Help with Cafiza espresso machine cleaning tablets (substance, coffee, homemade)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I just purchased Cafiza Home Espresso Machine tablets. I'm having trouble understanding the directions (because of the part names) & was wondering if someone could help. Here they are:
1. Place one Cafiza® Home tablet in a cup and fill it with hot water.
2. Remove the coffee dispensing unit and clean the filters and the dispensing channel with the prepared cleaning solution.
3. Let the solution take effect for at least five minutes and repeat this operation a minimum of three times.
4. Rinse the coffee dispensing unit abundantly with clean water and install it again.
5. To clean the drip tray, place a Cafiza® Home tablet inside and fill it up to 2/3 full with hot water. Let the cleaning solution take effect for about 30 minutes and rinse abundantly.
Cafiza® Home Espresso Machine Cleaning Tablets (http://www.urnex.com/prod_cafizahome_dir.html - broken link)
It looks like I need 4 tablets for 1 cleaning? Melt 1 tab in water & soak the 2 metal removable pieces which hold the espresso. Then do it 2 times more with 2 more tabs, one at a time? Am I reading that right?
Then, how do I clean the inside of the machine? I don't care about the drip tray, but the inner sanctum of the machine. It looks like there are white deposits (is it calcium from the water?) on the inside of the machine. I'm just not seeing directions here for cleaning the inside of the machine.
Thank you if you can figure this out.
If you can, then can you come over & help me the first time! I'll make cake! That I can do.
What? Is this a joke? I pasted the directions, just don't understand them. Was asking for clarification/help from someone who's used the tablets before. They're an Italian product... those were the only directions I could find in English.
I have no clue as I don't have one, but do maybe the directions that came with the maker have pictures for cleaning so you can see? or maybe pour the dissolved tablet into the machine and run through like cleaning a drip pot?
I have no clue as I don't have one, but do maybe the directions that came with the maker have pictures for cleaning so you can see? or maybe pour the dissolved tablet into the machine and run through like cleaning a drip pot?
Hiya Gran, thanks for responding. No directions came with the tablets & the machine directions describe how to clean with vinegar only. I'd always cleaned with vinegar but stopped doing it years ago as I dislike it... I can taste vinegar for the first few espressos no matter how many times I run through a rinse on the pot with fresh water. I've even bought cheap grounds to make a couple of dummy pots to discard... then my next few cups of espresso taste like cheap grounds. Annoyingly, I have very sensitive taste buds. I wish I were like my brother who can drink anything as long as is it slightly resembles a coffee-like substance in any form.
On the directions I googled & found online, it either isn't clear, isn't included or I just don't understand how to clean the inside of the machine. I've never used tablets before. Not sure if I drop the tablet directly into the pot (don't want to damage the interior), then add water to let it run through, followed by a few clear water rinsings... or if I should dissolve the tablet in water first, then run it through a few times to clean. I also don't know if I should be letting it sit there to soak? Also, I'm not clear on if I do the whole process 3 times with 1 tablet each time, or if I'm using 1 tablet. First time I do it, I'll be fine.
If no one who's done it before responds, guess I'll resort to the latter method of dissolving the tablet in water first & I'll begin with 1 tablet only. I've searched other sites for directions, but just don't find any & after 6-mos without a cleaning, it's really needed. I just thought for sure, another espresso lover were onsite. I guess as long as I rinse with clear water a bunch of times, I won't damage anything & won't be drinking any remnants by accident.
Thanks again!
Last edited by PatanjaliTwist; 10-30-2011 at 10:14 PM..
I would start with the one tablet and see what the inside looks like first if you get no more responses, I would hate to see you waste all those grounds rinsing out 3 tablets if you don't need them...I found a powder to clean my drip so I don't have to smell the vinegar while cleaning, but that is a powder that mixed readily with the water, I would dissolve the tablet first as it won't hurt the process, the water would dilute when run through, but I would hate the tablet chunks inside if it didn't. Good luck!
I would start with the one tablet and see what the inside looks like first if you get no more responses, I would hate to see you waste all those grounds rinsing out 3 tablets if you don't need them...I found a powder to clean my drip so I don't have to smell the vinegar while cleaning, but that is a powder that mixed readily with the water, I would dissolve the tablet first as it won't hurt the process, the water would dilute when run through, but I would hate the tablet chunks inside if it didn't. Good luck!
Thank you, Gran, good suggestions. I did pretty much what you listed here, since I couldn't find a coffee message board where directions are discussed. For the 2 removable pieces the coffee is tamped into, I soaked them for 30-min in a ceramic bowl of boiled water into which I dissolved 1 tablet. The tablet dissolves like a fizzy Alka Seltzer. Did that procedure once more, then washed in the dishwasher with the carafe to remove any residue.
