B day without a cup of coffee seems unimaginable, isn’t it? You can find coffee in any small or large restaurant as having a cup of coffee can serve as a solution to all problems. Well, nothing probably stays permanently fine forever and ever to come and it’s always better to keep good maintenance of things you possess.
So, here in this article, let’s check out some ways or rather, procedures to clean an espresso machine, as none of us desire for a long day without even a cup of coffee!
Parts Of An Espresso Machine
To keep your espresso machine clean, it’s fundamental for you to have a brief idea of the various parts included in the same. Here’s listed down below are the various espresso parts that support the working of an espresso machine.
- Portafilter- This is the cup-like brass reservoir that holds the coffee grounds while the coffee gets extracted, with a long handle it has.
- Basket- It aids the portafilter by fitting into it and having a hold of the espresso beans with a removable disk with the small holes it has.
- Blind Basket- Also, known as ‘Blind Disk’, it is one of the espresso parts that possess no holes and comes into help for cleaning.
- Group- It is the circular part that gives out the warm water from the machine and is attached to the portafilter
- Group Gasket- It is a seal made of rubber found on the group.
- Group Screen– It is the web through which water is forced. Also known as ‘Shower Screen’, it is found in the group.
- Carafe– It is the receptacle that holds the brewed mixture.
- Reservoir- It is the little tank needed to hold the water to make the espresso
- Steam Arm And Nozzle– They are tubes by which the steam produced is released.
- Drip Tray– Lastly, the drip tray holds your espresso and gives support to the carafe with its metallic base.
Procedure To Keep Your Espresso Machine Clean
To have a clean and smooth-functioning espresso machine, cleaning of the espresso parts needs to be done regularly to serve hot, relieving, and refreshing coffee always.
It’s always advisable to keep your machine clean by cleaning the espresso parts at the end of the day regularly, or even during the shifts, if possible.
Cleaning Your Group Gasket
There is always a possibility of coffee oils and the coffee particles getting scattered while brewing your espresso. Here’s how you can rinse your group gasket regularly!
- Remove the portafilters present in the gasket.
- To get away with the used coffee particles, rubbing the gasket with a clean brush can help in the cleaning process.
- Place the blind basket in place of the brewing basket of the portafilter.
- Pour one TEASPOON of the cleaning powder for the espresso machine (say, Puly) into the blind baskets.
- Put the portafilters in the group gaskets.
- Keep the water supply on as you keep while preparing the espresso, for about 10 seconds.
- Hold on for 3 more seconds and then repeat the previous step. Carry on with the same step for 4 more times, ie. 4×10 seconds with a 3 minutes gap.
- Withdraw the portafilters and remove the coffee powder with water.
- On brushing the group gaskets once again, take a note of no coffee particles being spared behind.
- Put back the portafilters to the group gaskets and perform the ‘4×10 seconds’ formula, once again.
- After removing the portafilters from the group gaskets, clean the gaskets with some running water.
There goes your machine, all cleaned in an overall manner! Now, it’s time to take a look at cleaning a few espresso parts, individually to promise a complete hygienic coffee.
Portafilters
Washing the portafilters after having washed the machine parts overall is never a bad idea. Let’s check out the steps to be followed for the same!
- Keeping the portafilters aside on some metal bowl or even a sink will work.
- Pour one TABLESPOON of the powder of the espresso machine into the bowl or sink chosen.
- By keeping in mind that all of the units of the portafilters are underwater, top up the bowl or sink with hot water. Be careful enough to not let the plastic handles get underwater as they tend to corrode over time.
- After letting them get filled, take the portafilters out and wash them thoroughly with hot water and a brush.
- Put the baskets, portafilters, and the group gasket back to their original places in the machine. Your portafilters are now all ready for next use!
Group Gasket And Shower Screen
Shower screens being present in the group gaskets, supply the water in a fine way to the coffee puck.
To wash them, it is necessary to loosen the screw holding the shower screen and you can see three different parts, viz. Shower Screen, Metal Plate, and Screw. Wash them with the cleaning powder in hot water for about 10-15 minutes and use the brush to brush them while washing. And that’s it. You’re all done with cleaning another one of the espresso parts.
Steam Wand
Cleaning the steam wand is really an easy task and a wet cloth is all you will need to do the work. Right after steaming, simmer gently for about 10 minutes with a wet cloth. This is done to prevent the milk from burning to the steam wand.
Grinder
Rinsing the grinder regularly will help you keep the grinder clean. Yes, it’s that simple! It shall consume no more than 30 seconds but can serve as a really useful way to keep your grinder clean.
Conclusion
Hence, in summarising we can ensure that is all you need for keeping your espresso machine at the zenith of perfection and cleanliness and to invite regular engaging customers every day if you run a café.
These steps, as it seems, are really simple and not much time-consuming. Hence, sparing some time off your work hours and doing this will help you in the long run and keep the espresso parts in the best condition, just like your coffee!
