Coffee machine replacement rubber ring teaching! What is the reason for unstable pressure in the espresso machine? Why is the espresso machine's steam weakening? What is the reason why the milk foam is not dense? How to deeply clean the espresso machine

Sometimes the coffee made tastes terrible. In addition to not using the parameters, it may also be caused by the coffee machine not being cleaned for a long time.

Occasionally, a friend would report to Xiangjie that even if the same amount of powder and grinding were used before and after making espresso, the extraction pressure was always high and low, the time duration was short, and the taste of the coffee was changeable. In this case, there is a high probability that it is the problem with the coffee machine itself! Because it has not been cleaned for a long time, or parts are damaged and not replaced, it directly affects the extraction itself.

In addition to the above cases, we may also encounter the following situations during the extraction process because we do not clean the coffee machine for a long time: the steam is weak and the milk foam cannot be washed well; the pressure is low and the taste of the coffee cannot be extracted; Water leakage affects the extraction of coffee; it may easily cause the extracted coffee to have an odor... Recently, more and more friends have reported these situations, so Qian Jie is here today to share again how we can clean and maintain the coffee machine. This is really important, because only regular cleaning and maintenance can the coffee maker work stably, and its life can be extended.

How to clean and maintain coffee machines The first thing we want to share is the surface cleaning we carry out smoothly in daily use! This is very simple. There are two steps: one is to put hot water in the air before and after extracting the coffee, in order to remove the coffee powder attached to the surface of the water distribution net; the other is to wipe the steam stick with a damp cloth after the milk bubbles are wiped away. The purpose is to remove the milk that is about to solidify on the steam stick (remember to spray it in the air after wiping and spray it out the milk inside the nozzle).

Although these two operations are simple and inconspicuous, they can prevent the extracted coffee from getting stale and reduce the chance of the steam stick being blocked. If you are a more diligent friend, you can also use a brush to clean the residue and dirt in the brewing head when the coffee maker is about to end its daily work (before the bar is turned off), which can further reduce the appearance of odors.

After talking about daily cleaning, the next thing Qianjie wants to share is deep cleaning. Deep cleaning, as the name suggests, will clean the coffee machine more thoroughly. The deep cleaning cycle depends on the frequency of use of the coffee machine. For example, coffee shops, which serve a large number of cups every day, may need to be deeply cleaned every night before closing. If you make less cups and make less than a few cups a day like home users, you can choose to clean it every few days, or every 1 to 2 weeks.

Backwashing The first thing we need to understand is backwashing! During daily extraction, some extremely fine grains of coffee grounds, coffee grease, and coffee liquor will be sucked back into the inside of the coffee machine due to pressure relief after the extraction, and scattered in the water outlet, pipes, etc. ground. If the dirt inside is not cleaned off regularly, when it accumulates to a certain amount, it will affect the extraction.

The way to clean this dirt is the one mentioned in Qianjie earlier-backflushing. This is a way to clean it by using the reverse water flow generated when the coffee machine is relieved. It can help us clean the insides of the pipes that cannot be reached and the dead corners in the brewing head are very convenient. It is also very simple to operate in practice! We have shared it many times before Qianjie. First, we replaced the powder bowl with a blind bowl with no holes in the bottom (usually given it when purchasing a coffee machine), then poured a small amount of coffee machine cleaning powder into the powder bowl and buckled it on the brewing head. Finally, we only need to start the coffee machine, and then wait for about 10 seconds for hot water to fill the powder bowl, then we can turn off the extraction and allow the coffee machine to relieve pressure.

At this time, the cleaning powder in the powder bowl will be combined with hot water, then the pipe will be flushed and cleaned during the pressure relief and suction back process, and finally discharged from the water outlet. Repeat 3 to 4 times to end backwashing and complete cleaning.

Cleaning steam rods In addition to the brewing head, steam rods also face the same problem. During the cleaning after passing the milk, we can only wipe off the milk stains attached to the surface of the steam stick, but there will still be some milk residue inside. Therefore, we need to use special methods to remove these milk stains, otherwise they will block the nozzle, reduce the intensity of the steam, and affect the blowing of milk bubbles.

Similarly, cleaning powder is needed for cleaning steam rods. We prepare a cup of hot water first, and then add a small amount of coffee maker cleaning powder. Then remove the spray head of the steam wand and put it in this cup of clean water to soak for 30 minutes or overnight.

After the soaking is complete, we use some slender cleaning brushes to brush the inside of the spray head, and finally rinse it with clean water. The cleaning of the steam stick can be declared complete!

Another relatively simple and self-replaceable accessory to replace rubber rings is rubber rings. The rubber ring mentioned here on Qianjie mainly refers to the rubber ring inside the brewing head. Its role is to fix the water distribution network and promote the formation of a sealed environment during the extraction process.

When it is used for a long time, the rubber ring will age and the sealing effect will become less good, which will directly affect the extraction of coffee and make it less stable. At this time, we need to replace the rubber ring to prevent it from affecting the extraction of coffee. So under what circumstances can we determine that the rubber ring is aging? There are two very intuitive phenomena that can be verified. The first one is that water leaks occurred during the process of extracting coffee. This is because the rubber ring has aging and sealing properties are not so high, so hot water spills out from the gap; The other is that when we snap the handle, we snap it to a deeper depth than before, which is caused by excessive wear of the rubber ring.

Then when the above two situations occur, we need to replace the rubber ring. The specific method is also very simple. First, find the rubber ring of the corresponding model of this coffee machine from the online store, then place an order. After the goods arrive, you can follow the video steps provided by the merchant to replace it. Different machines have different replacement methods, but you hardly have to worry about not being able to put it back, because it is basically simple. Take Qianjie as an example. The coffee machine on Qianjie is Lelit V3. The way to replace the rubber ring is to pry the rubber ring out and then press the new rubber ring back. It's that simple. (Why do I recommend everyone to change it yourself? Because the price difference between yourself and asking someone to change it will be 3 to 4 times)

Finally, there are some things that the water tank/boiler is recommended to hire a specialized person to clean it! The built-in water tank/boiler of the coffee machine will accumulate a certain amount of scale and stains after being used for a long time. If it is not cleaned regularly, the dirt will accumulate more and more, which will have a direct impact on the extraction and taste of the coffee. Therefore, the Front Street Association recommends that everyone clean water tanks and boilers regularly. But because these are relatively complex, for friends whose hands-on skills are not strong enough, it is best to ask a professional person to come to collect and clean them. Cycle... It's similar to rubber rings, once a half/a year.

Other... Then, if you are a friend who has equipped the coffee machine with a water system, it is better to replace the filter element regularly. Water quality has a very large impact on extraction. Qianjie has also mentioned it in previous articles, so I won't go into it here. There is also the shunt handle. Many friends use the shunt handle to extract and concentrate. Although we will rinse with hot water after the extraction is completed, and then clean the handle with a dry cloth, unlike bottomless, there will still be many dead corners inside the shunt handle that are difficult to clean.

So if you use a diversion handle to extract coffee, you can open the powder bowl when collecting the bar at night, and use a brush and water to wash the inside of the handle to wash off the dirt, so that the handle will not easily adhere to the odor, which will affect the taste of coffee.

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