Espresso machine cleaning tablets are a convenient way to deep clean your espresso machine and remove hard water stains.
- Place the desired amount of tablet into the portafilter add some water and turn on the steam knob.
- Let it run for 30 seconds then replace with cold water until you get down to just cold water in the wand.
- Repeat starting with the tablet again.
- Your machine is now clean!
After using a portafilter cleaning tablet always run a cleansing shot of plain water or steam through your group head by turning on the pump and pushing the brew button to flush out any residue from the tablet.
We recommend keeping a box of tablets at home for those days when you forget to do a complete back-flush cleaning.
Just drop a tablet into your portafilter and run a shot to help keep things fresh between deep cleanings.
Can I Use Cleaning Tablets For Descaling?
Cleaning tablets are designed for regular everyday cleaning.
They are not recommended for descaling your espresso machine.
Instead we recommend a descaling powder for espresso machines to help remove calcium and other hard water minerals from your machine’s boiler.
To prevent mineral buildup from the coffee residue we also recommend rinsing the portafilter between shots during your shift.
Can I Make My Own Tablet Using Citric Acid Powder?
Yes.
Citric acid is safe to handle and easy to find at most grocery stores or online.
You can make a homebrew tablet with citric acid and baking soda in the ratio of 1:3 (one part citric acid to three parts baking soda).
This mixture will produce about 8 oz of cleaning solution which should yield around 250 shots worth of filtration (or 50 full 4 oz cups).
Soak the portafilter in the mixture for around 30 minutes then rinse thoroughly.
Do not ingest or inhale the citric acid powder and do use gloves when handling the mixture.
Be careful to keep it away from children.
Recommended Espresso Machine Cleaning Tablets
