How to Maintain and Care for Home Espresso Machines? How to Replace Espresso Machine Gaskets?

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With the widespread popularization of specialty coffee culture, more and more coffee enthusiasts are starting to purchase coffee equipment, accessories, and coffee beans online, and learning how to brew a satisfying cup of coffee for themselves.

In recent years, the coffee equipment market has also launched various espresso machines suitable for home use, so many coffee enthusiasts will equip their homes with an espresso machine.

Due to a lack of in-depth understanding of espresso machines, many users do not perform timely cleaning and regular deep cleaning after use, leading to various minor problems after the machine has been in use for some time...

For example, reduced steam, uneven water flow from the brew head, leaking during the extraction process when the portafilter is locked in place... When encountering these situations, how should we handle them? And how should we maintain an espresso machine in daily use?

Daily Cleaning of Home Coffee Machines

Currently, FrontStreet Coffee's store uses an espresso machine suitable for both home use and community/small coffee shops. Coffee machines used in general households are relatively easy to clean because of low usage frequency. However, attention should still be paid to immediate cleaning after use and regular component cleaning.

Daily cleaning refers to the cleaning steps we need to perform after making coffee. Typically, two parts need attention: timely cleaning of the steam wand and timely cleaning of the brew head's shower screen.

1. Timely Cleaning of the Steam Wand

After heating and frothing 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 the wand and gradually caramelize. Over time, this not only easily leads to spoilage and odors but also causes the solidified milk to block the steam holes, resulting in reduced steam output from the wand.

Therefore, after each milk frothing session, immediately wipe off any residual milk foam with a clean, damp cloth, position the steam wand tip over the drip tray (not pointing in anyone's direction), then turn on the steam again for a brief purge to expel any milk that may have remained inside the steam holes.

2. Timely Cleaning of the Brew Head's Shower Screen

The shower screen is the mesh part of the brew head that comes into direct contact with the coffee grounds during each extraction. Since the coffee grounds are compacted, coffee liquid can only seep through the portafilter when pressure reaches a certain range. Before seeping through, there's still a possibility of some backflow. Even after coffee extraction, some coffee oils and grounds may remain in the shower screen.

If not cleaned for a long time, large amounts of residue and oil will accumulate in the shower screen and pipes, affecting the taste of the extracted coffee.

Therefore, after each espresso extraction, remember to remove the coffee puck from the portafilter. The coffee residue attached to the shower screen can be rinsed away by pressing the brew head's flush button, or you can use a cleaning brush to remove coffee residue attached to the shower screen.

Cleaning Before Coffee Machine Shutdown

Generally, if it's a home-use coffee machine, due to low usage frequency, it doesn't require frequent cleaning with specialized cleaning powders. However, you still need to use the blind basket (a portafilter basket without drainage holes) that comes with the machine for backflushing. This utilizes the pressure generated by the machine itself to continuously flush the brew head with hot water. Since water cannot flow out, it gets drawn back into the pipes to clean coffee residue and release it.

After completing the backflush, remove the blind basket portafilter, then turn on the switch to let water flow from the brew head and use a brush to clean any remaining coffee grounds/stains in the brew head's recessed area (brush gently and watch out for hot water splashing). Finally, wipe the entire coffee machine with a clean cloth.

After turning off the power, we also need to open the steam wand switch to release any remaining steam, preventing steam water from remaining in the pipes for extended periods, which would lead to scale buildup. Finally, empty the water reservoir, then clean and dry it.

Regular Deep Cleaning of Coffee Machine Components

Even if you perform immediate cleaning after each coffee preparation and clean before shutdown, over time, it's unavoidable that coffee stains will remain inside the shower screen, and milk residue will clog the steam holes to varying degrees.

1. Deep Cleaning of the Steam Wand

There are two reasons for blocked steam holes: one is scale buildup, and the other is milk residue clogging. Generally, the steam wand tip can be removed. If not, we'll soak the entire steam wand for cleaning.

For the former, we need to use specialized scale cleaning powder diluted according to the ratio for soaking. For the latter, you can soak it in hot water, then use a specialized steam hole cleaning brush/SIM card pin to clear it. Finally, position the steam wand over the drip tray, turn on the steam again for a brief purge, and observe if the steam output has returned to normal.

If it hasn't returned to normal, and you're certain it's not due to blocked holes, you need to contact the coffee machine's after-sales service/repair technician for inspection.

2. Deep Cleaning of the Shower Screen

Although we clean the shower screen regularly, it's a bowl-shaped component, and we can only brush the bottom. The inside cannot be reached with a brush. However, frequent disassembly of the shower screen can easily cause deformation. Therefore, we need to prepare specialized coffee machine cleaning powder (available in smaller packages online).

Then operate as you would for daily backflushing, but with an additional step of adding powder. First, remove the portafilter basket from the portafilter, attach the blind basket, and add about 3g of specialized coffee machine cleaning powder to the blind basket.

Then lock in the portafilter 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管道, playing a cleaning role. The backflushing time with cleaning powder should not be too long - about 15 seconds each time, continuously operating 3-5 times, because extended operation of the pressure relief valve may risk damage.

After backflushing 5 times, remove the coffee portafilter, and you'll see water with coffee stains and foam in the blind basket. At this point, press the extraction button to first discharge some of the wastewater containing coffee cleaning powder, then use a cleaning brush to thoroughly clean the brew head and shower screen.

3. Deep Cleaning of Portafilter Baskets

If you're using a portafilter with a spout, a lot of coffee residue and oils will accumulate inside, and if not cleaned for a long time, it will produce a foul odor. Therefore, you need to prepare a basin of boiled hot water, add some coffee machine cleaning powder, stir evenly, and place the portafilter and coffee baskets in the basin to soak for 30 minutes. Afterwards, rinse with clean water to remove the wastewater containing cleaning powder.

Regular Maintenance of Coffee Machines

If you experience side leaking when extracting coffee, or if the portafilter cannot be properly locked in place, it might be due to a hardened gasket. At this point, we need to purchase a new gasket for replacement.

The brew head structure of each coffee machine varies. For how to disassemble the brew head to remove the gasket, it's recommended to first contact after-sales service before proceeding with disassembly.

First, turn off the machine and wait for it to cool down (to avoid burns) before disassembling the brew head. Then we can soak the shower screen for cleaning or use clean water with a brush to thoroughly clean coffee stains inside the screen.

After removing the old gasket, use a clean cloth to wipe away any coffee residue from the brew head area, as well as some carbonized gasket residue that may have been left behind due to not replacing the gasket promptly after it aged.

Then place the new gasket on the shower screen and install it back onto the brew head. The method for replacing gaskets varies between different brew head models, so be absolutely sure to ask after-sales service clearly before starting the operation.

About Water for Coffee Machines

For home espresso machines, it's recommended to use filtered water.

Unfiltered water or water with excessive impurities and minerals can easily cause scale buildup in the coffee machine boiler. At best, this affects the taste performance of the coffee; at worst, it can lead to reduced boiler efficiency. If large amounts of scale accumulate in the boiler, the cost of maintenance and cleaning can be quite substantial.

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