The morning cup of coffee is the most important beverage for us. It helps to kick start our day. However each coffee drinker has their own specific requirements and to address that owing an Automatic Espresso Machine is an absolute necessity.

So whether you own the machine for your home or if you have a small coffee shop, these are the seven things you should know about the smart coffee makers.

The 7 tips for automatic coffee machine owners

Tip 1 – The Brewing Unit

The brewing unit is the place where the ground coffee powder meets the steaming hot water. Automatic espresso machines can either have a removable or non-removable brewing unit. The non-removable units work are preferred by people because it is easy to clean.

So if you want to clean the brewing unit every time you brew the coffee, go for the removable option.

Tip 2 – The Coffee Beans

You can use any type of coffee beans except the dark roasted ones that come with a shiny coating on the surface. Now, you can use a small amount of these beans but avoid the really oily ones.

The super oily coating can clog your machine, which would affect its performance. Also, the oily dark roasted beans are coated in that way to hide coffee imperfections which is a let down. Thus, it would be a good idea to avoid this coffee bean variant.

Tip 3 – The Water

One of the main ingredients of your espresso is the water, so the quality of water you use does have an effect on the coffee you brew. Also, water mostly contains minerals that can get stuck and the boiler holes and create scale deposits which would affect the performance of the machine.

Thus you should always stick to those filters that are recommended by the manufacturer of your automatic espresso machine. They would not only look after chlorine in the water that affects the taste, but these filters would also catch the minerals that create scale deposits.

Do not ignore the scale build-up as it is one of the most common sources of issues associated with the machine.The recommended water filter would also help you to get the best coffee flavour. You should also descale or clean the machine as recommended by your coffee machine manufacturer.

Tip 4 – The Grind Setting

The automatic espresso machine comes with grind settings which is very useful. However, most of the people would set up the grind and then would forget about it. But, it is important to note that you can get a better flavor of coffee by just adjusting the grind settings.

For making espresso or light roast you can go with a finer grind, but for long coffee or dark roast, you should definitely go with a coarse grind. Try this everytime and you would surely get a much better flavor.

Make sure to adjust the grinder when it is actually running for better results. It would make sure that the coffee powder does not get stuck to the grinder which might damage the equipment.

Tip 5 – The Brew Group

It is the heart of your automatic espresso machine- it is where all the work is done. Thus, it is very important to always keep it clean. Remove the brew group once every week and clean it thoroughly by keeping it under running tap water, there is no need for scrubbing.

Once done, let it drip dry and then put it back into the machine. For machines with non-removable brewing groups, you would need to use manufacturer-specified cleaning tablets. Check the manual and follow the directions given.

Tip 6 – The Milk System

No matter whether you have a simple or a frothing milk system in your automatic machine, the key to its good performance is keeping it clean. It would not only take care of the hygiene, but to have a good froth your machine should be free of all components.

Milk deposits are common in these systems and that can of course hamper the way the machine vends out milk for your coffee. You can also use the auto cleaning function, if your machine has that, but even after that you should clean it manually after a given time interval. You should specially look after cleaning the auto frothing part as that tends to get the deposits quite easily.

Tip 7 – The Kitchen area

Conclusion

Before you head out to purchase your big automatic espresso machine, ensure that you have the required area in your kitchen to keep it. The choice of the area is important as you should be able to brew coffee and clean the equipment easily on spot. Also, make sure that you have the dimensions handy before you go on to purchase.