By FrankOnce you’ve bought 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 needs maintenance and that is what this blog is about. I have found that if you maintain the machine properly, it improves the flavour and aroma of your espressos by a lot.
Maintaining your coffee machine
It has 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 just a year. It is therefore 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
- Mould may develop in various places (health risks)
- An increasingly bad taste
The importance of maintenance for the 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. Especially milk residues can become mouldy within a few days. Even the coffee grinder can have bits of caked-on coffee that can go mouldy. 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 slightly 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 through descaling and cleaning the machine via 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 on a weekly or even daily basis, while other actions you 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 appliance with a damp cloth. It is also a good idea to change the water every day. You do need to clean the milk reservoir completely every day. - Weekly cleaning
Once a week, you should give the machine a little more attention. There are a number of separate parts that you can detach and wash. Many of these parts can go in the dishwasher. Think about the bean container and the parts of the milk container. - Maintenance every quarter
More expensive coffee machines often have a water filter. This filter really does need to be replaced every two months (maximum three months). If you have a really expensive machine, the LCD screen will probably tell you when it is time to change the filters. - Half-yearly cleaning
Twice a year, you will need to descale your coffee machine. This is the only way to keep enjoying your machine to its full potential.
It’s all about the taste
The purpose of cleaning and maintaining a coffee machine is to restore the taste of the best cup of espresso. Nobody wants to drink stale coffee and nobody wants to get sick from a mouldy machine.