Coffee capsules are arguably the most accessible avenue for the layperson to enjoy Speciality Coffee at home. Did you know that the cleaning and maintenance of your capsule machine is essential in keeping your coffee delicious and your machine going strong for longer?
Coffee oil and residue tends to build up particularly in the brewing chamber (where the pods go) and the delivery spout (where your sweet brown nectar comes out). If you’ve done any sort of washing before, you’ll know that oil simply doesn’t come off with water alone. Simply flushing the machine does provide some cleaning effect but it’ll take more than that to thwart the fat.
Give it a bit of time and coffee oil will go rancid. You’ll know this as it’ll come across as a sour, funky flavour… Yuck! What’s the point in buying amazing coffee if you’re not giving it a chance to tickle your tastebuds in the right way?
Coffee residue will build up inside your machine and it could cause a blockage somewhere. This will make the machine work harder than it should need to and one day it’ll have the capsule machine equivalent of a heart attack. Like your water kettle, scale can build up in the machine and shorten the lifespan of certain components.
Here’s a guide to keeping your machine running the way it should:
Daily:
- When you’re done with your coffee, run the double shot program twice with an empty chamber.
- Empty the pod bin, coffee grounds are an amazing fertiliser; along with the warmth and moisture, mould will grow pretty quick.
Weekly:
- Clean the machine with a capsule cleaner like the Cafetto Eco Capsule Clean. Follow the instructions to make sure no chemicals stay in the machine. This will clear all the oils and residue.
- Remove your water tank and wash it with mild soap.
Quarterly:
- Run a descaler like the Cafetto Restore Descaler or the Nespresso Descaling Kit. Make sure you follow the instructions and flush your machine thoroughly with clean water after descaling.
Words by Jit Weng Kok (@si_tiger)