- Coffee prep
How to clean which coffee maker
Kristin Oldenburg
Admittedly, I’m a bit crazy about our old portafilter machine. Any unusual humming, hissing, or rattling is eyed suspiciously, and I mutate into a cleaning maniac. After all, I’d like my morning/midday/evening espresso to be as deliciously crema topped as ever. So, cleaning it daily is a must.
3 reasons why you should keep your coffee maker meticulously clean.
1. Hygiene. Somehow logical. But still, few people seem to know (or want to admit) that residues remain in every machine. Together with moisture, they quickly become breeding grounds for bacteria or even produce mold. It’s hard to imagine how the coffee tastes (and what effects that would have).
2. Lime. Even if you are lucky enough to live and make coffee in an area where the water is very soft: Lime leaves traces. The larger they are in the machine, the worse the coffee tastes. And even if you brew it with bottled water, you’re only brewing with water, which in turn contains lime and affects the taste of the coffee. So, get rid of it. Further down you will find the best way to do this.
You can read more about water and what to look out for here: www.mounthagen.de/en/coffee-culture/coffeeprep/water/
3. Energy. Also understandable: A machine that is calcified requires more electricity because the machine takes longer to heat up. And no one needs that.
About professional cleaners, home remedies and other cleaning basics.
For many fully automatic machines, portafilters, and the like, there are special cleaning agents from the manufacturer. Depending on the product, they remove coffee residues (oils) and/or limescale. Please check the instructions for use and whether the agent is really suitable for your favorite machine.
Those who are more inclined to “home remedies”: Please, please do not use citric acid for descaling.
When heated (140°F +), citric acid and lime become calcium citrate, an unpleasantly sticky mass that is extremely difficult to remove. If you use citric acid for descaling, then only with cold, maximum lukewarm water. So, if you want to descale your machine from the inside: Please use the liquid descaler recommended by the manufacturer! In the next part of our series, we will guide you through the process step by step.
What about vinegar essence? Works, BUT…
For all machines with pumps: Do not use vinegar essence for the inner parts. The vinegar essence attacks them, and in the worst case they break. It is best to put the water tank, coffee pot and such in vinegar water (ratio 1:4), dissolve the lime, and rinse everything very thoroughly with cold water. Please NEVER clean copper with vinegar essence, this results in toxic verdigris.
Also popular: Baking soda.
Perfect for cleaning the outer areas of the machine. Mix water with a little baking soda, moisten a cloth with it, wipe the machine, polish with a dry cloth. The same procedure applies to baking powder, which is just as suitable for all the exterior of La Macchina and can be used like baking soda.
So much for the basics of cleaning your coffee maker. In the next part, we’ll explain what you should keep in mind when cleaning your portafilter machine.
