~

Deep Cleaning of the Steam Wand

Even after we complete daily cleaning, there will still be a lot of milk residue in crevices we can't reach during cleaning. Therefore, during deep cleaning, we can detach the tip, put it in any container, then take out coffee machine cleaning powder, mix it with hot water, and soak it (the steam wand can also be soaked together).

Take it out when you're ready to use it the next day, clean it thoroughly, and put it back! The cleaning powder works excellently, basically dissolving all hidden dirt in crevices and flushing it out!

Deep Cleaning of Coffee Machine Pipes

At the end of extraction, a lot of hot water will remain in the filter basket because it cannot be discharged in time, and when the coffee machine releases pressure, it will suck this hot water back and discharge it through the outlet. Because the water has already come into contact with coffee powder, what gets sucked back is not just hot water, but also many coffee substances. These substances won't be completely discharged from the outlet but will remain in the pipes! If we don't clean them promptly, these residues will accumulate more and more, eventually affecting coffee extraction.

Therefore, after multiple uses, we can perform backflushing on the coffee machine to clean the pipes! The specific method is to replace the perforated filter basket on the portafilter with a blind basket, then add some cleaning powder, and attach it to the brew head. Then start the extraction button to let the hot water dissolve the cleaning powder and clean the dispersion screen. After about 10 seconds, stop the extraction, and the hot water with cleaning effect will flow through the pipes and discharge from the outlet, cleaning the pipes in the process. Repeat three times without removing it.

Replacing Coffee Machine Gaskets

If we experience dripping or severe leakage during extraction, it means the gasket has aged and its sealing effect has deteriorated. At this point, we need to purchase gaskets online and replace them! As for the specific replacement method, since coffee machines vary, FrontStreet Coffee suggests everyone contact the manufacturer for inquiries. Generally, the lifespan of gaskets is about six months to a year.

Other Items Requiring Cleaning Attention

The remaining items are mainly the water tank in the coffee machine and the maintenance of the water supply system's filter element. They will accumulate more scale over long-term use. If not cleaned regularly, they will cause certain obstacles to extraction. Therefore, we need to replace and clean them regularly. Generally, the filter element can be replaced once a month. The water tank cleaning cycle can be longer, but since it involves disassembly, friends with less hands-on ability should contact a professional for cleaning~

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473