Coffee Machine Tips
Great coffee happens when your coffee machine is clean, and everything is working well together. Take a look at our top coffee machine tips to keeping your machine in working order, ensuring your customers are drinking great quality coffee all day, every day.
There are 5 important settings on a coffee machine that can make a dramatic difference to the coffee’s aroma, taste and the depth of flavour, these settings can account for up to 80% of the coffee’s overall taste profile!
They can be adjusted to create the kind of coffee you and your customers prefer. Once set you should be able to judge the taste of every subsequent espresso from the machine.
Fully automatic espresso machines can be adjusted by a technician. Whilst with most traditional espresso machines these settings could be adjusted by the barista.
More Coffee Machine Tips
- Ensure your equipment has a thorough service at least once a year. Pumps, valves, sieves, grinders and pistons need to be free from dirt, waste and should be checked for wear and tear. If your machine uses pressurised steam, check that is has a valid PSSR (Pressure System Safety Regulations 2000) test certificate, this should be tested every 12 months, by law.
- The coffee grinders should be set so they can grind the beans in the best way, providing the ‘just right’ texture of grind (not too coarse/not too fine) that maximises flavour. Check the residue after maintenance, it’s fine if it’s dry but there may be something wrong if wet.
- Water is a key component of coffee – it’s more than 90% of the average cup. Keep filters filtering and softeners softening (if used), water should be clean, neutral, fresh and should never have a smell or taste.
- Follow the hygiene and cleaning procedures as outlined by the machines’ supplier to get the most out of your equipment. It is a necessity to ‘clean the machine’ each and every day, especially if you’re using fresh milk
5. Do not ‘top up’ milk, this can seriously affect food safety! Make sure you empty the milk container and clean it with a cleaning agent recommended by the supplier daily, rather than continuing to add milk.
6. Please don’t overfill the hoppers or bean containers. The beans start to deteriorate after two hours and won’t be at their best. So, try and add the correct amount and avoid having beans sitting there for more than a day. Remember to clean the hoppers daily.
7. To see if everything’s working well, look for a pleasant crema (a small layer of froth) on top of the coffee. It should be consistent in shape and colour, not ‘broken up’ and neither too light nor too dark.
8. Remember to always follow your machine manufacturers guidelines. If you’re not sure or confident in what you’re doing, then contact them for advice.
Water Filter Tips
- Use an active carbon filter to remove chlorine and other elements that can have an adverse effect on the taste of your water and ultimately your coffee.
- If there’s a lot of calcium, we suggest using a hydrogen ion exchange de-scaler or sodium softener to soften the water.
- A pH of 7 is ideal.
- You can find filters that perform both functions and will improve the quality of your coffee.
- It’s important not to completely eliminate the calcium as natural minerals can add to the flavour profile, aroma and appearance of the coffee.