Compact Espresso Machine: How To Descale

Author : Efrain S.

If you want your machine to live longer, as well as your coffee to keep tasting fresher, then de – scaling is no option…it’s what you MUST DO from time to time. So how do you do it? Or what to know?

Well, first off, water in your machine runs off a certain optimal temp for brewing, an ideal temperature that it should stay within, so to speak. And when you fail to de – scale, it fails to stay within that range, to be quite frank. You can get issues with a low extraction yield and other concerns. But that’s for another topic….

To de – scale, you first will want to get a couple tablespoons of citric acid as well as a full quart of water together and mix in a container. This is a quick and easy citric acid solution we’re making, which will help. Then you will need to run that solution right through the boiler (yes — and then —- you guessed it — out through the group). To do this at once, run your machine while filling up your reserve (water). You will also want to, since we are at it, he heh, get some water running through your steam wand. This acid solution should then make it its own job to run through all the small pipes that run throughout the machine, de – scaling as best as it can. Run that boiler until you finish using the entire solution, so if that means repeating any of the steps, then so be it….it will de – scale like no one’s business! And the job will be done.

TAKE NOTE —- IF you actually happen to have an aluminum boiler in your compact espresso machine, then things can actually play out just a bit more differently here….for instance, what I mean to imply is that , if you do not rinse out that citric acid quite thoroughly after you have finished the process, then what can and likely will occur is that it will end up hardening and getting stuck in that boiler (which creates more work for you to do in the long scheme and becomes a pain in the butt).

If you want to try vinegar instead of that citric acid and water solution, then by all means do so…all you need is to pour the same amount (but of standard white vinegar instead, which you can get from any store pretty cheaply). Pour it right in. And then jump around and do the Jiggy – Man Dance (heh — gotcha). Kidding, kidding….. (or am I?)

You will also want to clean this out thoroughly once you are done de – scaling, as you would with the water and citric acid solution, just to avoid the same issues. And that’s it! Tell your friends you just read an amazing article on how to de – scale that crazy little ‘compact espresso machine’ of yours. And hopefully, it can help them do the same with theirs!