How to Maintain a Commercial Espresso Machine in 5 Steps

Where would we be without our beloved coffee? That’s a question you (and your customers) probably hope you never have to answer! But if you don’t maintain your commercial espresso machine, coffee-less mornings could be a real possibility. Luckily for you and your coffee-loving customers, maintaining your commercial espresso machine is simple. Follow these five easy steps and you’ll be serving deliciously caffeinated beverages for the foreseeable future.

1. Scrub

Before you can start cleaning the interior components of your espresso machine, it needs a good scrub. Start by scrubbing, rinsing and wiping down the entire espresso machine, making sure to pay extra attention to the group heads, filter baskets and shower screens. Pro tip: use clean water and fresh towels to wipe each component to avoid the possibility of cross contamination.

2. Soak

Once you’ve scrubbed, rinsed and washed your espresso machine, now is the time to do a deep clean. Start by soaking the group heads, filter baskets and shower screens in a solution of coffee detergent and hot water. Be sure to do this at least twice a week (and ideally after each closing!) to ensure the cleanest equipment.

3. Backflush

Backflushing loosens and eliminates contaminants where water is dispensed via brewing valves. We recommend backflushing daily with clean water, and weekly with coffee detergent. Keep in mind, backflushing is only necessary for commercial espresso machines with three-way valves.

4. Purge

Purging is an important step to ensure leftover milk doesn’t get drawn back into the boiler (and make your entire shop smell like burning milk!). To do this, blow the remaining water and milk out of the steam wand after each use.

5. Descale

Do you use filtered water in your commercial espresso machine? If not, you should be. Not only does descaling your espresso machine help you continue serving great coffee, but it will extend the life of your espresso machine too. We recommend referring to your owner’s manual to determine the proper descaling methods.

Quick Servant Offers Commercial Espresso Machine Services

At Quick Servant, our highly trained technicians are familiar with all leading brands of commercial coffee equipment and have experience in commercial kitchens of all types and sizes. We provide new installations, repairs and maintenance for coffee machines and can help you continue to serve quality coffee beverages. Give us a call today to learn more or to schedule your appointment!