How to clean a coffee machine used for Espresso

Cleaning your coffee machine makes perfect sense; it is rewarding and will save you money in repair costs, all the while your machine will feel and look newer for longer. 

I have a Giottoa Rocket V2 at home - it is a HX machine which is similar to what is used in a cafe. Before this achine, I've owned a Rancilio Silvia v3 and a Faema dual boiler. Each and every machine benefits from being maintained and cleaned. ​

My Giottoa Rocket V2 HX espresso machine

One thing that I do every month, well, I do it close to the first Sunday each month to make it easy to remember, is to use a half teaspoon of Espresso Clean powder added to a blind filter (which is just a normal coffee basket without the holes punched through). The method is to load porta-filter with the cleaner into the group head and then start an extraction - leave it pressurising for only 5-10 seconds and then stop the extraction. The dirty water will dump out of the waste water trap into the drip tray - repeat this process three or four times with about 30-40 seconds between each attempt so as to give the pump a moment to rest, and to also allow the cleaner to do its job. Finish off with a couple of fresh water (no cleaning solution) flushes to ensure all the cleaner is flushed through.  

Espresso Clean powder

Here is a blind filter (blank filter) used for cleaning. I also use this same filter after each coffee to just clear out the excess coffee and coffee oils from the previous extraction. When I say each coffee, yeah, I'm a bit lazy in this area and it usually ends up being once or twice a day, sometimes not at all! I also like to do what I call the porta-filter wiggle - that is to allow hot water to flow over the rim of the blind filter to clean the rubber group head seal, or flush it at least. This part is a bit messy, but it does keep the group seal fresh. 

Espresso Clean powder

Cleaning the exterior of the machine is best done when the machine is cold - if done it a few times while hot and I always seem to get complacent and come away with a few near-burns.  

After cleaning the inside of the machine, I will usually make an extraction and dump the coffee, just to season the bits that are in contact with the coffee and ensure I don't get any aftertaste.  This step is likely not at all required, but old habits die hard. 

Time for a test espresso shot - good to dump after a good clean

One last thing to add, if you have a machine finished in stainless steel, I've had great success using window cleaner - it seems to do a great job at cutting through any splatters of espresso or dried up milk splatters that seem to be unavoidable - it also finishes everything with a great reflective shine!