Giving Those Coffee Machine Cleaning Tablets a Go

Alright, let me tell you about cleaning my coffee machine the other day. It’s one of those espresso machines, nothing super fancy, but it does the job. Lately though, the coffee started tasting a bit... off. You know? Not quite right. Plus, when I peeked inside the group head (the part where the coffee comes out), it looked kinda gunky. Figured it was time for a proper clean.

I’d seen these cleaning tablets kicking around online and in stores. Usually, I just wiped things down, maybe ran some water through. But this time, I thought, why not try these tablets? Seemed easier than mixing up vinegar solutions or taking bits apart, which I'm always scared I'll break.

So, I grabbed a box of these generic cleaning tablets. Here’s what I did:

• First step: Got the machine ready. I emptied the water tank, gave it a quick rinse, and filled it back up with fresh water. Took out the portafilter (that handle thingy where you put the coffee grounds) and popped in the blind basket – that’s the solid metal one with no holes. If you don't have one, sometimes the tablet instructions say to put it directly in the brew group, but mine said use the blind basket.
• Next: Popped one tablet into the blind basket. Just dropped it right in there. Easy enough.
• Then the action: Locked the portafilter back into the machine, just like making coffee. Then I hit the brew button. Let it run for like 10-15 seconds, stopped it. You could hear the pressure build up. The instructions said to repeat this on/off cycle a few times. I did it maybe 5 times. Water wasn't really coming out, obviously, because of the blind basket, but you could tell something was happening inside.
• The messy bit: After the cycles, I unlocked the portafilter. WHOOSH. A load of brown, foamy water came out into the drip tray. Honestly, it looked pretty gross. Definitely told me there was gunk in there.
• Rinsing is key: This part felt important. I rinsed the portafilter really well under the tap. Then, I put it back in the machine without the blind basket this time (just the regular empty basket) and ran loads of water through it. Probably ran about half the tank through, just pressing the brew button until the water coming out looked totally clear and didn't smell like cleaning stuff. I also wiped down the shower screen under the group head with a cloth.

So, Did it Work?

Yeah, actually, it did. The inside of the group head looked way cleaner. Shiny, even. And the next coffee I made? Tasted much better. Cleaner, crisper. That slightly bitter, stale edge was gone.

My take: It was pretty straightforward. Less hassle than I thought. The gross brown water was satisfying in a weird way, proved it was doing something. Rinsing thoroughly afterwards is definitely the most important bit, you don't want any chemical taste left behind. For how easy it was, I'll definitely be doing this again regularly. Beats trying to scrub those inside bits by hand, that’s for sure.