I can't stand modern espresso machine cleaners, many have forever chemicals. I get why some use it. With my puck screen I've never had an issue with the shower screen but I do check. Great video sir, really enjoyed it.
As a Northerner that spent a few years living in London, my heart goes out to all there. The water is just calcium carbonate, with a little added water.
I'm Scottish, many years ago was staying at a mate's in Bristol and was very hungover the next day. Went to get a glass of water expecting the cool, clear stuff we get out the taps here. I got a glass of lukewarm chalk.
Not from the UK but from Arizona, we have the same thing. It's to the point that the water tastes bad without filtration and people attach water softeners to the intakes of their homes.
Because of the water where I live (Jersey, USA), I put in a distiller. I mix with that Third Wave and they claim that combination will not require descaling. I have also read, although can't confirm, that distilled alone is not good for the machine.
@Lexander__ We have since the 80s! Desert water needs to be recycled as much as possible, but they add so much chlorine. Also, the lime crusties. I had a filter on my shower head too. In Chandler, you could tell when the municipality had just dosed the supply. I'm in NM now, with a well, but the literal limestone is just as crusty, so we have a softener.
I was staying with my dad after he had surgery and I noticed that the portafilter of his premillenium la pavona was looking pretty dirty so I tried to clean it... Cut to 3 hours later, we have the machine in pieces and have chipped and polished away probably 30 years worth of coffee particles using his dremel tool. Everything that moved got a bit of vegetable oil lubrication and we put it back together. I heard him get up around 5am to make coffee, because he was so excited to see what difference it made. He has been struggling for years to pull a really good shot, adding thermostats and pressure gauges, playing with the grind... he takes a sip an exclaims "this is best shot I've ever had from that machine!!!" I wish I'd tried it before and after now.
I ran a student run cafe in university as an engineering student. This video makes my heart so happy, as during my time I implemented a comprehensive PM program and documented all maintenance procedures for all of our equipment. Lots of late nights spent disassembling and cleaning the equipment that had not been maintained for years. Group head gaskets were hard as rocks.
I work at DeLonghi repair service and You can't even imagine how badly some people maintain their coffee appliances. Both espresso and automatic coffee machines. We get A LOT of reports of "the machine doesn't froth the milk" and easily 90% of the time it is due to the clogging of the milk carafes and steamwands with old crusted milk. Also there is a lot of reports about the machine "loosing its pressure over time" and of course during the diagnose we see that the portafilter is literally clogged with old coffee. KEEP YOUR APPLIANCES CLEAN and RTFM and You will be happy with Your coffee machine for long years :) If You have any questions, feel welcome to ask, I'll try to answer :)
@@carahindes4341 For the milk carafes nothing special, You just need to take the carafe apart and soak it for about 10-15 minuts in warm water with dishing soap, than clean it with a sponge and/or a brush (brush is definitely better), rinse it and that's it, preferably after every use just rinse it under running water and you won't have to thoroughly clean it so often. Also the cleaning process is for sure depicted in a user manual. For steam nozzles if the situation is bad, You need to declog it with some wire from the exit hole (for example You can straighten a paperclip and use it). For maintenance, there are a lot of cappuccino cleaners to buy, use it as the instructions on the bottle inform. Usually You just soak the nozzle in a solution and shoot a couple of steam bursts and let it sit as long as the instructions say than rinse the inside with a couple of steam bursts.
I don't own an espresso machine, I live purely on pour overs, but I was told not to skip this video and I'll use any James video as background noise because his voice is just that nice.
Same. It pays off even when you’re not actively listening - like a cat with its ear trained inJames’s direction. At its most basic it’s rejuvenating sensible noise. At its most advanced, it teaches you a lot about coffee. Thanks James!
As a coffee technician, I really appreciate you putting this out so that people can show love to their equipment (even though it might diminish my business a little bit 😉) I will say, the amount of espresso cleaner demonstrated in the blank portafilter disc is pretty excessive. For most folks, it probably wouldn’t be an issue to use too much. However, I can’t count the number of times I’ve been called by a cafe because there’s no flow through their groups, and the issue was that they’re using too much cleaner and rinsing wasn’t sufficient to clear it out of the solenoid valve. That causes it to solidify and the plunger in the valve gets stuck closed. If you’re lucky, you can do an extended soak with cleaner to release the residual gunked cleaner. If you’re unlucky, I have to come open your machine to clean out the cleaner from your group valve (ironic and expensive). Happy brewing (and cleaning), everyone 🤠
@@michaelwilliams5110 It might, but blank baskets have quite a small volume and are shallow: The amount of water used in a single backflush is very small, probably as little as 10ml in some machines and rarely more than 25ml, and if you're using a solution of cleaner and water you'd probably also want to preheat it before pouring it into your blank, so we're already adding multiple steps to the process; The more complicated and fiddly you make the cleaning process, the less likely it will be done routinely - and a good routine is the best way to maintain any piece of equipment. If not preheating, you'd want that solution to be sufficiently concentrated that it amounts to only a few % of the total volume of liquid involved in a single backflush. Each backflush dumps the cleaner down the waste at the end of the cycle: With granules this is fine, because the first cycle has only dissolved a portion of the cleaner you added to the basket and on it's second run it dissolves a little more; With a liquid detergent all of the cleaner is already in solution, will be dumped out on the first flush, and you'd then need to pull the portafilter and refill with liquid cleaner before starting the second flush. The other reason why we might not see the best results using a pre-diluted cleaner would be that there will be some mild abrasive cleaning provided by the granules as it dissolves into solution during the 3-5 flush cycles you'd typically want to run. Finally, whilst I don't know the exact chemistry here the cleaner we use to backflush releases gases as it dissolves into solution: I wouldn't be surprised to learn that much like cleaning with bicarbonate of soda, that the gaseous emission as the cleaner dissolves aide in the process; At the least I'd imagine the pressure this creates would help to drive the detergent back up towards the solenoid.
Just cleaned the work Breville espresso machine on Fri morning and the coffee I pulled tasted so good. It's usually me that does the cleaning and I hadn't made time to do it. Made such a difference. Thanks for the reminder 😊
Hear me out. This may not be one of the most popular/viewed videos he makes right off the bat but given the growing number of home cafes it will be watched by people for a long time.. Especially for beginners. Thankful for this video now and there will be more ppl thanking later on for years to come
I love how my Breville has "Clean me" reminder light that come up when it has reached its maintenance cycle, it kept me doing routine cleaning of it without fail. And it has auto-cleaning, just put in the cleaning basket with detergent and let it clean itself, all of these kept lazy person like me on time with maintenance. It's been over 3 years and problem free.
@@juystafanreview2532 Whenever someone asked about getting first espresso machine, I always recommended looking into one with cleaning functions, it's essential stuff, like oil-change light on cars, it's something that should be on every machine, yet it doesn't. Ideally you want to do shorter interval, but warning lights keep people from going too far and get into problems.
@@CorruptedDogg I think that's okay, erring on the side of "too clean". I'd rather it do like you say instead of having a mineral buildup sensor that might fail anyway.
If it's the same Breville that I have the person who sets it up for you tests the water and calibrates the cleaning cycle with the machine so it's accurate. You can also do it yourself if you move to another area for example.
After watching this video I cleaned my espresso machine more thoroughly than I ever thought possible. And honestly, I dare to say my coffee now tastes clean as well :D
I like how when the Niche is grinding, James is resting his hand on it. It looks like a motivating hand on the back to reassure the grinder that it can do it.
We recently deep cleaned our coffee brewer for the first time in ages, and it then created the single best cup of coffee I've had in years. It's well worth the effort to maintain a clean machine!
The topic did seem boring, but because James Hoffman said it was important I watched the whole thing. Turned out it was not boring at all because, well, James Hoffman of course!
