You’ve just received your first ever coffee setup. Maybe you got a nice new batch brewer that’s going to be used every morning and forgotten about every night. Or a great new grinder that might get a little chaffy or oily. Or even a fancy new espresso machine with parts and components that’s going to need some regular maintenance.
Here are my top 8 tips and gear to keep your coffee equipment and station squeaky clean! Now this is your disclaimer that everything I’m going through here today I have personally used and am using on a frequent basis without issue. As with any machine requiring regular cleaning and maintenance, do refer to your manufacturer's instructions if it came with one as results may vary, device to device.
So, with that being said, here are my top eight tips and gear to keep your coffee station clean and your brews tasty.
Number One: Cafiza
This stuff is worth its weight in gold and can be used to clean practically anything that touches coffee.
If you have any cups, mugs, pots, and accessories that have been stained with coffee residue, this stuff works.
For mugs and carafes, I throw a small amount of Cafiza powder into it alongside some hot water and let it sit overnight. The next morning I give everything a thorough rinse with soap and warm water, and it looks almost brand new.
This stuff is regularly used for espresso machines that require backflushing and even for accessories like puck screens, baskets, and portafilters.
Regularly cleaning your gear is going to not only help retain your machines’ longevity, but also ensure your coffee stays tasty.
Number Two: Third Wave Water
Preventative care - specifically for espresso machines and automatic brewers. While there are ways to clean up residue and limescale build up, you can also minimize the chance of it occurring to begin with.
The first would be to use a puck screen! This is specific for espresso machines. It’s a little disc of metal that sits above your bed of coffee within the portafilter that is supposedly said to a) help better evenly distribute water, but also mainly b) help keep your machine’s group head nice and clean.
I’ve been using puck screens for years now and my machines have always stayed looking squeaky clean and producing delicious coffee.
And speaking of delicious coffee, the 2nd preventative care method will not only help keep your espresso machine or automatic brewer clean with optimized water, but also improve your coffee at the same time.
And that is with the help of the sponsor of today’s post - Third Wave Water.
It’s no secret that good coffee needs good water. But, machines themselves can also benefit from water optimized for brewing. Both water that is too hard, or too soft, can be bad for your machine. Third Wave Water streamlines that process with the perfect blend of minerals to prevent the buildup of scale and prevent corrosion.
And you can even pick and choose different mineral packets for both your brew method and coffee roast preferences.
I’ve been using third wave water in combination with a reverse osmosis water filter and that’s one variable in the brewing process I no longer have to worry about.
Go to thirdwavewater.com/itsxris to get 10% off your first purchase. Once again, thanks to Third Wave Water for sponsoring this post.
Number Three: RDT
RDT, a method of spritzing your coffee beans with a touch of water to prevent as much chaff and static build up, is an easy way to minimize the chaff and mess that comes with grinding coffee. I’ve basically been doing this with every grinder I’ve used because it really helps cut down on the mess.
However, some grinder manufacturers recommend not doing this, while others even include a spray bottle to encourage it. Of course, only do this if you’re comfortable with regularly maintaining your grinder.
RDT, while helpful, can also be problematic if you don’t routinely clean your grinder. A good set of brushes will help brush off that coffee residue and keep both your grinder and worktop clean.
Plus, we’ve recently discovered some new information about RDT from Chris Hendon, that I’ll leave linked down below. It’s a very interesting read and both James Hoffmann and Lance Hedrick have excellent videos on the topic.
Number Four: Mini Vacuum
Dealing with coffee inevitably leads to spills, stains, and grounds getting everywhere.
My advice, invest in multiple sets of cleaning brushes and a mini vacuum. If you own any kind of coffee grinder, you need to regularly clean it. Oils and coffee residue can quickly build up, no matter what grinder you have. Simple hand grinders need maintenance, and even fancy $4,000 electric grinders need it.
A combination of cleaning brushes and a mini vacuum helps get into hard to reach places. My coffee workbench has a conveniently placed outlet and USB charging ports where I can easily keep my vacuum charged up and ready.
Number Five: Towels & Rags
Towels and rags also seem like a no-brainer. But I’ve been guilty of using the same rag for multiple days in a row. Having a large stack makes it easier and more hygienic to stick to using one per day and tossing em in the wash afterwards.
I particularly like these microfiber ones I got off Amazon almost 4 years ago now, they’ve held up just fine and come in a fairly large stack for not too much money.
I’ve also been using these tools from Artpresso that makes it easy to keep my steam wand, drip tray, and group head clean. The group head cleaner even includes a flat head bit to unscrew shower screens and a mirror to check the group.
Number Six: Bar Mats
Rubber bar mats have also been a great item to keep all the grounds and mess contained. I’ve used these on/off because sometimes I like the cleaner aesthetic without the black bar mats but generally they stay on because it just helps so much with cleaning.
I’ve gone through a few different styles of these and have to say that this is by far the nicest and thickest mat I’ve purchased yet. They also come in a wide variety of sizes so you can pick and choose to use them however you want. They can be washed in the sink very easily and help contain coffee grounds, spills, and even milk residue sometimes.
Whenever I go to clean grinders or tools, I usually just use a mat and brush off all the grounds onto it so it's super easy to contain the mess.
Number Seven: Blind Baskets
These typically come with most espresso machine purchases and combined with cafiza or manufacturer recommended cleaner.
I like to use these by putting a tablet or small amount of cafiza powder in them, locking the portafilter into the grouphead, and running it for about 10 seconds, letting it flush out, and repeating that for a total of 5 times.
Then I’ll clean out the basket and give the group a scrub and repeat flushing again with just water.
This process might vary from machine to machine, and always refer to your manufacturer's instructions for maintenance steps, but generally I’ve found this to work on most E61 or 58mm group machines I’ve tried.
One tool I’ve liked to use that’s almost like a super blind basket is the Weber Spring which essentially pushes 200ml of water through the group, and gives your machine a really really deep clean. At least, it feels like it is.
This tool is only for 58mm machines that utilize a pump and backflush system for cleaning and maintenance, and I would check the Weber site for compatibility before purchasing.
Number Eight: Create a Routine
Much like your coffee preparation, cleaning and care for your gear, also needs a routine.
Starting at the most frequent item on the to-do list, is grinder cleaning. This one may be specific to the EG1 as there are a few different levels of cleaning this grinder.
For the daily cleaning, I simply remove the burr carrier and give everything a quick brush. The entire thing snaps back together with magnets very nicely.
We also use the Moccamaster batch brewer, daily so I give this a soapy water rinse each night.
Personally, I run an average of 10-12 shots through my espresso machine per week, and I generally backflush once a month, or sometimes a little sooner if I’ve been pulling a lot more shots for testing or video purposes.
Alongside backflushing the machine, I’ll also soak the portafilter, disassembling the spouts if possible, puck screens, baskets, shower screens, and gaskets in a container with hot water and cafiza.
And probably once a month I’ll go and open up whatever grinder I’m using and do a deep clean there. Although, this has changed a little with the EG1 specifically since it’s such a low retention grinder to begin with.
I’ve actually opened this up fully just one time so far, and even then had less than a gram of retained grounds.
When I do go and do a full clean of a grinder, I’ll also do a deep clean on the rest of the items on my coffee bar, and generally try to give everything a good wipe.
And those are my top 8 tips and gear to hopefully help you keep your coffee equipment clean, and your coffee tasting delicious.
For more about the coffee and other equipment I personally use today, check out my brew gear or storefront!
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