How to Clean your Espresso machine.

Hi readers,

This post is a "How-to" demonstration on how to clean your espresso machine.

Exceptional espresso is the culmination of many factors. Obviously the coffee itself is first and foremost, supported by the barista's technique and the capabilities of the equipment. One factor that is often overlooked in commercial establishments and homes alike is the foul flavors that poorly maintained espresso machines can introduce to the cup. As you will read, the sense of "clean" this article advocates doesn't mean wiping down the driptray and running water over the portafilters before closing, it means a regular cleaning regime that removes impurities on an hourly, daily, and weekly basis. Don't be put off by the detailed-oriented nature of the task—the reward is genuinely better and more consistent espresso.

This article has several authors. Dave Stephens introduces why cleaning must be a regular part of your barista duties and how to perform them with step-by-step instructions focused on the business-end of your espresso machine. Nick Griffith outlines when these cleaning duties need to be performed. Finally, Chris Tacy explains the salient differences between the cleaning regimes for home and commercial establishments. The instructions and recommendations presented generally apply to any espresso machine with a three-way valve type group; feel free to adapt these instructions to your own personal use. In doing so, you remove one impediment standing between you and great espresso.

The best coffee beans cannot make up for the impurities a dirty machine adds to your drinks. Coffee beans contain essential oils. While these oils are responsible for the rich crema that tops your espresso, it can also be responsible for a rancid off flavor that develops over time. Those oils emulsify and cling to and behind the water screen of your espresso machine, doubly so on brass surfaces. These oils also leave a film on the filter basket and portafilter. Over time this film will start to plug the holes of the filter basket and create deposits inside the portafilter spout. Luckily these impurities are relatively easy to remove IF you follow a regular cleaning schedule.

Pictured below are two portafilters, the right is new and clean, the left is old and dirty.



That portafilter is extremely filthy, and unacceptable!

Keeping your espresso machine clean will not only help maintain the quality of your espresso but also extend the life of the machine, and if you're spending upwards of $5000 you want to keep that machine clean! You should purge and wipe off your steam wand after every use and run a water shot through your machine after every brewing session. Do a clean water backflush every 10 to 15 shots, (yes it sounds like alot but it makes a huge difference!) at the end of every session as part of your cleaning routine.

This section will concentrate on the more detailed cleaning routine that should be performed every week or 20 to 30 shots, whichever comes first.

It should be noted that only machines with a three-way valves can be cleaned using methods described in this post. If your espresso machine does not have a three-way valve, do not attempt to backflush as doing so can damage your espresso machine. Please consult your operator's manual to verify the presence of the three-way valve (often called a three-way solenoid).

Below we have a prime example of a dirty machine. There are milk deposits on the steam wand and coffee residue and oils on the shower screen. You should wipe off the shower screen with a moist cloth at the end of each session and the steam wand after each use (one dedicated to each task to avoid cross-contamination). Once a week (or more often depending on your usage), do a more detailed cleaning as described below.





Dirty shower screen before.










Dirty steam wand before.











Both clean after!









You will only need a few things to clean your machine properly.

Espresso machine cleaner (backflush detergent such as Cafiza, PuroCaf, or JoeGlo),
Blank, blind, or backflush portafilter basket (different names for the same item),
A clean kitchen towel and a dishrag,
Green scrubby (aka Scotch-Brite® pad) cut into 1 inch squares,
Metal or glass bowl or container deep enough for the portafilter to soak in.
Optional components include:

Group brush (my favorite is the smartly-designed Pällo Coffee Tool),
Steam wand brush,
Dairy cleanser (such as Urnex Rinza).
Start by simply wiping off the residue on your shower screen. Now gather up your portafilter, backflush basket and flushing detergent. Please read the instructions on your detergent and use their recommended dosing. I am using JoeGlo. They recommend using half a teaspoon of detergent in your blind basket. Snap the blind filter basket into your portafilter and add the recommended amount of detergent.




Espresso machine cleaner /
backflush detergent













Follow the recommended flush sequence of the detergent you are using. JoeGlo recommends running the pump five times in 15 second start/stop intervals. Once the portafilter is locked into place, engage the pump. You will notice a change in the pitch of your pump as the pressure increases. Turning off the pump automatically opens a pathway from the brew group to the drip tray; you will hear the distinctive "whoosh" as the water escapes.