Finding the manual PDF is a step that is not to be overlooked. As a force of habbit, I now search/find the PDF version of the manual for every non-trivial thing I buy (small appliances, tools, electronics, etc.) Renaming the files as something you'll recognize, and keeping all of them in a folder on your hard drive and/or a thumb drive saves unimaginable aggrivation and frustration later.
I save them and email them to myself so I can forever search my email for the pretty obvious names (brand plus item category plus manual, any other searchable terms/code words easy to throw in there)… helps when a gadget gets retired and I don’t really want to keep wasting space on new ones with files I almost never access and have no reason to keep private since Google and Bozo Bezos the Clown already pretty much know everything I own just from my browsing paired with my IP address.
I often d/l the pdf of models when deciding what machine/tool o buy. I like to get better info on internals and how to service/maintain stuff than the marketing material gives. "Easy to clean" just isn't enough😊 It has another pro to it; when I eventually get the product, I am eager to start using it and having read the manual already, I'm good to go😊
THANK YOU JAMES FOR DOING THIS! Working in hospitality I am so sick of being told different things by different people about how to clean an espresso machine. I just want something to set the record straight!
As a regular descaler of my Gaggia happy with things, had never removed the shower head - OMG how was anything passing through this!! All clean and flowing now. Thanks James
Run, don't walk. Avoid James Hoffman at all costs. Don't get sucked in by his mellifluous tones and oh-so reasonable delivery. It's too late for me. Before I knew it, I'd spent over five thousand dollars on coffee gear and now I have a $70 a month coffee subscription not to mention the other approximately $30 a month I spend each month on 'interesting' roasters. Crack is probably cheaper and nowhere as addictive.
Maybe buy a moka pot and some ground coffee? That and a gas stove is all you need to make your own at home! It amazes me how simple that contraption is. You'll have fun with it, for sure.
YES! I've been advocating clean equipment for ages. No matter the price of your equipment, if it's not kept clean you won't be able to make good coffee with it. If you pull a shot of clean water and it's not as transparent of water, you're doing it wrong. "It's not seasoning, it's just dirt" - spot on.
While I do happen to have some citric acid right now, it's generally rare that I do. However, I almost always have vinegar on hand. Most vinegars I've seen range from 4% to 7% acetic acid, and it is also non-toxic and food safe. I've been using it for years to descale and just generally clean anything coffee related. Also, since I wear dentures, I always have denture cleaning tablets on hand, and they work great for removing coffee stains from stainless cups and mugs. Clean it really well with soap and water, then rinse it clean, fill it to the top with hot water and drop a tablet in and let it sit over night.
My coffee machine has been out of service for more than two months now because the boiler wasn’t filling anymore and I assumed that I needed to change a piece but never took the time to do so. After watching your video I tried putting citric acid in and just solved the issue. Thanks for the tips ❤ Keep up the great work y’all !
I have a Sage (Breville) machine which I thought I was doing a good job of cleaning until I watched this! I put espresso machine cleaner through it once every couple of months and descale it every other time, I rarely take the shower screen down so I did while watching this video and found literal limescale chunks sat in it! very glad I've found this video, I'll be adding the bean hopper and shower screen to my maintenance schedule as I don't clean either of them currently!
May I ask, how did you remove and reattach the shower screen? I have the same one and the manual doesnt mention removing the shower screen unfortunately…
@@vornamenachname8854 there is a bolt in the center of it, remove that using an allen key and carefully pry round the edges to remove the screen being careful not to bend the edges (at your own risk!).
I'm a big fan of manual lever espresso machines for home use. Not only are they generally cheaper and give you a lot of control, they are so much easier to clean and maintain.
@@jamesprater7192you might want to think again, there are more variables with a manual machine. They’re not very forgiving, takes a long time to dial in your shots
A much needed video! I was procrastinating descaling my machine for years. After watching this i immediately did it and it was super easy lol. Fun fact: 15 years ago i worked as maintenance for gas station coffee machines and you would never believe the amount of mold, rot, scale and decomposing dead mice that was inside of these machines. Gas stations have come a long way since then but it used to be bonkers
i can barely even drink coffee because i'm so sensitive to caffeine, but hobbies of all kinds fascinate me and coffee is no exception. so of COURSE i'll watch a video about cleaning a bunch of apparatuses i don't even own, hell yeah!
Decaf specialty coffees are starting to become a thing, so depending on where you live, this might be something you could look into. I'm pointing out specialty coffee here because while regular supermarket coffee is somewhere between bad and okay, supermarket decaf is usually a complete atrocity. Coffee circle recently had very good selections of decaf and they also brew them in their shops. So if you ever find one of their shops, decaf espresso or latte is totally an option.
Are you an interesting person because of your caffeine sensitivity or because you watch UA-cam channels dedicated towards caffeine? 😂 ;) i do the same but with the different trades
Hi James, I have done all the cleaning steps up to now, except for one: The shower head. So today I bought the correct torx key to open it, and... let's say that was the best spent 40Fr on a tool set and best spent 20 minutes of watching your video! The taste difference before-after was tremendous! Thanks a lot! Now I can make the best barista espresso out of my 600fr Lelit Anita PID!
I have been following you for the last couple months trying to educate myself on coffee. It has been eye opening and has really made me pay more attention. Today's video prompted me to do a deep clean of our OXO coffee grinder. What an absolute PITA to clean not to mention how absolutely filthy and disgusting it was. As an almost impossible machine to completely clean, I am at this moment choosing it's replacement. Thanks so much for your exquisite work with so much attention to detail that is helping me to raise my coffee game! Cheers!
I don't think I've ever religiously watched a 30 mins video on maintenance. But I do love how much useful stuff you managed to add into this video. I do keep my espresso machine clean and remember to purge the grouphead and steam wand after every use but I'd never heard of removing the shower screen to clean it. I should do that now and hope I won't be shocked by what I find in the there
Were you shocked? Honestly was shocked, I am the same as you and didn't know you could easily clean the shower head, didn't even think about it honestly. Learned about it like 2 weeks ago and I was 100% shocked with it lol.
@@NukeyStreams I was SHOCKED, cuz my manual did not include that as a maintenance task. And YUUK !!!! 5 years of coffee residue. Luckily the puck screen kept it from being worse than it was.
@@garyn7067 WOW 5 years?? Honestly I don't even know where my manual is at 😂 I hope that wiped away well, for me it was surprising but the moment I put a sponge on the shower screen it immediately wiped away, pretty cool actually
Thank you for making this video! I recently cleaned my espresso machine for the first time after 2 1/2 years of owning it, because I realized it was probably important-only recognizing just how important after seeing all of the build up. Thankfully my machine lets me know when I need to descale, so I've been doing that. I appreciate the detailed explanation on all of these!
Another great piece of maintenance advice: dusting! Many of us (not me... but... other people) tend to accumulate quite a few gadgets/devices/brewing mechanisms that tend to just... sit there. Even though they look cool and you definitely remember how to use them but you just are saving it for a special occasion, the tops/sides may accumulate dust, and it's a lot easier to remove a small layer of week old dust than it is to remove months old caked on dust. Just a quick brush once a week or a couple times a month makes your coffee stuff not only looking nicer but probably tasting better too - nobody wants dust brewed with their coffee. Also remember to clean your vacuum pots! Some of them come with a cloth filter that is a magnet for becoming disgusting and rinsing it under the sink and letting it dry is generally not sufficient. If you did that with your paper filters it wouldn't be sufficient, so it's generally not sufficient for a cloth one too. Nice video!
I just cleaned my kettle with citric acid a few days before I saw this. My water is fortunately quite soft but over a year I was getting a patina of mineral deposits from daily use. The citric acid worked a treat, and it was $2.50 from the grocer's bulk bin for enough to repeat the cleaning 10x over. Plus crystal citric acid can be used for cheese sauces and sour candy. The equivalent concentrate solution bearing a popular consumer brand was $15. It's less flexible, but still quite accessible.
