As an owner of a Breville Barista Express for more than 5 years I still gladly recommend it and quickly congratulate new owners. This home espresso machine radically changed the way I view and drink coffee. If I had to guess, I'd say we've pulled over 3,500 shots on this machine and it still performs great.
With such usage, we've made sure to maintain it properly, periodically cleaning each of the components that make up the espresso machine. Below we've broken down what to do when the "Clean Me" light turns on, when your steam wand is weak or clogged, and finally how to clean your conical burr grinder. Below we've also included a video tutorial on how to clean your Breville Barista Express.
Cleaning Cycle
When the CLEAN ME light is illuminated your machine is due for a cleaning cycle.
To run a cleaning cycle, you will need the 1 CUP filter basket along with cleaning tablets from your preferred brand. Lock the Portafilter after inserting these components and place a container below the spouts. Remove the water filter and ensure that there is enough water in the tank.
With the machine turned off, press the 1 CUP, 2 CUP, and POWER buttons together for approximately 10 seconds. The cleaning cycle will start and last around 5 minutes.
Water will intermittently flow from the portafilters spouts gradually becoming cleaner.
Once complete, three beeps will sound. Remove the portafilter and make sure the tablet has dissolved. Rinse your machine when finished by replacing the water filter and pressing the
1 CUP button to run water through the head.
Cleaning steam wand, different methods
The most important method of cleaning the steam wand tip is after each use, by purging and wiping the milk. However, over time, some harder blocks start forming inside of the steam wand making it weak or clogged. There are different ways to address this issue based on severity
and preference.
Removing tip
Make sure you are doing this when the steam wand is at a safe temperature to touch
or you will get burnt! Remove the tip and soak it in vinegar or in a cleaning solution.
Soaking steam wand in Cleaning Solution
Soak the steam wand for a short prior in a water and cleaner solution based on the manufacturer’s instructions. Always rinse thoroughly.
Running Cleaning Solution through steam cycle
Based on the manufacturer’s instructions, mix some water with the cleaning product and rinse through the system by cycling it a few times. Every time you cycle anything but water through the system it is recommended to remove the water filter. Remember to rinse thoroughly after completion.
Soaking steam wand in vinegar and water mix
This is a timeless method and affordable. Vinegar is not only good for the steam wand, it is good for decalcifying the whole system. Though vinegar is safe to consumer, we recommend rinsing
a few times.
Cleaning Conical Burr Grinder
Cleaning the inside of your grinder periodically is good practice and can help extend the life
of your machine.
Begin by removing the hopper, lift up the tab to unlock and remove the top burr.
Loosen the nut in a counter-clockwise motion, remove nut, washers, lower burr, and the
grind fan. Clean these components separately
When grinder components are clean, replace all in the opposite order they were removed.
Tighten nut thoroughly, line up the red arrow on the upper burr to the "align" mark in the machine, lock it properly then install the hopper.