This release of pressure will force the dissolved detergent back through the dispersion screen and the three-way valve. Flushing those spoiled essential oils out of the system will not only improve your espresso taste, but also clean the three-way valve of oils and grind deposits so it seals properly. With some vibration pump machines, the pressure increase will trigger the over-pressure valve to vent excess pressure back into the water reservoir or drip tray. In this case, turn off the pump once this occurs.





The backflush "woosh"











One trick to aid you in your cleaning after each session is the "portafilter wiggle." Once you have backflushed with cleanser, loosen the portafilter and hold it in place on the brew head. Engage the pump. The blank filter basket will fill with water (and cleanser) until it flows over the edge. Give the portafilter a wiggle to help clean the oils and residue from the group head gasket. Be careful, hot water will splash! You cannot see in the photo, but I have water splashing over the drip tray. If your boiler is at full temperature, this water will be very hot, so take care not to burn yourself.

If you elected to purchase a group brush, this is where you will use it. You need to clean any deposits from the portafilter gasket, the group head threads that the portafilter locks into and the rolled edges of the shower screen. Simply insert the brush into the group head and scrub. I use a dishrag dipped into some dissolved flushing detergent to wipedown the gasket groove, using the groupbrush to guide the dishrag along. Once completed, do not forget to brush and rinse the grouphead with clean water (using the "portafilter wiggle" again) to remove any residual detergent.






The Wiggle in action!










After the flush sequence and portafilter wiggle, remove your portafilter and drip tray. You many notice small coffee particles and a dirty brown tint to the water. This is the gunk responsible for that rancid flavor in your espresso.

Rinse out your drip tray and blank basket to remove any un-dissolved detergent. If there is no detergent left and the water is still brownish in color, you need to repeat the cleanser backflush with more detergent.






Rinse water.






Reinstall the drip tray and lock your clean portafilter back into the machine and repeat the backflushing process with clean water. This time you will be flushing out any remaining detergent from the brew group. Refer to the instructions on your detergent for the recommended number of cycles (generally the same number of cycles as for the detergent; "rinse thoroughly" is the operative phrase).

Now that you have cleaned the internal workings via a backflush, you can now clean the exterior surfaces. Simply wipe the shower screen with your dishrag.






Careful, the group head will burn you!









Next clean the steam wand. Take the clean wet dishrag and wipe the exterior down. If you have a steam wand brush, clean the inside of the steaming wand (though if you need to use such a device, it indicates you are not purging and cleaning your wand well enough after each use). Unscrew the tip from the steam wand, dip the brush in an appropriate cleanser and run it up the steam tube.

Note: Most backflush detergents are quite toxic and not suited for this task. I recommend clean water. Urnex does make a product specifically designed to clean steam wands called Rinza, and PuroCaf has their own dairy cleanser as well. Both of these products work very well and are highly recommended for soaking the wand and tip.

Remember to purge the steam wand after cleaning by opening the steam valve and venting it into an appropriate container for about thirty seconds.

Now that the espresso machine is nice and clean, turn your attention to the portafilter and basket.

First, you'll need to rinse and wipe clean the basket. Second, you should break down your portafilter (remove the spouts and disassemble any cover the spouts may have). Once you've done this, take your green scrubby square and thoroughly scour the inside surfaces of the portafilter body and the spouts. Do not use the scrubby on your basket as you will enlarge the holes.

Find a large container to hold them and pour enough water into the container to submerge them. Add some of your cleaning detergent to the water and stir to dissolve. Refer to the directions on your detergent to get the correct dosing for the volume of water, JoeGlo recommends 1 tablespoon per quart of very hot water. Place your parts into the detergent water and allow them to soak for at least half an hour.



As you can see the portafilter is soaking in the detergent, the portafilter pictured has only just been put in to the solution, by the end of the half hour, the water will be brown.







Note:I recently found a couple of things I had been missing when cleaning my portafilters, unfortunately I didn't have time to take pictures of the process.

The spouts, they unscrew for a reason! Inside is 'coffee gunk' it is built up coffee residue and it is rancid and needs to be removed. The spouts do not come off easily,I got them off by hand; but upon further research I have found that most people use a vice grip, freeze the base and heat the nose, blow torches, and sonic treatments. If you've got the determination and strength, they WILL come off by hand.