Love it! Another tip for getting old coffee residue off of something that you're hand washing is to make a paste out of baking soda and dish soap with just a little water and scrub with that, being careful to use little enough water to avoid dissolving the baking soda. Most of the time I don't reach for the specialty cleaner that I also have for machine internals.
I honestly had no idea about checking behind the shower screen until watching. Thankfully it appears between fairly regular flushing and my puck screen, I had no coffee at all stored up. But great to know for future deep cleanings! Always learning something new when I watch. Thanks James!
I've just started shopping for my first proper coffee machine and this was my major concern about getting one, this video couldn't be more perfectly timed!
Finally a cleaning vid! I used to have a filter coffee machine, but where I live now it started to taste bad and even cleaning the loose parts and flushing with detergent didn't get the taste back... Got rid of the machine... After finding this channel I did pourovers with the filter in my cup and I finally had nice tasting coffee again. Now I have the dripper with a switch, a little hand grinder and I keep my beans in the freezer. And now... after all this time... I learn I could've used citric acid..... Thank you for the cleaning vid!!!
This got me to get up and clean my espresso machine because I'd been neglecting it for a couple weeks... The horrors I have witnessed were a sobering enough experience to motivate me to clean *so* much more regularly
As a casual drinker, I was pretty proud of myself for doing daily maintenance even without being aware of the consequences of not doing them (back flushing, steam wand wiping and purging, as well as keeping the underside of my shower screen clean). That's until James said to disassemble the shower screen and clean INSIDE it. I didn't know you were supposed to clean inside or even if it was removable! I've had my machine for 4 years now. Let's just say it took me a while to get the shower screen off after unscrewing, and even a while longer to clean inside 😭 I’m looking forward to my cup tomorrow!
@@garyn7067 yeah, same. I (metaphorically) ran and downloaded a copy of the manual so I can use the search function, just in case I missed it when I first read the printed manual. It's not there 😐
when it comes to cleaning i have always had success with cleaning my basket after every shot (obviously) rinsing off my portafilter with hot water after every shot, cleaning my portafilter with soap and water at the end of the day, flushing my machine (running water trough it without a portafilter) after every shot for a few seconds, clean the shower screen every weekend, and backflushing it every weekend
I use a simple 5 cupper ☕️ . I replace them every 6mo-10mo or so. The cheaper models have the heat element wear out, break. I wash out the glass coffee container often. Grinds can seep into sections too. Clean that too.
Such a rewarding video to watch for someone who descales and cleans all coffee machines, drip trays and kettles at every house I ever go to, even if it's a first time visit😂
Thanks for the well produced video on espresso machine and grinder maintenance! I must now increase my shower head cleaning to once a week instead of monthly. However, and most wonderfully, I can decrease my descaling frequency to once a year since my water is pretty much neutral and little scale forms in my machine. My wife can now appreaciate all the gadgets and cleaning stuff I have because she can taste the difference between the cappuccinos I make for her and the ones she gets at Starbuck’s.
Hi James. Thanks for all your helpful videos. Re maintenance, I live in London, and bought the KitchenAid Artisan grinder and espresso machine, and the Sage Brewer 3/4 months ago. I am only disappointed that the Sage carafe is accumulating a brown film inside, and my hands are too big to get inside it. Can you please advise on the best cleaner to purchase for each of these machines? Can I use citric acid for everything, or different agents for different jobs?? Thank you
Thank you James! Just descaled my glass water kettle today with citric acid as you said and it came out beautifully - it literally disappeared before my eyes within seconds. Was dealing with the gunky look and constant bits of scale being left in the water for a while now, and both vinegar and steel wool didn't get rid of it completely before - can't believe I didn't know this bit of common household knowledge. Looking forward to doing the same with my espresso machines instead of using the expensive chemical de-scaler.
I have a Melitta automatic bean to cup machine, and it being German its very clear and direct on when it needs to be cleaned (milk part, coffee part, descaling, etc). Doing that, while also doing a proper clean of the removable unit every time I buy new coffee beans, have lead to many years of great coffee from my Melitta machine. Hoping it will survive many more years!
27:00 I found it worthwhile to replace the rubber gasket with a silicone gasket in my moka pot. Bought it from E&B Lab, quite satisfied. Also curious to hear your recommendations for hand grinders. I'm cleaning them every time I grind different coffee (3-4 weeks), but maybe that's too infrequent?
I'm honestly surprised that Bialetti doesn't sell silicone seals. Unless you forget it on a hot burner after brewing it doesn't really take damage, but I've loved the silicone seal and how much easier it is to see the coffee buildup under it.
It of course depends on how much you grind. I do about 30 grams a day and find every 3-4 weeks a little too infrequent. Fine particles of coffee will build up and make the coffee taste more and more bitter and sharp over time. I try to clean every 1-2 weeks, and I screw the grinder (1zpresso) apart and take both the inner and outer burr out each time.
Quick tip: a lot of coffee cleaners are a mix of sodium percarbonate (OxiClean), sodium carbonate (Washing Soda) and salt. I work with Bean-to-Cup and batch-brew machines for a living, and a vast majority of the cleaners we use for removing coffee oils and residue buildup are about 30% sodium carbonate and 30% sodium percarbonate, plus some other cleaners like hydrated silica, sodium laurel sulfate, and ethoxylated alcohols.
@jameshoffmann I apprecated this video more than I expected. The video made me reconcider my kettlle and my stainless steel mugs (aeropress regular). My kettle had some accumulation in the bottom which a teaspoon of citric acid and a boil cycle solved right away. My stainless steel mugs (Yeti) had built up and I noticed a bitter taste increasing over time. I could never get them perfectly clean using a bottle cleaner and things like barkeepers friend. So I used a teaspoon of Cafiza espresso machine cleaner in the mugs (not for aluminum btw), filled with hot tap water and let soak for 30 minutes. This. was. amazing. A quick rinse, soapy wash, and they were like new again. Thanks so much for the video.
Thanks James. This is what I call quality content. I might start spreading the word about the benefits of drinking coffee just by telling people they'll become as smart, as wit and credible as you sooner or later. Proud we have you in the community
I bought an espresso machine used not too long ago. Its sat unused for a while as I tried to detox on caffeine for a bit. I'm getting back into it now though so the machine is seeing more use. I knew you could drop the showerscreen from the group head but I never assumed it would be something you'd need to clean as regularly as every week, I thought it'd be one of those every 6-12 months jobs, that I tell myself I'll do at some point... I shall definitely be dropping the screen and cleaning it before I pull my next shot! Awesome video as ever James! Very informative, love the bit about citric acid because I hate the chemical smell of most descalers, will definitely be trying that one. Thank you!
I think it is one of those "it depends" tasks. It depends on: what beans you use, how many shots you pull in a day, single vs double, how fine the grind, etc. I would check the screen after say 2 weeks. If it is CLEAN, next time wait another week (3 weeks). And keep pushing it out till you see coffee residue in it. But if the screen is DIRTY, shorten the cleaning interval, to say 1 week.
@@garyn7067 That's good advice. I checked the screen yesterday, it was dirty for sure but honestly given it's probably never been cleaned, I expected worse. I'll probably check it again in a few weeks as you say. Since owning the machine I always run through some plain water with an empty portafiter after dumping out the puck before turning off the machine, I can imagine that probably helps keep things a bit cleaner
@@ajburdett882 Because I pull single shots in a double shot basket, I use a puck screen. That seems to keep most of the coffee from floating up to the shower screen and getting behind it. Woulda been worse without the puck screen.
I hadn’t yet done a shower screen clean. It looked a bit like the one James had, and there was an accumulation around the gasket. I had recently back flushed, but the shower screen is all clean now!
