Cleaning

coffeefetish

Hello All,

Had my Sunbeam EM6900 for nearly two months now (mercifully no probs to date).  But noticed last night that my flat white had a pretty weird (& quite unsavoury) taste to it.  Thought at first it might have been the milk (a few days old), then gave the machine another good flush out (even though I do this very regularly).  Made another brew this morning, and although my wife thought her cappuccino tasted fine, I still thought my flat white tasted a little strange, but not as bad as last night.

So now think maybe the portafilter is dirty.  I clean it very thoroughly after each use (rinse it with slow-running hot water), so I find it hard to believe that's the problem.  But in saying that, as you all know, this portafilter has that plastic insert in it, that cannot be removed for cleaning and replaced.  I know this has been briefly covered in another thread, but what is the best way of cleaning the portafilter, and should I permanently remove the plastic insert?

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Bon

Have a look at this article, http://www.home-barista.com/espresso-machine-cleaning.html I personally run a back flush every time after use, as well as take the portafiller apart and give it a rinse + scrub... every few days I use cleaning detergent that I back flush through the machine and let the portfafiller, etc. soak in + scrub.

avitephen

ouch.. i would keep the detergent out of it! you cant clean the portafilter efficiently while that plastic shield is in it because u cant reach the surface under it and the coffee oils wont be rinced away with warm water because they form a tar-like film.. to remove the plastic insert (i posted this in another thread but this might save u some searching) you will need 2 thin knives or screwdrivers. unscrew the spout and take out the basket, rest the portafilter on a bench basket side down.. you will notice that there are 2 plastic tabs.. push them in towards each other and press down.. it should pop out. also do you use the rubber disk they give you? ohh and if u take the plastic out cleaning the portafilter is as easy as a scrub in hot water.. if u do use chemicals to clean it be very sure you rinse them off completely.. i really dont think detergents should be any where near your machine though.

coffeefetish

Thanks avitephen. Yes, I do regularly use the rubber cleaning disk provided, and don't worry, no detergents will EVER go near my machine! Should I just leave the insert out or put it back in?  Do you (or anyone else) know the purpose of it anyway? Cheers.

avitephen

sunbeam are trying to make a machine that can make real coffee for people who want instant coffee. the cool thing about the thermo blocks is that it doesnt take them long to heat up but the portafilter is still pretty damn cold and will cool & spoil any shot you try pulling until it itself gets hot enough.. the plastic shield is there to provide insulation (or so ive been told by customer support) so u can make coffee a few minutes after turning the machine on you really dont need it if you let the machine warm up for a bit longer, your brew would probably taste better as well  cause some heat would be leached out through the basket and sides of the cold portafilter ..it doesnt sound like a lot but if the ability to change the extraction temp by 2 degrees is a selling point for the 6910 it must be. i would leave it out (as i have done) and it sounds like your cleaning routine is fine, you just cant get to it all at the moment.

coffeefetish

Thanks very much avitephen.  Will have a muck around with it tonight.

avitephen

hehe no prob  

coffeefetish

Easy to take out!  Was very surpised too - not much gunk at all really, so I must have been doing something right! But now heaps easier to clean.  No hidden spots.

avitephen

hehe awesome well if u find u can clean it effectively with it in it might save u a bit of warm up time leaving it there.. i think it looks better out n e way

mattyj

re: detergent comments ... what sort of detergent are you guys condemning? Espresso Machine cleaner (apparently similar to Napisan...) is great stuff. I use it at least fortnightly. Just remember to pull a seasoning shot or two before drinking coffee, and you'll notice much cleaner, crisper tastes to the espresso ... oh, and if you find yourself losing a bit of steam power, unscrew the steam tip and soak it overnight in espresso machine cleaner.