Guides

Key takeaway: Clean a blade grinder weekly and a burr grinder monthly, more often if you grind oily dark roasts regularly. Uncooked rice is fine for a blade grinder but … Read more

Key takeaway: Descale a Smeg coffee machine using Smeg’s own descaler (or another liquid descaler Smeg approves) once the descale indicator lights up orange, and expect the process to differ … Read more

Key takeaway: Descaling removes mineral buildup (limescale) from a coffee machine’s internal water pathways using a mild acid, ideally a dedicated descaler or plain citric acid rather than vinegar, run … Read more

Key takeaway: Nespresso recommends descaling every 3 months or 300 capsules, whichever comes first, using only a genuine Nespresso descaling kit, never vinegar or a shop-bought descaler, which Nespresso warns … Read more

Key takeaway: Descale a DeLonghi once its red descale light comes on, using only DeLonghi’s own descaler diluted exactly to the levels marked on your model’s tank, never vinegar or … Read more

Key takeaway: Cleaning a Breville is a different job from descaling it: cleaning clears coffee oils and milk residue using the machine’s built-in tablet-based cleaning cycle (roughly weekly, or when … Read more

Key takeaway: Descale your Breville once the CLEAN/DESCALE light turns solid rather than flashing (a flashing light means a separate cleaning cycle for coffee oils, not scale), using Breville’s own … Read more

Key takeaway: Rinse a DeLonghi coffee machine with fresh water daily, pull out and rinse the brewing unit with water only (no detergent, no dishwasher) on a schedule DeLonghi itself … Read more