Ive got my current home espresso machine for free due to a lack of maintenance. Its previous owner gave it away after it stopped working. It turned out it never got descaling in 3 years of ownership. 3€ of descalerand an hour of regular cleaning/maintenance later i got a fully functional espresso machine that has served me well gor the past year and a half. :)
Just recently was gifted my first espresso machine (a breville bes810 duo temp). So I am very much new to espresso haha. When I got it I cleaned it up to the best of my knowledge and ability. While I haven't been getting wonderful espresso it has been making pretty good coffee drinks how I usually enjoy it. Wasn't until this video I realized I was supposed to clean under the filter screen haha. Just took it off and goodness gracious it had a ton of disgusting build-up underneath 😵. Now my machine is completely cleaned and descaled to the best of my ability. Thanks for the tips and all the videos you do!
After seeing this, my first reaction is „Oups!“. I didn‘t think about the water coming back up the line after a shot. So to the kitchen we go, time to give it a good clean to start fresh. Thank you for all the tips.
This was great. I actually used to backflush/cafiza my filter basket every two weeks. Ill now switch to weekly and I always thought you shouldn't descale your machine unless something was wrong with it. I exclusively use third wave water but will do that every 6 months now. Great video
I have a manual grinder and I never thought about the burrs. Thanks for reminding me! it's been grinding beans for ages and my coffee tasted off coming back from vacation. Cleaned the coffee monster and never thought about the grinder. Did the taste test and yep, fish, now I need to figure out how to take the infernal thing apart.
Worth mentioning that an Aeropress plunger needs to be taken off and cleaned out regularly too. Seem to get all sorts of gunk accumulating in there. Great video, living in Glasgow the water is so soft there is never any scaling, the downside is that it doesn't make such good coffee.
Once, my cousin came over and started using my grinder to make an espresso. He was surprised that we're using the same grinder but for some reason my grinder "worked 10x better" than his at home. The weird part was that we're using the same grinder. Cue to when he got back home and complained again as to why his grinder was a lot more worse than mine. He asked which better grinder he could get, maybe even a better burr set that he can upgrade his to. I told him to take a pic of his grinder and I saw how caked up the whole thing was. Like actual caked grounds on the hopper and all the other external parts. I asked him when was the last time he cleaned his grinder since you need to open the grinder up and clean regularly - to which he asked back, "wait, you can open the grinder and clean the insides? Turns out he had been using it for 3-years straight and never clean the burrs or anything. He thought his metal burrs had somehow got blunt, when really it was just the caked up grounds on stuck on the burrs that did it. tl;dr: Clean your grinder everyone. Doesn't need to be every day or every week, but you'll need to clean it after some time.
This video should be sponsored by CAFELAT because this is why I love my Robot. Yes, you need to clean all three pieces you use to brew… but you don’t need to worry about back flushing, descaling, a drip tray, a water tank and the like. It’s a wonderfully simple machine.
What I have found that works well for me (Rocket 9 One) is doing two water only purges after making a shot and in between each I clean off the external dispersion filter (where the water comes out without the portafilter on) and then do a third purge with the Porto filter on - each is only a few seconds, however that reduces much of the cleaning required for a machine that only pulls 1-2 shots a day Keeps most of the residue off, I can do a proper clean once every couple weeks
I'm a trainer at a coffee company and despite being fastidious at work, my home equipment is pretty neglected. Got up and descaled my kettle halfway through this video >< Thanks for the reminder!
I have a Sage Bambino and a Baratza Encore, both featured in the video! Luckily Madrid's water is so soft that descaling can be very infrequent, but I'll be ready whenever I want to do a proper cleaning of my machine. I'll also start cleaning the head or water shower, whatever is called. Never thought of disassembling that!
I have used my superautomatic for 5 years. I read the manual and do the maintenance- weekly general clean, (10 min.), cleaning water borne minerals (500 cups), clean grinder (yearly)*, deep clean and relube brew unit (when needed). Still works like new, makes great coffee. *NB: Never use oily beans in a superautomatic.
Well, I read the F manual of my Rocket 58 dual boiler, which stated I must not use citric acid because it would do something to the surface of the boilers. They recommend a full disassembly only, such that I was searching for someone capable of doing that. After not finding anyone here in Vienna, Austria, and not descaling my machine for three years because of that, I finally gave in to citric acid, which, at least on the outside, was no big deal.
I was under the wrong impression that I was only supposed to maintain my machine like every 3 months. After watching your vid I just cleaned my shower screen on my grouphead and descaled my machine thank you. Also just ordered citric acid and Espresso detergent thanks for saving me big bucks! (I always did think those cleaning tablets were a bit of a ripoff)
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How dare you call me out at 12:30.
@@somefreshbread Phhh i was sure it was me..
I can't stand modern espresso machine cleaners, many have forever chemicals. I get why some use it. With my puck screen I've never had an issue with the shower screen but I do check. Great video sir, really enjoyed it.
I did not put together why the name change until you mentioned... Oof on the AI association.
James! Any chance you have any guidance on cleaning and maintaining lever machines like a Victoria Arduino Athena Leva??
30 Minutes of Hoffmann calling me dirty is exactly what I needed today.
I'm filthy!
I didn't pass the finger test
@@Alnakar try the thumb :):):)
Hames Joffmann will have a field day with this one.
@@OmniPlatypus OMJ! you are so right!!!! :):):):)
You presume that maintenance is a boring topic to me? I’m coming fresh from an hour long video about the functioning of a dishwasher. Do carry on
Technology Connections is my shit
TC right?? Same here, watching while working out. People just staring at my phone like wtf this dude watching
Another Alec fan!
Technology Connections?
I learned so much from that video
As a Northerner that spent a few years living in London, my heart goes out to all there. The water is just calcium carbonate, with a little added water.
It's true! I hate buying so much bottled water for coffee, but this isn't the Lake District!
I'm Scottish, many years ago was staying at a mate's in Bristol and was very hungover the next day. Went to get a glass of water expecting the cool, clear stuff we get out the taps here. I got a glass of lukewarm chalk.
Not from the UK but from Arizona, we have the same thing. It's to the point that the water tastes bad without filtration and people attach water softeners to the intakes of their homes.
Because of the water where I live (Jersey, USA), I put in a distiller. I mix with that Third Wave and they claim that combination will not require descaling. I have also read, although can't confirm, that distilled alone is not good for the machine.
@Lexander__ We have since the 80s! Desert water needs to be recycled as much as possible, but they add so much chlorine. Also, the lime crusties. I had a filter on my shower head too. In Chandler, you could tell when the municipality had just dosed the supply. I'm in NM now, with a well, but the literal limestone is just as crusty, so we have a softener.
I was staying with my dad after he had surgery and I noticed that the portafilter of his premillenium la pavona was looking pretty dirty so I tried to clean it... Cut to 3 hours later, we have the machine in pieces and have chipped and polished away probably 30 years worth of coffee particles using his dremel tool. Everything that moved got a bit of vegetable oil lubrication and we put it back together. I heard him get up around 5am to make coffee, because he was so excited to see what difference it made.
He has been struggling for years to pull a really good shot, adding thermostats and pressure gauges, playing with the grind... he takes a sip an exclaims "this is best shot I've ever had from that machine!!!"
I wish I'd tried it before and after now.
You’re a good son, your dad appreciates you
Impressive
well played sir. I lost my father this year and moments like this are what it's all about
correcting myself - well played madame :)
@@tombancroft5089 good spotting. :-)
12:37 "you know who you are" saw deep into my soul and I am ashamed 😔
Definitelly never happened to me
what'd he say fuck me for?
It hit me right in my core
I felt threatened by James and now I'm a different person
12:30 or 12:31, I think, actually...
I ran a student run cafe in university as an engineering student. This video makes my heart so happy, as during my time I implemented a comprehensive PM program and documented all maintenance procedures for all of our equipment. Lots of late nights spent disassembling and cleaning the equipment that had not been maintained for years. Group head gaskets were hard as rocks.
Learned a new Acronym today -
RTFM = Read the Manual
IWTFJ i want James
*Read the F Manual
As a colleague said: The "F" stands for "fine" or "fantastic".
THE FORKIN MANUAL
Potty mouths all of them. It clearly means "read the friendly manual".
