Did you receive or purchase some sweet new coffee gear over the holidays? One key to keeping it in top shape is to keep it well maintained! Today we’re looking at a few common bits of maintenance you should perform on your new coffee equipment. For the most accurate info on maintaining your new gear, refer to the owner’s manual!
Grinder Maintenance
Your grinder should be cleaned once every week or two (depending on use) with Grindz cleaner if it’s used daily. For less frequently used grinders, once a month should be fine. We also recommend wiping down or washing your hopper with dish soap in between refills if you leave coffee in the hopper.
Every 3-6 months you should open up your grinder to clean the burrs, though on some grinders this doesn’t require removing the full burr set. It’s also important to regularly clean catch bins for brew grinders!
Pour Over Equipment
Descaling your kettles and carafes is worth doing one to two times per year. It’s also important to keep your scale clean! Drippers and carafes should also be cleaned regularly with dish detergent and warm water to remove coffee oils.
Drip Brewers
You should descale and clean your drip brewer every 3-6 months to keep your coffee fresh. This can be done with a vinegar solution or a product like Cleancaf. You should also clean your carafe regularly with similar cleaning products a little more regularly than you clean the entire brewer. Finally, make sure you rinse, wash, and dry your filter basket with regularity to avoid molding!
Semi-Automatic Espresso
Semi-automatic espresso machines should be backflushed anywhere from weekly to monthly depending on use. You can use a product like Cafiza to backflush, and you should follow your user’s manual for guidance on frequency.
Semi-automatics also need to be descaled once every year or so, again, your user’s manual will help you decide when. The important thing to note is that some machines, such as those with E61 groupheads, should only be descaled by a professional. For this reason it’s important to closely follow guidelines from the manufacturer when descaling.
Superautomatic Espresso
Sueprautomatic machines have pretty well outlined cleaning guidelines which differ from machine to machine. Most superautos even tell you when they need cleaning and descaling on their interfaces. Many also have proprietary cleaning products that are the best fit for their processes. Finally, if your machine uses a water filter, it’s important to follow your manual’s guidelines on when to change it and what to replace it with.
One extra thing you can do for your superauto is use SuperGrindz every month or two to keep the grinder clean. This can help reduce coffee oil buildup and prolong the life of your machine.
We hope these quick tips will help you yo keep your new gear in tip top shape!
