To make the greatest brew possible, your brewing equipment and grinders (and customers!) rely on you to deliver. To ensure that they run efficiently and produce excellent coffee, coffee equipment maintenance is required at least once a day and at least once a week, as well as a tune-up every six months.
1.) Daily Coffee Equipment Maintenance
- Every evening, run the espresso group head through the backflush and clean your espresso machine to leave it sparkling clean for the next day.
- Pour-over pots and brew chambers on your drip brewers.
2.) Weekly Espresso Machine, Grinder Cleaning, and Coffee Brewer, plus Water Filter Check
- Remove all components from the espresso machine that may be cleaned: soak filter baskets, group handles, group head shower screens, and so on in one-quart hot water plus one tablespoon of coffee machine detergent for a few hours or overnight.
- Remove and clean the brew head, plate, screen, and anything else the instructions say you can remove and wash with your coffee machine.
- Cleaning the hoppers of your different grinders is a simple procedure. Also, wash and dry the removable grinder hoppers after washing them with soap and water.
- It’s also critical to check the pressure reading on your water filter system and replace any outdated filters (more than a year old).
3.) Twice-Yearly Espresso Machine Tune-Up
Every six months, check and replace espresso machine gaskets that have worn down from frequent usages, such as the group head, o-rings, steam arm, and steam valve gaskets.
4.) Keep Grinder Burrs Sharp
Burrs in espresso and bulk grinders are one of the most frequently neglected maintenance tasks. Burrs become dull with time, making a shrill noise and grinding coffee slowly after processing 800 to 1,000 pounds of coffee (which happens every 6 to 18 months depending on your volume).
The most frequent explanation we get from store owners or employees for not maintaining grinders is that they “don’t know how.” However, when we demonstrate the grinder’s inner workings to them, they are astounded at how simple it is to install new burrs. Because most espresso grinders have only three screws on each burr that may be removed, you can simply replace them.
5.) Keep Your Water Clean
Keeping your water treatment system up to date and completely maintained will guarantee that your coffee and tea taste their best and protects your brewing equipment from wear and tear caused by undesirable minerals and micro-debris. Every water treatment system is a little different, so study the instruction book or call in a specialist to keep everything running smoothly.
To avoid equipment problems, downtime, and expensive repairs, stay on top of your commitments.