I love how James Hoffman is able to be so polite while he's also being super sassy
He is a genius at that because he admonishes without rankor, an amazing talent.
"See how that goes [smirk]" The voice of experience.
Startling
Who knew coffee maintenance could generate such entendres
Timestamp please?
@@sal_alaa20:30
I work at DeLonghi repair service and You can't even imagine how badly some people maintain their coffee appliances. Both espresso and automatic coffee machines. We get A LOT of reports of "the machine doesn't froth the milk" and easily 90% of the time it is due to the clogging of the milk carafes and steamwands with old crusted milk. Also there is a lot of reports about the machine "loosing its pressure over time" and of course during the diagnose we see that the portafilter is literally clogged with old coffee.
KEEP YOUR APPLIANCES CLEAN and RTFM and You will be happy with Your coffee machine for long years :)
If You have any questions, feel welcome to ask, I'll try to answer :)
Do you use anything special to clean that old crusty milk?
@@carahindes4341 For the milk carafes nothing special, You just need to take the carafe apart and soak it for about 10-15 minuts in warm water with dishing soap, than clean it with a sponge and/or a brush (brush is definitely better), rinse it and that's it, preferably after every use just rinse it under running water and you won't have to thoroughly clean it so often. Also the cleaning process is for sure depicted in a user manual.
For steam nozzles if the situation is bad, You need to declog it with some wire from the exit hole (for example You can straighten a paperclip and use it).
For maintenance, there are a lot of cappuccino cleaners to buy, use it as the instructions on the bottle inform. Usually You just soak the nozzle in a solution and shoot a couple of steam bursts and let it sit as long as the instructions say than rinse the inside with a couple of steam bursts.
Are delonghi machines compatible with back flushing?
@@zachwalter5593 Only La Specialista series from Prestigio model (EC9355.M) up
@@zachwalter5593 Only La Specialista series from Prestigio model (EC9355.M) up are
I don't own an espresso machine, I live purely on pour overs, but I was told not to skip this video and I'll use any James video as background noise because his voice is just that nice.
same, very glad to be in the pour over gang. maintenance is a helluva lot easier lol
Same. It pays off even when you’re not actively listening - like a cat with its ear trained inJames’s direction. At its most basic it’s rejuvenating sensible noise. At its most advanced, it teaches you a lot about coffee. Thanks James!
Pour over here as well. I live cleaning my kettle and other gear. Makes it shiny and new all over again.
As a coffee technician, I really appreciate you putting this out so that people can show love to their equipment (even though it might diminish my business a little bit 😉)
I will say, the amount of espresso cleaner demonstrated in the blank portafilter disc is pretty excessive. For most folks, it probably wouldn’t be an issue to use too much. However, I can’t count the number of times I’ve been called by a cafe because there’s no flow through their groups, and the issue was that they’re using too much cleaner and rinsing wasn’t sufficient to clear it out of the solenoid valve. That causes it to solidify and the plunger in the valve gets stuck closed.
If you’re lucky, you can do an extended soak with cleaner to release the residual gunked cleaner. If you’re unlucky, I have to come open your machine to clean out the cleaner from your group valve (ironic and expensive).
Happy brewing (and cleaning), everyone 🤠
Also seems like a good idea to dissolve detergent before backflush, would this reduce clogging?
@@michaelwilliams5110 It might, but blank baskets have quite a small volume and are shallow: The amount of water used in a single backflush is very small, probably as little as 10ml in some machines and rarely more than 25ml, and if you're using a solution of cleaner and water you'd probably also want to preheat it before pouring it into your blank, so we're already adding multiple steps to the process; The more complicated and fiddly you make the cleaning process, the less likely it will be done routinely - and a good routine is the best way to maintain any piece of equipment.
If not preheating, you'd want that solution to be sufficiently concentrated that it amounts to only a few % of the total volume of liquid involved in a single backflush.
Each backflush dumps the cleaner down the waste at the end of the cycle: With granules this is fine, because the first cycle has only dissolved a portion of the cleaner you added to the basket and on it's second run it dissolves a little more; With a liquid detergent all of the cleaner is already in solution, will be dumped out on the first flush, and you'd then need to pull the portafilter and refill with liquid cleaner before starting the second flush.
The other reason why we might not see the best results using a pre-diluted cleaner would be that there will be some mild abrasive cleaning provided by the granules as it dissolves into solution during the 3-5 flush cycles you'd typically want to run.
Finally, whilst I don't know the exact chemistry here the cleaner we use to backflush releases gases as it dissolves into solution: I wouldn't be surprised to learn that much like cleaning with bicarbonate of soda, that the gaseous emission as the cleaner dissolves aide in the process; At the least I'd imagine the pressure this creates would help to drive the detergent back up towards the solenoid.
@@rossstewart9475 Thanks for the detailed reply! Very thoughtful
Just cleaned the work Breville espresso machine on Fri morning and the coffee I pulled tasted so good. It's usually me that does the cleaning and I hadn't made time to do it. Made such a difference. Thanks for the reminder 😊
Hear me out.
This may not be one of the most popular/viewed videos he makes right off the bat but given the growing number of home cafes it will be watched by people for a long time.. Especially for beginners. Thankful for this video now and there will be more ppl thanking later on for years to come
I love how my Breville has "Clean me" reminder light that come up when it has reached its maintenance cycle, it kept me doing routine cleaning of it without fail. And it has auto-cleaning, just put in the cleaning basket with detergent and let it clean itself, all of these kept lazy person like me on time with maintenance.
It's been over 3 years and problem free.
Yep, I do the same. It keeps me honest.
@@juystafanreview2532 Whenever someone asked about getting first espresso machine, I always recommended looking into one with cleaning functions, it's essential stuff, like oil-change light on cars, it's something that should be on every machine, yet it doesn't.
Ideally you want to do shorter interval, but warning lights keep people from going too far and get into problems.
@@CorruptedDogg I think that's okay, erring on the side of "too clean". I'd rather it do like you say instead of having a mineral buildup sensor that might fail anyway.
@@CorruptedDoggyou can hit the steam button and dismiss the cleaning reminders if you’d like to ignore them for a while 😅
If it's the same Breville that I have the person who sets it up for you tests the water and calibrates the cleaning cycle with the machine so it's accurate.
You can also do it yourself if you move to another area for example.
After watching this video I cleaned my espresso machine more thoroughly than I ever thought possible. And honestly, I dare to say my coffee now tastes clean as well :D
I like how when the Niche is grinding, James is resting his hand on it. It looks like a motivating hand on the back to reassure the grinder that it can do it.
We recently deep cleaned our coffee brewer for the first time in ages, and it then created the single best cup of coffee I've had in years. It's well worth the effort to maintain a clean machine!
The topic did seem boring, but because James Hoffman said it was important I watched the whole thing. Turned out it was not boring at all because, well, James Hoffman of course!
Finding the manual PDF is a step that is not to be overlooked. As a force of habbit, I now search/find the PDF version of the manual for every non-trivial thing I buy (small appliances, tools, electronics, etc.) Renaming the files as something you'll recognize, and keeping all of them in a folder on your hard drive and/or a thumb drive saves unimaginable aggrivation and frustration later.
I save them and email them to myself so I can forever search my email for the pretty obvious names (brand plus item category plus manual, any other searchable terms/code words easy to throw in there)… helps when a gadget gets retired and I don’t really want to keep wasting space on new ones with files I almost never access and have no reason to keep private since Google and Bozo Bezos the Clown already pretty much know everything I own just from my browsing paired with my IP address.
I often d/l the pdf of models when deciding what machine/tool o buy. I like to get better info on internals and how to service/maintain stuff than the marketing material gives. "Easy to clean" just isn't enough😊
It has another pro to it; when I eventually get the product, I am eager to start using it and having read the manual already, I'm good to go😊
THANK YOU JAMES FOR DOING THIS! Working in hospitality I am so sick of being told different things by different people about how to clean an espresso machine. I just want something to set the record straight!