Once you have them off, soak in the detergent and scrub the gunk away.

I also found that the spring that holds the basket in the filter has alot of gunk on the spring itself, and behind it, I used a knife and very gently lifted the spring out. Once again, soak. To get the gunk out after the soak I used the spike on the back of the cleaning brush.



Ah Clean parts, my favourite!














After the soak, rinse all of the parts with clean water, repeat the green scrubby scour, and then wipe dry with a dishrag. If the portafilter spouts are the open-slot type, visually confirm that there's no trapped oils the soaking didn't dissolve; use a small round brush to scrub it clean (don't laugh, but the brushes designed for cleaning baby bottle nipples are cheap and work well). Reassemble.

Wipe down the exterior of the espresso machine to remove any surface dirt and reassemble. Now you are ready to pull shots and steam milk until the next cleaning. Please note that it is always a good idea to pull one garbage 'seasoning' shot at the beginning of the session that follows a full cleaning.

Boo-ya! DONE!

Thanks for reading,
Ollie

Banish Unruly extraction! - Weiss Distribution Technique

Howdy,

Uniform extractions provide a strong foundation for excellence in the cup. The bottomless or "naked" portafilter is an invaluable tool for evaluating your extractions, because it mercilessly exposes any flaws in your technique and the resulting pour. With the bottomless portafilter, you can observe an ideal extraction that begins with a uniform pattern of beads on the bottom of the filter basket. Droplets momentarily arise from multiple extraction points, then rapidly fuse into a single stream. A beautiful pattern of tiger striping will be clearly evident. As the pour progresses, the stream gradually lightens in color, again in a uniform fashion. The perfect pour will show no evidence of early blonding, channeling, spritzes, or other woes that often befall the novice bottomless portafilter user.

Uneven espresso extractions are a clear indication that some portions of the coffee are underextracted and others are overextracted. Does the pour begin around the rim of the filter basket? Is it unbalanced, favoring one side of the basket? Do you suspect channeling, as evidenced by greater flow and early blonding in parts of the basket? Any of these extraction flaws leads to unbalanced and undesirable flavors in the cup

Checkout these pour extrations.



About a year ago, in an ongoing effort to improve my barista skills, I began experimenting with a bottomless portafilter. Like most novice users, my early efforts were less than ideal. My extractions saw all of the flaws noted above, often in the same pour. I tried a variety of different coffees, grinds, and tamping styles, but was unable to achieve consistently good results. Then I read these profound words in Chris (malachi) Tacy's blog:

"Distribution is the most misunderstood, neglected and really critical variable within your control. For good espresso, a requirement and the goal is to create an even density of coffee within the basket. For most baristas (professional or passionate enthusiast) this is where technique fails most noticeably... Keep in mind all the time what the goal is—to create an even bed (an even density of coffee within the basket). If you get this right, then your odds of correct extraction are going to go way way up.

To be honest, everything else is less important when it comes to a constant evaluation. Tamp (for example) is not nearly as important as everyone seems to think. The goal with your tamping is to preserve the distribution and to create a firm enough surface."

Epiphany! Grind, dose and distribution are critical to fine espresso. But unfortunately for home baristas, most high-end espresso grinders are designed for the fast-paced production of a commercial environment. Smaller capacity grinders found in even the best equipped home espresso environment may suffer from clumping, static, and uneven distribution. The home barista must overcome these hurdles to achieve an extraordinary espresso pour. Although the rhythmic thwack-thwack-thwack of the doser vanes help reduce clumping, they inevitably pitch the grounds off to one side, leading to an uneven distribution of grinds in the filter basket. Worse yet, removing the doser may create a "clump monster", pictured below.



We can hope that these design flaws will eventually be addressed in home grinders. But until then, there is a simple, inexpensive solution to grinder problems: the Weiss Distribution Technique, or WDT.

The WDT involves stirring the grounds with a thin object (such as a dissecting needle) to break up clumps and even the distribution. Stirring creates a uniform distribution of grounds throughout the filter basket, which is impossible to achieve by pushing the grounds around the surface of the puck. You need to get all the way down to the bottom of the basket, and the needle permits this.

