- One of the most common reasons for bitter espresso is the failure of the operator to clean the espresso machine properly. Coffee oils will become bitter with age and need to be completely removed by cleaning.
- The number of wear and tear parts can be reduced and the life expectancy of your espresso machine increased by many years if a daily maintenance program is followed.
- For optimum performance and grind, the burr-wheels of burr grinders should be replaced after 600 pounds of coffee is ground. Six hundred x 50 servings equal 30000 single shot servings before burr-wheels should be replaced.
- Hand filters should be mounted in groups when not being used. This approach provides a better tasting shot because porta filters remain hot and a cold surface tends to shock the espresso and flatten the taste.
- How do you remove a coffee stain? Rinse in cool water, rub with liquid laundry detergent or paste of laundry detergent and water, then launder.
- Water impurities and rancid coffee will play havoc with espresso equipment in the absence of routine cleaning and water filtration. One maintenance expert claims that 60% of all the problem with espresso machines are water related.
- Hard water is best for tea and batch brewed coffee. Soft water is bet for espresso.
- The build up of limescale is a very common problem without a water filtration system. the more water circulated, the greater the limescale buildup. Commercial espresso machines are more prone to this problem.
- Limescale results from mineral deposits in hard water that collect and from on the interior of the brew tank and tubing. Water flow, temperature and taste are all affected.
- Never attach a packed porta filter to the brew chamber unless the shot will be extracted immediately. Heat radiated from the chamber will burn the fresh grounds, producing a very off taste in finished drink.
- Home espresso machines generally come with user-friendly cleaning instructions. Cleaning and maintenance procedures for these units are relatively simple when compared to commercial machines.
- Espresso needs to be extracted under pressure. The pump should provide a required pressure of about 9 atmospheres. This means the pressure is nine times normal atmospheric pressure.
