Keeping your coffee equipment clean is crucial for crafting consistently excellent coffee, whether you’re an at-home barista or a bustling café owner. From clean group heads to well-maintained steam arms, a meticulous cleaning routine can significantly impact the taste and quality of your brew. In this guide, we’ll share essential barista tips for maintaining a clean coffee machine and ensuring your grinder is in top shape.
1. Daily Group Head Maintenance
Maintaining clean group heads is essential for ensuring the quality of your coffee. For café owners, this means performing a chemical backflush at the end of each day. Home baristas should aim for a weekly routine. Over time, oily coffee residues accumulate inside the group head, affecting the taste of your coffee.
To backflush, use a cleaning powder specifically designed for coffee machines. Remove the group handle and run water through the group head into a glass. If the water tastes like old, bad coffee, it's time for a clean. For home machines like Breville or Sunbeam with thermoblock systems, stick to the manufacturer’s cleaning tablets.
2. Weekly Portafilter Cleaning
Regular portafilter cleaning is vital for maintaining the taste and quality of your coffee. Start by removing the filter basket from the group handle and wiping out any oily residue from both the filter basket and the handle. For café owners, a nightly soak of the portafilter and group handles in a coffee cleaner is recommended. Home baristas should aim to clean their portafilters at least once a week. By maintaining a clean portafilter, you ensure that your coffee tastes as intended, without any bitterness from old coffee oils.
3. Steam Arm Cleaning Tips
Proper steam arm cleaning helps maintain the integrity of your milk-based coffee drinks. After steaming each jug of milk, wipe the steam arm with a damp cloth and purge it by running steam through briefly. This routine prevents milk residue from building up on the steam arm.
If you notice a decrease in steam pressure, it could be due to milk blocking the tip. Use a needle or paper clip to dislodge any blockages. For a more thorough cleaning, most steam tips can be removed with a shifter and soaked overnight in a cleaning solution.
4. Drip Tray
A spotless drip tray is key to a pristine coffee-making environment. Make it a habit to remove the drip tray regularly to give it a thorough clean. While the tray is out, take a moment to check the drain cup in the middle of the machine. Ensure there’s no old waste coffee clogging it.
By keeping up with this simple maintenance, you support your coffee machine’s longevity and the quality of your brews.
