The basket where I put the espresso on my machine is getting plugged up. How do you handle that? I have tried scrubbing with brushes, etc. to little avail. Thanks! dc.
Run the machine with no coffee in it, just hot water, for a while? That has worked for me.
Yep. I will squirt a little dish soap in there too before I run it if gets bad. You may need a needle to poke out some holes, just be careful not to make them bigger.
I do what Roberto suggests at least once a week.
Wooden toothpick will push out the grounds without expanding the hole.
That’s what I used to do…
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They make wire brushes that shouldn’t damage your filter basket. I also have a really good nylon one I bought from http://www.wholelattelove.com.
Soap is the worst thing to put in/on anything that touches coffee. All of the flavors are oil based and soap can remain as residue and negatively affect flavor. Use a 4:1 solution of vinegar/water to flush your machine or you can buy the fancy and expensive chemical decalcifiers which also work on the coffee residue. You should flush every 3 months at a minimum, depending on your usage.
What kind of espresso machine do you have, Dave?
Do you mean the holes of the filter basket itself are clogged with grounds? If so, use a safety pin to carefully pop these grounds out and then wipe out your filter baskets after each use. (You might also buy precision baskets (eg. VST, La Marzoco, etc.) that, in my experience, really never clog - http://store.vstapps.com/products/vst-precision-filter-baskets).
Do you mean that it’s difficult to attach your portafilter to the brewgroup because of build-up? If so, make sure that you backflush your machine regularly with a blind filter inserted. Also, you should pop off the dispersion screen and really clean it and the brewgroup.
This.
White vinegar.
Yes, I have used vinegar as well. NEVER use soap on any coffee equipment.
You guys are talking about the portafilter right?
I understand using vinegar to decalicify the machine, but have never experienced anything negative in terms of cleaning the portafilters with soap. Lemme guess 55 degrees is good for your cellars, but 57 is too hot?
Chris,
Sorry, I don’t mean to sound douchey, but to answer your question no, I would never clean my portafilter or handle with any soap. Vinegar & water solution only. I scrub my basket with the brush, let it soak for 15min, and scrub it again. The few persistent holes I poke out with a toothpick or unfolded paper clip. I also always give the gasket a scrub with the brush and use cotton swabs to get at grinds around the gasket ring. I also avoid soap on my drip basket & filter, and even in my glass pots/carafes. When they get really dingy looking I will hit them with a bit of Oxy Clean and rinse several times, then run the machine with water only to get some hot water in the carafe once.
Not douchy at all. That’s fine.
Thanks to all repliers.
The machine is a Melitta Cafe Express 2000. It makes very good espresso and I got it at Goodwill for $8, had never been used, it even had the original espresso coffee sample inside. I have no idea how old the machine was when it was donated. dc.
I have owned two Gaggia machines for over a decade. It’s very important to descale the machine every 4 months or so to ensure that water flows evenly into the portafilter.
I am a big fan of www.wholelattelove.com. Here is a link to their cleaning page. Even though you spent 8 bucks on the machine, it’s worth the investment !