Spring Cleaning—Specialty Coffee Version
It’s that time of year when we all start to feel the need to do a little spring cleaning. The weather is changing, the flowers are blooming, and the houses are getting cleaned out! But what about your at-home coffee set up? What are the best cleaning practices to keep your equipment running well and your coffee tasting amazing? Let’s break it down!
Cleaning Tip #1: Deep clean your espresso machine.
Cleaning an espresso machine is a crucial step in its upkeep! Any specialty coffee shop worth its salt cleans their espresso machine daily— if not multiple times a day. But we know it can be a different story at home; maybe you’re only pulling a couple of shots per day and back-flushing your machine doesn’t seem necessary as often. Maybe you’ve simply gotten out of the habit. No worries, but now is a great time to give your little espresso machine a thorough cleaning. Not only does it keep the machine running well because it prevents any build up within the machine, but it also keeps your coffee tasting the best it possibly can!
A quick overview of how to clean an espresso machine is the following. Remove the group head screens and soak them in espresso cleaner; soak the portafilters and baskets too; use a blind portafilter and some espresso cleaner to backflush the group heads; steam some milk cleaner and allow the steam wands to soak in the cleaner; give the whole machine a nice cleaning with something gentle like glass cleaner; wipe out any sort of buildup, wether it’s in the group heads or in the drain tray.
That’s a very brief overview of how to clean an espresso machine. There are many other resources on the internet that go into greater depth, and don’t forget you can consult your machine’s specific owner’s manual.
Cleaning Tip #2: Deep clean your coffee maker.
Another crucial machine in your at-home coffee set up is your drip coffee maker, and keeping it clean helps prevent build-up and allows your coffee to taste as best as possible. What kind of build-up are we talking about? Typically it’s minerals that are in tap water; over time they settle inside drip coffee makers. A good cleaning cycle will break up those mineral deposits and have your machine squeaky clean in no time!
There are a few ways to clean a drip coffee maker. You can buy a cleaner to run through these machines, but the easiest way is to use equal parts distilled white vinegar and water. Simply run this mixture through the brew cycle and run one cycle of water afterwards to flush out any vinegar remnants.
Cleaning Tip #3: Deep clean your coffee grinder.
One of the most crucial tools in making a great cup of coffee is the grinder! Grind size directly affects the taste of your coffee, and keeping your grinder clean helps maintain it so it’s consistent.
The best way to clean out a coffee grinder is to toss a handful of grinder cleaning tablet in and run them through the grinder. These tablets are basically made of corn starch, and they soak up all of the oils that coffee beans leave behind in the grinder. In truth, you should be doing this once a week or so, but, if this practice has fallen along the wayside, now is a great time to reinstate it!
Cleaning Tip #4: Generally clean and re-organize your coffee set-up.
This last tip is simple and such an easy way to re-set and make your coffee space feel brand new!
Take everything out, whether you have a cupboard or shelf or cabinet or bar cart that houses your coffee supplies, take it all out and clean under everything. This is a great time to toss out any old remnants of coffees you never plan to use and donate any mugs or brew equipment you don’t ever use. Simplify! Then reorganize all of the coffee supplies you want to keep and enjoy your clean new barista area!
We hope these cleaning tips help you re-set and fall in love with your coffee set-up all over again this spring! As always, feel free to reach out below if you have any questions for us.
