Once you purchase a coffee bean machine, you can’t live without it. It is so wonderful to easily whip up an espresso of a quality that does not detract from the professional barista from around the corner. However, a fully automatic coffee machine also requires maintenance and that’s what this blog is about. I have found that if you maintain the machine properly, it improves the taste and aroma of your espressos by a lot.
Maintenance of your coffee machine
It cost you a small fortune to get a bean machine into your home, and it would be a shame to bring such a machine to its demise within a year. Therefore, it is good to know how to maintain a coffee machine. There are certain aspects of the machine that require daily maintenance, other things need less regular attention and sometimes a major cleaning is necessary. Here are some reasons for keeping your coffee machine clean:
- Scale builds up in many places
- A coffee machine may leak
- The machine may get worse water temperature
- Mold may develop in various places (health risks)
- An increasingly bad taste
The importance of maintenance for taste
The taste of a cup of espresso or whatever drink you make from it can change just like that if there is dirt inside the machine. Certainly milk residue can become moldy within a few days. The coffee grinder can also have pieces of caked-on coffee that can go moldy. So we recommend keeping a close eye on all this.
How to maintain a coffee machine
The more expensive a coffee machine is, the simpler it is to clean it. Some somewhat cheaper bean machines you will have to take apart completely to clean it with all the difficulties that entails. A very expensive machine will also be able to do a lot of maintenance itself. Most machines can guide you in descaling and cleaning the machine through the LCD screen.
The best maintenance of your coffee machine
Below I have listed the aspects of keeping your coffee bean machine clean. Some things you will need to do weekly or even daily, other actions you will only need to perform once every quarter or six months.
- Daily maintenance
You don’t have to do much to perform the daily operation. Clean up coffee residues and empty the drip tray. Quickly wipe down the machine with a damp cloth. It is also good to change water every day. You do need to clean the milk reservoir completely every day. - Weekly cleaning
Once a week, you should give a little more attention to the device. There are a number of separate parts that you can detach and wash. Many of these parts can go in the dishwasher. Consider the bean container and milk container parts. - Maintenance every quarter
More expensive coffee machines often have a water filter. This filter really does need to be replaced once every two months (three months maximum). If you have a really expensive machine, the LCD screen probably does indicate when it is time to change the filters. - Twice a year you will need to descale your coffee machine. That’s the only way to keep enjoying your machine to its full potential.
Everything is about taste
The purpose of cleaning and maintaining a coffee maker is to restore the taste of the best cup of espresso. No one wants to drink stale coffee and no one wants to get sick from a moldy machine.