As a regular descaler of my Gaggia happy with things, had never removed the shower head - OMG how was anything passing through this!! All clean and flowing now. Thanks James
I don't own a coffee machine, but I guess I'll watch just about anything James presents just cuz it's hella neat.
That's how I started, just got my first hand grinder..
I drink instant, yet here we are.
I don't even like coffee!
Run, don't walk. Avoid James Hoffman at all costs. Don't get sucked in by his mellifluous tones and oh-so reasonable delivery. It's too late for me. Before I knew it, I'd spent over five thousand dollars on coffee gear and now I have a $70 a month coffee subscription not to mention the other approximately $30 a month I spend each month on 'interesting' roasters. Crack is probably cheaper and nowhere as addictive.
Maybe buy a moka pot and some ground coffee? That and a gas stove is all you need to make your own at home! It amazes me how simple that contraption is. You'll have fun with it, for sure.
YES! I've been advocating clean equipment for ages. No matter the price of your equipment, if it's not kept clean you won't be able to make good coffee with it. If you pull a shot of clean water and it's not as transparent of water, you're doing it wrong. "It's not seasoning, it's just dirt" - spot on.
While I do happen to have some citric acid right now, it's generally rare that I do. However, I almost always have vinegar on hand. Most vinegars I've seen range from 4% to 7% acetic acid, and it is also non-toxic and food safe. I've been using it for years to descale and just generally clean anything coffee related. Also, since I wear dentures, I always have denture cleaning tablets on hand, and they work great for removing coffee stains from stainless cups and mugs. Clean it really well with soap and water, then rinse it clean, fill it to the top with hot water and drop a tablet in and let it sit over night.
My coffee machine has been out of service for more than two months now because the boiler wasn’t filling anymore and I assumed that I needed to change a piece but never took the time to do so. After watching your video I tried putting citric acid in and just solved the issue.
Thanks for the tips ❤
Keep up the great work y’all !
I have a Sage (Breville) machine which I thought I was doing a good job of cleaning until I watched this! I put espresso machine cleaner through it once every couple of months and descale it every other time, I rarely take the shower screen down so I did while watching this video and found literal limescale chunks sat in it! very glad I've found this video, I'll be adding the bean hopper and shower screen to my maintenance schedule as I don't clean either of them currently!
May I ask, how did you remove and reattach the shower screen? I have the same one and the manual doesnt mention removing the shower screen unfortunately…
@@vornamenachname8854 there is a bolt in the center of it, remove that using an allen key and carefully pry round the edges to remove the screen being careful not to bend the edges (at your own risk!).
I'm a big fan of manual lever espresso machines for home use. Not only are they generally cheaper and give you a lot of control, they are so much easier to clean and maintain.
Me too! Problem is I don’t think a manual lever will provide the nerdy types with enough to do 🤔
@@jamesprater7192you might want to think again, there are more variables with a manual machine. They’re not very forgiving, takes a long time to dial in your shots
Yes!!! As a happy Robot owner, I can confirm this :)))
A much needed video! I was procrastinating descaling my machine for years. After watching this i immediately did it and it was super easy lol.
Fun fact: 15 years ago i worked as maintenance for gas station coffee machines and you would never believe the amount of mold, rot, scale and decomposing dead mice that was inside of these machines. Gas stations have come a long way since then but it used to be bonkers
i can barely even drink coffee because i'm so sensitive to caffeine, but hobbies of all kinds fascinate me and coffee is no exception. so of COURSE i'll watch a video about cleaning a bunch of apparatuses i don't even own, hell yeah!
Decaf specialty coffees are starting to become a thing, so depending on where you live, this might be something you could look into. I'm pointing out specialty coffee here because while regular supermarket coffee is somewhere between bad and okay, supermarket decaf is usually a complete atrocity.
Coffee circle recently had very good selections of decaf and they also brew them in their shops. So if you ever find one of their shops, decaf espresso or latte is totally an option.
Are you an interesting person because of your caffeine sensitivity or because you watch UA-cam channels dedicated towards caffeine? 😂
;) i do the same but with the different trades
IT’S -NOT A PHASE, MOOM- NOT A HOBBY, coffee is an absolute necessity for survival!
I recommend drinking coffee only after having a large meal and you’ll be completely fine
Check out decadent decaf. I’m the same as you and their coffee is exquisite
Hi James, I have done all the cleaning steps up to now, except for one: The shower head. So today I bought the correct torx key to open it, and... let's say that was the best spent 40Fr on a tool set and best spent 20 minutes of watching your video! The taste difference before-after was tremendous! Thanks a lot! Now I can make the best barista espresso out of my 600fr Lelit Anita PID!
Literally today I was going to descale my new espresso machine and I was about to look up a tutorial. Perfect timing.
Please ensure you literally clean it. Metaphorically cleaning it would be less productive.
I am dreading doing it for the first time but now this video is here and I have the same exact machine so, ugh, I guess it's a sign to actually do it
Why does your new machine have scale?
You shouldn’t need to descale a new machine.
@@leroythecoffeegeek4611 I meant relatively new, I’ve had it for 4-ish months lol
I have been following you for the last couple months trying to educate myself on coffee. It has been eye opening and has really made me pay more attention. Today's video prompted me to do a deep clean of our OXO coffee grinder. What an absolute PITA to clean not to mention how absolutely filthy and disgusting it was. As an almost impossible machine to completely clean, I am at this moment choosing it's replacement.
Thanks so much for your exquisite work with so much attention to detail that is helping me to raise my coffee game! Cheers!
I don't think I've ever religiously watched a 30 mins video on maintenance. But I do love how much useful stuff you managed to add into this video. I do keep my espresso machine clean and remember to purge the grouphead and steam wand after every use but I'd never heard of removing the shower screen to clean it. I should do that now and hope I won't be shocked by what I find in the there
Were you shocked? Honestly was shocked, I am the same as you and didn't know you could easily clean the shower head, didn't even think about it honestly. Learned about it like 2 weeks ago and I was 100% shocked with it lol.
@@NukeyStreams I was SHOCKED, cuz my manual did not include that as a maintenance task. And YUUK !!!! 5 years of coffee residue. Luckily the puck screen kept it from being worse than it was.
@@garyn7067 WOW 5 years?? Honestly I don't even know where my manual is at 😂
I hope that wiped away well, for me it was surprising but the moment I put a sponge on the shower screen it immediately wiped away, pretty cool actually
Thank you for making this video! I recently cleaned my espresso machine for the first time after 2 1/2 years of owning it, because I realized it was probably important-only recognizing just how important after seeing all of the build up. Thankfully my machine lets me know when I need to descale, so I've been doing that. I appreciate the detailed explanation on all of these!
‘Making sure the exit chute is clean is the number 1 task’
I’m gonna go ahead and say it’s more of a number 2 sort of thing
😂😂
....nice!
Also feel the need to throw in “you don’t want a fishy hopper”, about 20:05
I'm more amazed that James only cleans his exit chute once a week. I do mine at least daily.
Another great piece of maintenance advice: dusting! Many of us (not me... but... other people) tend to accumulate quite a few gadgets/devices/brewing mechanisms that tend to just... sit there. Even though they look cool and you definitely remember how to use them but you just are saving it for a special occasion, the tops/sides may accumulate dust, and it's a lot easier to remove a small layer of week old dust than it is to remove months old caked on dust. Just a quick brush once a week or a couple times a month makes your coffee stuff not only looking nicer but probably tasting better too - nobody wants dust brewed with their coffee.
Also remember to clean your vacuum pots! Some of them come with a cloth filter that is a magnet for becoming disgusting and rinsing it under the sink and letting it dry is generally not sufficient. If you did that with your paper filters it wouldn't be sufficient, so it's generally not sufficient for a cloth one too.
Nice video!
I've been questioning whether my machine needs replacing, but this reminds me i don't clean it properly. Perfect timing, thank you.
"See how that goes" - best part of the video. Very helpful. Thank you!