For the interior, I dissolved a tab in boiled water, ran through half a cycle then turned off the machine to let it soak for 30-min... let it run through the steaming wand for a few seconds, too (I rarely use it as I don't drink milk products, so I thought that was all that was necessary). Then I ran through 4 cycles of water only. I can't tell if the interior is clean, but since only water is placed in that chamber, it probably takes less cleaning than the pieces which hold the espresso.
The great news is there's no awful after-taste. I can't taste a difference in my espresso, but since I've burned through 4 espresso makers in the last 15-yrs as they were clogged, I figured I should be cleaning the machine regularly. Directions suggest once/mo. Since I make about 70 cups of espresso/mo, I suppose that's reasonable.
I guess my main question was if I could use the water which comes out of the machine after cleaning (since it's not very dirty) to also soak the removable pieces in? I like to recycle, but this would cut down on cost, too. Perhaps I'll give that a try next time. Thanks again!
Does your espresso machine have pre-ground feature ?
What exactly machine do you have ? It would help me to determine the explanation
Hi El, nice to see you again. I still owe you a box of homemade chocolates for the Frappaccino recipe... my SO thinks I'm wonderful for effortlessly whipping him up a grande Starbucks at mere request.
I have a bare bones, basic espresso maker now. Had a lovely Italian model for $$$ which blew out in 6-wks... didn't have it plugged into a surger when we had a bldg outage in San Diego... my bad. So, as I was relocating & didn't want to spend a few hundred more in the event it were lost, dropped or left behind (I brought it into hotel rooms with me otherwise I experience fear, withdrawls & stare longingly out the window into my car all evening), I settled on a standard Mr. Coffee steam espresso maker for $39. It has no features... off, brew, steam.
Nice to see you too, PatanjaliTwist!! Oh, yeah! I remember you
Well, cleaning is important, because the oils and lime will make your coffee taste bitter. However I don't think you need to spend extra $$$ on fancy cleaning tablets. Citric acid would do it too. But since you have the tablets already, let me see how I can help you
The basics is here:
TO DELIME WATER CONTAINER:
Easy and cheaper way: Turn your coffee maker off and unplug. Wait till your coffee maker is cold.
If the appliance is cool and the pressure has been released, remove the reservoir cap and fill reservoir with fresh water mixed with citric acid.
But now we need to think: tablets
DELIME WATER CONTAINER:
Pour into your coffee glass pot 3/4 hot water and dissolve 1 tab, then pour it into the coffee maker like you pour water when making coffee. Let it stay there for 10 minutes and turn the switch on.
Let it run back to the coffee pot. Wait a minute or two, till all the lime fall down your coffee pot. Reuse the same water, but be careful, do not pour the lime particles that are in the bottom of the pot. Rinse your pot out and run the water back to the coffee pot again. Repeat if few times until you see no lime particles in your coffee pot anymore.
Depends how often you use your coffee maker, but lets say 2 x a day -
do it every 2 weeks, then you don't need to spend so much time on it.
Now is time to DELIME INTERNAL PARTS:
While your last run of your cleaning water with citric acid or tablets ( see instruction above) - and you don't see any new lime residue on the bottom of the coffee pot - place a cup with cold water under the frothing aid. Insert the frothing tube into the water and slowly turn the control knob to the position.
After 10 seconds turn the control knob to the "OFF" position.
This will clean any residue left in the frothing tube from frothing milk.
When the cleaning water stop flowing (the last time), turn the coffee maker "OFF" and allow the appliance to cool.
Now wash the coffee pot and fill with clean cold water. Fill the container with clean water and turn the coffee maker on. Let the water rinse any remaining traces of your cleaning tablet/citric acid out of the machine. Repeat this rinsing process, allowing the machine to cool and pressure to be released before each rinsing. When the water in the coffee pot looks and smells clean - you are done
It seems to be a lot of work the first time, but if you do it more often, then you do not have to run the cleaning water many times.
Suggested cleaning intervals:
Soft Water - Every 100 brew cycles
Hard Water - Every 50 brew cycles
BTW: a little tip - use bottled water like Sparkletts Crystal Clear to make your coffee. You will notice a big difference in taste and your coffee machine will not get lime deposit often.
I have tea maker and use Sparkletts water, and I do not need to clean my tea maker at all. I still do it, once a year, but the cleaning water comes out clean. No lime deposit
Hope that my explanation helps.
Actually the whole process is similar to what you used to do with vinegar, but instead of vinegar you use hot water with 1 dissolved tablet in it. The rest remain the same.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
That I can do.
