Building your restaurant business means appealing to customers with quality products. For coffee and espresso lovers, you know that the better every cup of coffee tastes, the better the experience will be for your guests. You want them to return, but the only way to guarantee that is to deliver a fantastic experience every single time. Still, the machines that help us provide that experience need regular maintenance to ensure they perform optimally.
Many restaurants are moving beyond the typically coffee experience to offer specialty drinks, including espressos. When you purchase an espresso machine, you want to protect your investment by ensuring the company provides regular espresso machine maintenance and repair services. You might be wondering what type of maintenance is needed on a commercial espresso machine, especially if you and your staff take the time to clean it daily. Here are six ways regular commercial espresso machine maintenance can help you deliver a fantastic flavor to your guests and make your coffee even better.
Identify Potential Problems
First, it is essential to understand that your espresso equipment perfectly balances skill and machinery. Hot water is being pushed through tightly compacted grounds at a high pressure. If the machine is not functioning properly, then the taste of your espresso could be compromised. Identifying issues before they become more significant problems is important to maintain a high level of quality in the drinks you serve.
Therefore, sticking to a regular maintenance schedule will help you see if any pumps or other parts of the machine require repair or replacement. By catching them early, you can also reduce the expense of a major repair because minor issues were ignored. Plus, you can minimize the potential downtime of your espresso machine, thus positively impacting your budget and bottom line.
Reduce the Spread of Germs
Coffee will reflect the taste of whatever the water passes through. If you do not follow a regular cleaning schedule, you will risk the taste of your espressos by contaminating them with old grounds and mineral buildup. Plus, you could spread dirt and bacteria in each cup coming out of your espresso machine. A daily cleaning schedule should include wiping everything down, cleaning the grinder to remove debris, and even backflushing the machine with water. The weekly schedule should involve using a specialty detergent to clean your machine completely.
Regularly maintaining your espresso machine will avoid the spread of germs and ensure that everyone gets the best possible cup of coffee.
There is even a process for purging and cleaning the steam wand. Regular cleaning will also help you avoid mold buildup within the espresso machine, where water is regularly running through the pipes. Cleaning will give you the result of fresh and tasty espresso for your guests.
Descaling to Avoid Mineral Buildup
One of the other points to keep in mind is that regular maintenance will reduce the chances of buildup within the pipes of your espresso machine. While you might use filtered water, the reality is that minerals and other materials are still building up in your machine. That mineral buildup can clog your machines and contribute to issues and even a breakdown of your machine, thus resulting in costly repairs or even the cost of a new espresso machine.
Those minerals and other materials can start to impact the taste of your espressos over time. By using regular maintenance, you can reduce that buildup and avoid negatively impacting your coffee’s flavor. Espresso machine maintenance gives you the advantage of replacing parts that may have been damaged by mineral buildup before they affect the performance of your espresso machine.
Consider Hiring a Professional
If you have purchased a commercial espresso machine, there are many benefits to working with a certified coffee vending or espresso machine supplier to maintain the machine and handle any necessary repairs. A certified commercial espresso machine vendor should be able to address any necessary repairs or replace any parts that may have worn out. They can also determine if you need to change your filtering system or cleaning process to help extend your espresso machine’s life.
You can also access water treatment and other specialty beverage equipment using a professional supplier. Thus, they can ensure that the best water and cleaners are used to help you care for your machine. You can also walk through the cleaning process with a professional to train your staff to ensure they clean your espresso machine properly daily.
Cleaning Helps to Break Down Essential Oils
Coffee beans have essential oils that contribute to the amazing taste of espressos and keep your customers coming back. However, those same oils can build up in your machine, eventually contributing to a bitter taste in your espresso and impacting its performance. The essential oils leave a film on your filter basket and can clog your filter if left long enough. Those oils can also affect the taste of espresso made by that machine if they are not regularly cleaned off. When you create an espresso machine maintenance schedule, highlight the importance of daily cleaning to maximize the taste and flavors of your espressos, as it helps to get rid of those oils and other grime left behind by the coffee beans.
As you clean your filter regularly, you can avoid the clogs that could end up causing further damage to your espresso machine. One of the best ways to do this is to rinse your filters daily and wash them weekly with dish soap unless your manufacturer suggests a specialty cleaner for your specific filter. If you are unsure about the cleaning process for your filters, including how to access and clean them, then your espresso machine maintenance person can answer those questions for you.
Follow the Manufacturer’s Instructions
Finally, the most essential way to keep your espresso machine working in its prime condition is by following the care instructions from your manufacturer. They might include special instructions to address the various pipes and pumps that are part of your espresso machine. When you follow the instructions carefully, you can maximize the overall life of your espresso machine and keep your customers coming back. Ultimately, the goal of all this maintenance is to ensure that your coffee is always the best tasting in the area and that your machine can meet the levels of demand placed on it by your customers. We also provide espresso machine repairs when required to keep your espresso machine running optimally.
Our experienced team can walk you through the various espresso machines available for your restaurant and how to maintain them for the best product over the long term. Contact us today to discuss your needs and the type of water treatment you might want to include when purchasing your commercial espresso machine.
Headquartered in Vista, California, NCB Sales is your beverage equipment repair specialists servicing San Diego, Orange County, Temecula, and Hemet. Since 1986, we’ve been repairing various beverage equipment, including coffee, espresso, soda fountain, Granita, juice, water filtration, and more, working on well-known brands in the industry.