"Fishy Hopper" will be added to my collection of character names for my novel. Thanks!
Will it be someone’s drag name?😂
I just cleaned my kettle with citric acid a few days before I saw this. My water is fortunately quite soft but over a year I was getting a patina of mineral deposits from daily use.
The citric acid worked a treat, and it was $2.50 from the grocer's bulk bin for enough to repeat the cleaning 10x over. Plus crystal citric acid can be used for cheese sauces and sour candy. The equivalent concentrate solution bearing a popular consumer brand was $15. It's less flexible, but still quite accessible.
Love it!
Another tip for getting old coffee residue off of something that you're hand washing is to make a paste out of baking soda and dish soap with just a little water and scrub with that, being careful to use little enough water to avoid dissolving the baking soda. Most of the time I don't reach for the specialty cleaner that I also have for machine internals.
I honestly had no idea about checking behind the shower screen until watching. Thankfully it appears between fairly regular flushing and my puck screen, I had no coffee at all stored up. But great to know for future deep cleanings!
Always learning something new when I watch. Thanks James!
Literally the best video you've ever made imo.
did a before and after shot between cleaning my grouphead, grinder, and portafilter and the difference was staggeringly noticable. ty!
Post more! We love you. Changed my whole coffee experience, this channel did.
I've just started shopping for my first proper coffee machine and this was my major concern about getting one, this video couldn't be more perfectly timed!
Thank you for being psychic. I needed this. I was going to do this later today. You're the best James.
Finally a cleaning vid! I used to have a filter coffee machine, but where I live now it started to taste bad and even cleaning the loose parts and flushing with detergent didn't get the taste back... Got rid of the machine...
After finding this channel I did pourovers with the filter in my cup and I finally had nice tasting coffee again.
Now I have the dripper with a switch, a little hand grinder and I keep my beans in the freezer.
And now... after all this time... I learn I could've used citric acid..... Thank you for the cleaning vid!!!
This got me to get up and clean my espresso machine because I'd been neglecting it for a couple weeks... The horrors I have witnessed were a sobering enough experience to motivate me to clean *so* much more regularly
As a casual drinker, I was pretty proud of myself for doing daily maintenance even without being aware of the consequences of not doing them (back flushing, steam wand wiping and purging, as well as keeping the underside of my shower screen clean). That's until James said to disassemble the shower screen and clean INSIDE it. I didn't know you were supposed to clean inside or even if it was removable! I've had my machine for 4 years now. Let's just say it took me a while to get the shower screen off after unscrewing, and even a while longer to clean inside 😭
I’m looking forward to my cup tomorrow!
RTFM, but that wasn't in the FM. So like you I did not know I had to clean behind the shower screen. And when I did it YUK, so much coffee residue.
@@garyn7067 yeah, same. I (metaphorically) ran and downloaded a copy of the manual so I can use the search function, just in case I missed it when I first read the printed manual. It's not there 😐
when it comes to cleaning i have always had success with cleaning my basket after every shot (obviously) rinsing off my portafilter with hot water after every shot, cleaning my portafilter with soap and water at the end of the day, flushing my machine (running water trough it without a portafilter) after every shot for a few seconds, clean the shower screen every weekend, and backflushing it every weekend
I use a simple 5 cupper ☕️ . I replace them every 6mo-10mo or so. The cheaper models have the heat element wear out, break. I wash out the glass coffee container often. Grinds can seep into sections too. Clean that too.
Such a rewarding video to watch for someone who descales and cleans all coffee machines, drip trays and kettles at every house I ever go to, even if it's a first time visit😂
Thanks for the well produced video on espresso machine and grinder maintenance! I must now increase my shower head cleaning to once a week instead of monthly. However, and most wonderfully, I can decrease my descaling frequency to once a year since my water is pretty much neutral and little scale forms in my machine. My wife can now appreaciate all the gadgets and cleaning stuff I have because she can taste the difference between the cappuccinos I make for her and the ones she gets at Starbuck’s.
Hi James. Thanks for all your helpful videos. Re maintenance, I live in London, and bought the KitchenAid Artisan grinder and espresso machine, and the Sage Brewer 3/4 months ago. I am only disappointed that the Sage carafe is accumulating a brown film inside, and my hands are too big to get inside it. Can you please advise on the best cleaner to purchase for each of these machines? Can I use citric acid for everything, or different agents for different jobs?? Thank you
I needed this video so much! Thanks James!
That's why this guy has so many subscribers. He should be called Dr. Hoffmann :) Doctor of Coffee!!!!
Thank you for this amazing video!!!!!!!!!
This will really help me clean my Aeropress
Clean under the rubber plunger tip! That's it.
The rubber part of the plunger can get really gross after awhile if you only rinse it. I scrub it with dish soap periodically.
Thank you James! Just descaled my glass water kettle today with citric acid as you said and it came out beautifully - it literally disappeared before my eyes within seconds. Was dealing with the gunky look and constant bits of scale being left in the water for a while now, and both vinegar and steel wool didn't get rid of it completely before - can't believe I didn't know this bit of common household knowledge. Looking forward to doing the same with my espresso machines instead of using the expensive chemical de-scaler.
12:31 can't wait to see this in a Hames Joffman video
20:26 and this one
I have a Melitta automatic bean to cup machine, and it being German its very clear and direct on when it needs to be cleaned (milk part, coffee part, descaling, etc). Doing that, while also doing a proper clean of the removable unit every time I buy new coffee beans, have lead to many years of great coffee from my Melitta machine. Hoping it will survive many more years!
I'm just waiting for the Hoffman Cometh version, probably about personal hygiene :D
27:00 I found it worthwhile to replace the rubber gasket with a silicone gasket in my moka pot. Bought it from E&B Lab, quite satisfied.
Also curious to hear your recommendations for hand grinders. I'm cleaning them every time I grind different coffee (3-4 weeks), but maybe that's too infrequent?
I'm honestly surprised that Bialetti doesn't sell silicone seals. Unless you forget it on a hot burner after brewing it doesn't really take damage, but I've loved the silicone seal and how much easier it is to see the coffee buildup under it.
It of course depends on how much you grind. I do about 30 grams a day and find every 3-4 weeks a little too infrequent. Fine particles of coffee will build up and make the coffee taste more and more bitter and sharp over time. I try to clean every 1-2 weeks, and I screw the grinder (1zpresso) apart and take both the inner and outer burr out each time.
Quick tip: a lot of coffee cleaners are a mix of sodium percarbonate (OxiClean), sodium carbonate (Washing Soda) and salt. I work with Bean-to-Cup and batch-brew machines for a living, and a vast majority of the cleaners we use for removing coffee oils and residue buildup are about 30% sodium carbonate and 30% sodium percarbonate, plus some other cleaners like hydrated silica, sodium laurel sulfate, and ethoxylated alcohols.
Expert tip no. 7: If you never open the machine you will pass every ick test.
Except the taste test...
@jameshoffmann I apprecated this video more than I expected. The video made me reconcider my kettlle and my stainless steel mugs (aeropress regular). My kettle had some accumulation in the bottom which a teaspoon of citric acid and a boil cycle solved right away. My stainless steel mugs (Yeti) had built up and I noticed a bitter taste increasing over time. I could never get them perfectly clean using a bottle cleaner and things like barkeepers friend. So I used a teaspoon of Cafiza espresso machine cleaner in the mugs (not for aluminum btw), filled with hot tap water and let soak for 30 minutes. This. was. amazing. A quick rinse, soapy wash, and they were like new again. Thanks so much for the video.
you know you're over 35 when you enjoy a cleaning video
Uh oh I'm only 28
@@ungeekness I'm only 20. James is fun!
Thanks James. This is what I call quality content. I might start spreading the word about the benefits of drinking coffee just by telling people they'll become as smart, as wit and credible as you sooner or later. Proud we have you in the community
For testing burrs, I've read to drag a fingernail lengthwise over it. It should shave a tiny bit of the nail off.