To reduce mess, one other piece of equipment is required: a yogurt container with the bottom cut off. This serves as a funnel that sits in the filter basket and keeps grounds from flying out as you stir. Dose into this contraption and you can stir as vigorously as you wish. The WDT requires no major changes to your espresso brewing regimen. After stirring to declump and distribute the grounds, remove the funnel, and use your favorite method to dose, level, tamp, and pull the shot.

Here is a brief "how-to" demo of the WDT
Equipment:

Empty yogurt container, with bottom cut out to make a funnel that wedges securely into the top of your filter basket.
A pointy implement; I use an inexpensive dissecting needle (yes, it has only been used for this purpose!).

Steps:

Wedge the yogurt funnel into filter basket.
Grind and dose directly into yogurt funnel/filter basket, until you have a mound of coffee grounds that heaps slightly over the rim of the filter basket.
Stir grounds vigorously with needle.
Remove yogurt funnel and level grounds to the top of the filter basket.
Tamp.
Pull shot.






Wedge yogurt container funnel
into filter basket for
grinding, dosing, and distribution.














Grind beans directly into
filter basket, if possible.









Notice the clumpy grounds from
my converted doserless grinder.









Stirring the grounds with a needle.














Leveling the grounds.













Leveled surface, ready for tamping















Level tamping











Now tamped and leveled, and ready for the pull! Let us see how she runs!










Lookin' good!
Uniform start promises
an even extraction.



















Perfect pour!



Well There you have it folks!

Check out these great sites for more info!

http://coffeegeek.com/forums

http://coffeed.com/

The oldest form of coffee

Hi all,

The oldest method of brewing coffee (1600's!) is a method that goes by the name of "Turkish Coffee", as i'm sure you can imagine, it was invented in Turkey.

The toughest thing you will need is a grinder than can grind coffee extremely finely; fret not as you can pick up a Turkish mill from nearly any Greek or Turkish food store.


Besides the grinder, you need good quality water, good quality, fresh roasted coffee, a stirring spoon made of metal, and a device called an ibrik also called a cezve. This is the brewer. It is usually made of copper, with a long wooden handle, though sometimes it is made out of steel or other metals. The pot has a wide base and a narrow top, with a spout on one or two sides for pouring. Ibriks can be found in a variety of sizes from 2 cup on up to 6 or 8 cups. Note, a "cup" is the size of a large espresso cup - about 3ounces, or 90mls per serving, or less.

It's important to note the "cup size" of the pot is not matched to how much is brewed if full - in fact, there needs to be a good amount of airspace in the pot while brewing, but not too much. The process involves foaming up the liquid in stages, and if you use a pot that's too big, too much of the foam sticks to the sides and can contribute to many bitters in the cup.

For a heat source you can use anything from a camp stove (picture below) to a gas or electric range.

When done right, (and it's not hard to do right), the coffee is very intense, but very pleasing to the tongue. It also breaks one of the cardinal rules we usually have for coffee - don't boil (and reboil) the brew. But as you'll see, it's all good!

This is extremely important advice: never take your eye off the process when brewing turkish coffee. Things can happen in a blink of the eye - and you'll create a big mess on your stove if you lose your concentration. But it is very easy to do.

If you really want to go authentic, or want to tone down the strength and intensity of the brew, adding spices such as cardamom, anise, or a sweetener such as an easily dissolvable sugar can be added. In fact, sugar is almost considered part of the process. The famous old proverb, "Coffee should be as black as hell, as strong as death, and as sweet as love" refers to turkish coffee, and you'll note the sweet part ;)

Okay lets start!





You don't need much to brew Turkish coffee - a turkish mill, the ibrik, some demitasse cups, and if desired, sugar or spices. If using cardamom (very authentic!) try getting whole seeds and crush them extra fine, and use sparingly.



Specialized brass mills are found almost anywhere (try Greek or Turkish food stores, or look for the Zassenhaus mill), and while very slow to grind, do an exceptionally fine grind.






Turkish coffee requires an extremely fine grind - finer than espresso - or almost as fine as baby powder. The finer the better.








Normally one would add cold, fresh water first - use your demitasse cups to measure in your amounts (we didn't in this pic). Then add one heaping teaspoon of coffee per demitasse of water. Adjust to your own taste after brewing a few times.








