Descaling
What is scale?
Scale build up causes equipment downtime leading to increased machine service frequency, more part replacements and a shortened machine lifespan. Scale build-up also reduces the quality of espresso flavour. Increase machine reliability by using Cafetto’s descaling range to get the most out of your equipment.
What is hard water?
“Hard water” occurs when water contains high levels of dissolved minerals including both calcium and magnesium. Water hardness cannot be removed by water filters including re-mineralised reversed osmosis water. Interestingly, espresso made from hard water tastes better as the coffee extraction flavour intensifies with harder water.
Why do you need to descale?
Hardness in water can cause scale deposits. This occurs when a build-up of mineral deposits forms a noticeable white crust on the heating element. The build-up of scale increases the amount of energy required to heat the water, resulting in more repairs and eventually shortening the lifespan of equipment. Once scale has formed in the boiler and pipe network, it can only be removed by the use of specific acidic descaling chemicals.
What is the difference between espresso clean and descaler?
Espresso machine cleaners are alkaline, therefore while they are effective removing coffee oils, they will have little impact on scale removal. The correct use of a descaler will remove the scale from the boiler and machine pipe work, improving machine performance and reducing service costs and downtime.
We recommend descaling fortnightly, however if you use hard mains water without a softener or find a metallic flavour coming through in your coffee, frequent use is advised.