I bought an espresso machine used not too long ago. Its sat unused for a while as I tried to detox on caffeine for a bit. I'm getting back into it now though so the machine is seeing more use. I knew you could drop the showerscreen from the group head but I never assumed it would be something you'd need to clean as regularly as every week, I thought it'd be one of those every 6-12 months jobs, that I tell myself I'll do at some point... I shall definitely be dropping the screen and cleaning it before I pull my next shot!
Awesome video as ever James! Very informative, love the bit about citric acid because I hate the chemical smell of most descalers, will definitely be trying that one. Thank you!
I think it is one of those "it depends" tasks.
It depends on: what beans you use, how many shots you pull in a day, single vs double, how fine the grind, etc.
I would check the screen after say 2 weeks. If it is CLEAN, next time wait another week (3 weeks). And keep pushing it out till you see coffee residue in it.
But if the screen is DIRTY, shorten the cleaning interval, to say 1 week.
@@garyn7067 That's good advice. I checked the screen yesterday, it was dirty for sure but honestly given it's probably never been cleaned, I expected worse. I'll probably check it again in a few weeks as you say.
Since owning the machine I always run through some plain water with an empty portafiter after dumping out the puck before turning off the machine, I can imagine that probably helps keep things a bit cleaner
@@ajburdett882 Because I pull single shots in a double shot basket, I use a puck screen. That seems to keep most of the coffee from floating up to the shower screen and getting behind it. Woulda been worse without the puck screen.
How many people immediately went and cleaned their coffee gear after seeing this video? 🙋♂
I hadn’t yet done a shower screen clean. It looked a bit like the one James had, and there was an accumulation around the gasket. I had recently back flushed, but the shower screen is all clean now!
Ive got my current home espresso machine for free due to a lack of maintenance. Its previous owner gave it away after it stopped working. It turned out it never got descaling in 3 years of ownership. 3€ of descalerand an hour of regular cleaning/maintenance later i got a fully functional espresso machine that has served me well gor the past year and a half. :)
So only use Cooked rice for grinder cleaning. Got it.
Be careful of WHAT rice you use. My rice would turn to paste if you put it into a grinder.
Maybe if you left it out for a week to dry out.
Thank you James for teaching me the ropes during Covid on how to use my aeropress at home. Love from California mate!
Is it just me, or has James been working out?
Edit: Should have kept watching :D
Why did you stop watching?
Just recently was gifted my first espresso machine (a breville bes810 duo temp). So I am very much new to espresso haha. When I got it I cleaned it up to the best of my knowledge and ability. While I haven't been getting wonderful espresso it has been making pretty good coffee drinks how I usually enjoy it. Wasn't until this video I realized I was supposed to clean under the filter screen haha. Just took it off and goodness gracious it had a ton of disgusting build-up underneath 😵. Now my machine is completely cleaned and descaled to the best of my ability. Thanks for the tips and all the videos you do!
Grinder maintenance might also make a good video
After seeing this, my first reaction is „Oups!“. I didn‘t think about the water coming back up the line after a shot. So to the kitchen we go, time to give it a good clean to start fresh. Thank you for all the tips.
My Moka Pot cleaning regime: Let it cool down until the next time you use it, then discard the puck and then lightly rinse without soap
That doesn't leave residues after awhile?
@@Shadowguy456234 You scrub it off with warm water
I "brew" baking soda, then "brew" water a couple of times. It does a decent job and cleans the little brewing tube as well.
This was great. I actually used to backflush/cafiza my filter basket every two weeks. Ill now switch to weekly and I always thought you shouldn't descale your machine unless something was wrong with it. I exclusively use third wave water but will do that every 6 months now. Great video
Clearly the working out has been working out! NICE ARMS MAN
I have a manual grinder and I never thought about the burrs. Thanks for reminding me! it's been grinding beans for ages and my coffee tasted off coming back from vacation. Cleaned the coffee monster and never thought about the grinder. Did the taste test and yep, fish, now I need to figure out how to take the infernal thing apart.
So, cooked rice. Got it.
Worth mentioning that an Aeropress plunger needs to be taken off and cleaned out regularly too. Seem to get all sorts of gunk accumulating in there. Great video, living in Glasgow the water is so soft there is never any scaling, the downside is that it doesn't make such good coffee.
who else is now guilt cleaning their neglected equipment?
Once, my cousin came over and started using my grinder to make an espresso. He was surprised that we're using the same grinder but for some reason my grinder "worked 10x better" than his at home. The weird part was that we're using the same grinder.
Cue to when he got back home and complained again as to why his grinder was a lot more worse than mine. He asked which better grinder he could get, maybe even a better burr set that he can upgrade his to.
I told him to take a pic of his grinder and I saw how caked up the whole thing was. Like actual caked grounds on the hopper and all the other external parts. I asked him when was the last time he cleaned his grinder since you need to open the grinder up and clean regularly - to which he asked back, "wait, you can open the grinder and clean the insides?
Turns out he had been using it for 3-years straight and never clean the burrs or anything. He thought his metal burrs had somehow got blunt, when really it was just the caked up grounds on stuck on the burrs that did it.
tl;dr: Clean your grinder everyone. Doesn't need to be every day or every week, but you'll need to clean it after some time.
For those in the US I highly recommend PURO as your espresso machine cleaner. Have used it for years and it is pure magic
This video should be sponsored by CAFELAT because this is why I love my Robot. Yes, you need to clean all three pieces you use to brew… but you don’t need to worry about back flushing, descaling, a drip tray, a water tank and the like. It’s a wonderfully simple machine.
What I have found that works well for me (Rocket 9 One) is doing two water only purges after making a shot and in between each I clean off the external dispersion filter (where the water comes out without the portafilter on) and then do a third purge with the Porto filter on - each is only a few seconds, however that reduces much of the cleaning required for a machine that only pulls 1-2 shots a day
Keeps most of the residue off, I can do a proper clean once every couple weeks
I'm a trainer at a coffee company and despite being fastidious at work, my home equipment is pretty neglected. Got up and descaled my kettle halfway through this video >< Thanks for the reminder!
Brilliant, I have just finished descailing my coffee machine and now I see this. That is perfect timing Mr James!
Halfway through this video I stopped trusting my machine's automated tally of hard Dutch water and started a descaling routine. Thanks James!
I have a Sage Bambino and a Baratza Encore, both featured in the video! Luckily Madrid's water is so soft that descaling can be very infrequent, but I'll be ready whenever I want to do a proper cleaning of my machine. I'll also start cleaning the head or water shower, whatever is called. Never thought of disassembling that!
I just ordered machine cleaning stuff. And I was panicking about cleaning it for the first time. And suddenly he posts this video.
I have used my superautomatic for 5 years. I read the manual and do the maintenance- weekly general clean, (10 min.), cleaning water borne minerals (500 cups), clean grinder (yearly)*, deep clean and relube brew unit (when needed). Still works like new, makes great coffee.
*NB: Never use oily beans in a superautomatic.
Well, I read the F manual of my Rocket 58 dual boiler, which stated I must not use citric acid because it would do something to the surface of the boilers. They recommend a full disassembly only, such that I was searching for someone capable of doing that. After not finding anyone here in Vienna, Austria, and not descaling my machine for three years because of that, I finally gave in to citric acid, which, at least on the outside, was no big deal.
"(RTFM) Read the manual"
Made my day :D
Thank you!
I was under the wrong impression that I was only supposed to maintain my machine like every 3 months. After watching your vid I just cleaned my shower screen on my grouphead and descaled my machine thank you. Also just ordered citric acid and Espresso detergent thanks for saving me big bucks! (I always did think those cleaning tablets were a bit of a ripoff)
Why is james unironically the funniest guy alive
Maybe one of your most important videos. While not the flashiest in topic a super important one and i'm glad you made it.
So happy to see my machine as one of your examples (bambino plus). :) this makes me feel confident I made the right choice