Sugar is a frequent additive to turkish coffee. Adjust to taste, but typically I add 1 teaspoon for every two teaspoons of coffee. Also very crucial - stir the slurry of cold water, coffee and sugar before you start brewing, until the sugar is disolved.







Once your sugar is completely disolved, start brewing over a medium-low heat. Too high a heat will damage the coffee. Do nothing at this point (no more stirring) but watch carefully.






As soon as the mixture starts to boil, it will froth up, and froth up FAST. Before the froth flows over the top, remove the ibrik from the heat and let the froth settle down.







Let the froth build up again (remember, it will build fast once it starts), and remove from the heat again, to let it settle down.







Optionally, on the third boil, you can stop the brewing at this point and serve (do not stir). In this variation though, we stirred the slurry after removing the pot from the stove on the third boil. This settles down the grinds in the foam.







This one is totally optional - in fact, three boil ups are best. But for a cleaner cup, let it boil and froth up one more time, and remove from heat (in this case, we weren't stirring again, but left the stirrer in the pot).





Alternate pouring bits into each cup - 15ml here, 15ml there, then back to the first cup for another 15ml. If we hadn't stirred, the coffee would have had lots of froth pouring out as well. In this case, very little sediment is pouring out.





After the coffee is served, the majority of the grounds are left in the ibrik (it's wide bottom design aids in this). The stirred method provides a fairly clean cup - not as clean as a press, but very nice. Enjoy!

Jah might want to get a little more information, click these links!

http://turkeytravelplanner.com/details/Food/TurkishCoffee.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_coffee

Coffee 50's style, and by 50's style, I mean 1850's style.

Welcome to 'Fooling around with coffee'

I am a barista at a small private coffee shop that goes by the name of "The Grackle Coffee Company" (Pictured left), most folks call it the Grackle for short.

It's a very fun occupation, I am lucky enough to get to try coffee's from all over the world, of which is the highest quality, and extremely fresh. When I unpack the coffee the roasting date is stamped onto the bag, although the stamp always reads the date of the day before (yes yes we wait a couple of days to allow the gases to settle).

So for my first post I have decided to create a tutorial on how to make great coffee at home, without expensive equipment.

The French Press, also known as a Cafetière à Piston, Press Pot, Coffee Plunger, whatever the name a French Press is a fantastic device that everyone can own without breaking the bank.

So you'll need only a few items:

Chopsticks.

A French Press (go figure?).

A Kettle.

Last and not least. the best coarsely ground coffee you can get your hands on, I myself have taken some Brazilian beans roasted within the week, so the conditions are near perfect.

So first take off the top of your chosen French Press and drop into the bottom, one heaped spoon of grounds, per cup* (about 4.oz)

Of course you can add more or less grounds according to how strong you would like the coffee to be, personally I like to add about one and a half spoonfuls or sometimes even two.

Next step is to boil water, allow for the water to boil for a minute or two, just don't take the kettle off soon as it begins to boil, it actually has to boil fully. * If you have a grinder at home you should grind just before you add the water, this means you have to boil the water before you grind.

The next step is to combine the two as shown here to the left. As usual be careful when pouring the water, try you're best not to 'slop' the water into the grounds, they weigh next to nothing and will fly out.

Once you have poured the water you should get something that resembles the picture below, as you can see there is a foamy substance mixed in with the brewing grounds, this we call the blossom. As a general rule of thumb it shows the freshness of the coffee you're using.


So here is when the chopsticks come in, hold them slightly apart, I have used disposable ones merely because they were there, any will do. Hold the sticks apart in the same fashion as I, and stir the grounds and water.







You should end up with the below, the blossom is in full bloom so to speak. Now Take the lid and place it on top of the French Press, don't plunge yet but let it sit and brew for two to three minutes, for a larger French Press wait four to five minutes.




What I have done here is lifted the lid so people can see what is going on inside, I replaced it after the picture. So now you have your lid on you need to 'take the plunge'. Grip the top of the plunger and apply even pressure, move at a uniform speed and keep it straight as possible, if you don't keep it straight some grinds may escape.

















The end result, mmm tasty.















There are many variations of the French Press, both in size and form, from potable to large they are a great tool for making great coffee.

For more information about coffee visit the following links or search the web yourself.

http://www.home-barista.com/

http://www.coffeegeek.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_press