If you have to operate an espresso machine or grinder, and you want them to work properly for a long time, you are going to have to take care of them. Believe it or not, proper preventative maintenance is actually the easiest part of the entire espresso making process. To start off, we will list the common tools that you will need for traditional espresso machines only. Please note that the guidelines offered in this article should always be considered supplemental to your manufacturer-issued user manual. Always follow the use and care instructions from the factory before referring to this article.

Required Maintenance Supplies

• Any damp, lint-free cloth.
• Group Head Cleaning Brush
• Coffee Cleaning powder for back flushing your group heads
• Blank portafilter (blind group filter) to use with coffee cleaning powder
• A water filter has been installed in the water line that supplies the espresso machine, which will be changed yearly.
• Grindz pellets can be used to clean your grinders blades.

You can source all of these through Green Bean Coffee on (02) 9870 7898.

Daily Cleaning

Before we get to the more involved maintenance tasks of back flushing and descaling, there are some simple steps you should follow after you are done brewing espresso for any extended period of time and immediately after frothing milk.

Once you have brewed all the shots of espresso you intend to make in one setting, you should perform two quick cleaning tasks. First, "brew" water through an empty portafilter to help remove ground coffee from the shower screen and lessen the amount of coffee oil that adheres to the brew group, portafilter and basket. Next, you will want to take that damp cloth and wipe the outside of the shower screen and around the brew group gasket. Performing these two simple steps requires only a few seconds but prevents coffee oils from literally baking onto the brew group and shower screen and extends the life of the brew group gasket. Keep in mind that the brew group is over 93 degrees Celsius, so take care not to burn your hands. If you've ever wondered why your first shot of the day, or after the machine has sat on and idle for hours, tastes awful, it is probably because these steps have not been done. If you have ever walked into an Italian cafe alongside a native Italian, and he or she "politely" offers to let you order first, it is because Italians know that some lazy barista’s don't flush and wipe either.

If you have just frothed or steamed milk for a latte or cappuccino, as soon as you pull the pitcher away from the machine, you must immediately crack open the steam valve briefly to blast any residual milk from the inside of the steam pipe. If you do not do this, the steam wand will eventually clog, and it is possible for milk to find its way to the boiler on many household espresso machines. You really don't want that last part to happen. Also, immediately after blasting out steam, you should take your damp cloth and wipe the dried milk off the outside of the wand. Use a suitably thick cloth to protect your hand from the burning hot wand. If you allow the milk to linger, it will be much more difficult to clean off later

Back flushing and Alternatives

Your espresso machine has a 3-Way Solenoid valve and you should back flush the brew group to clean the inner workings of built-up coffee oils. The 3-Way Solenoid opens its boiler-side port when the brew switch is activated to allow water to move to the brew group and ground coffee. When the brew switch is turned off, the solenoid closes the boiler-side port and opens a pressure-relief port to dump excess water pressure into your machine's drip tray. Back flushing is the process of "brewing" into a closed portafilter basket with about one half teaspoon of detergent. With the portafilter locked into the group, press the coffee brew switch and allow it to run for up to 5 seconds before shutting off the brewing process. As pressure builds, the detergent will swirl around the brew group and shower screen. When the switch is turned off, detergent-laden water will exit out of the solenoid into your drip tray. Leave the brew switch off for about 5 seconds, and repeat the process until clear and clean water runs into the drip tray. Espresso cafes that brew hundreds of shots back flush daily. Increase the frequency of back flushing to adjust for increased usage. It is also encouraged to remove and clean the metal shower screen that is part of your brew group. This is either a mesh or stamped metal screen. For the most effective back flush, remove and soak the screen in your coffee cleaning powder, and then reassemble before back flushing. While you are soaking the shower screen, soak your filter baskets and portafilter to clean them.

Descaling / Decalcifying

You should not have to descale or decalcify because of the quality of the Brita Water filter we have installed on the water line running to your espresso machine, which is guaranteed to remove scale and other minerals.

Periodic Maintenance

At some point in the life of your espresso machine, you are likely to have to replace some gaskets. How well you maintain your machine in the paragraphs above play a role in dictating how frequently you will have to change gaskets. The most commonly changed gasket is the brew group gasket. This is the heavy rubber circle that is embedded in your espresso machine's brew group, and it circumscribes the shower screen. As with all rubber, it gets hard and eventually dries out and cracks when exposed to high pressure and temperature, both of which are plentiful in an espresso machine. Depending on how long you keep your espresso machine turned on throughout the day, you may replace this gasket twice a year or once every 2 years. If your machine leaks water down the outside of the portafilter when brewing, it's time to change the gasket. The other gaskets you may need to change are located in the steam valve. There is usually a heavy rubber gasket that seals off the steam pipe and one or more o-ring gaskets on the shaft of the steam tap. These should last a lot longer than the brew group gasket, but if you do not descale regularly, or if you crank down too hard all the time to close the steam valve, they will wear out more quickly.

If you have any questions about the cleaning or periodic maintenance of your espresso machine please call Green Bean Coffee and discuss it with them. (02) 9870 7898

Grinder Maintenance

Espresso grinder maintenance is without question the most overlooked aspect of equipment care. There is typically no harm in doing nothing, but if you want the grinder to stay in like new condition, follow these steps. Remove the bean hopper every day and clean with warm soapy water. Always allow time for the hopper to dry completely before reattaching, or wipe with paper towel. Remove the upper grinding burr and vacuum out loose particles. Use a completely dry, stiff nylon brush (such as your brew group brush) to knock off stubborn coffee grounds. Vacuum the discharge chute and any loose grounds you notice between the grinding chamber and the outside case. (Coffee grounds are like beach sand, in that they get everywhere and are hard to remove.) Reassemble your grinder and recalibrate if necessary. You can also grind the Grindz cleaning tablets to remove coffee oils from the grinding chamber. Always grind some throwaway coffee to flush out the Grindz particles.

When properly used (not making metal on metal noises due to grinding too finely) grinder burrs have a life of hundreds of kilos of coffee beans (over a thousand for commercial grinders). If you have brewed that much espresso, kudos to you, but it may be time to replace the burrs (typically less than $100). Dull burrs create too many fines (powder) that interfere with the proper espresso extraction. If you plan to put your grinder into storage for a while, grind some really oily beans first. The oils coat the hardened steel burrs and help protect them from rusting.