Coffee machines are fun to use, but troubleshooting coffee machines cannot be fun (especially at home). Still, it affects your espresso’s taste that might end up disturbing your daily dose and taste of caffeine because you can never enjoy a sudden alteration in the taste of your regular coffee.
Why is Pressure critical for your coffee?
You might find it funny that how can the change in Pressure affects the taste of your coffee. A standard brew gauge continues to move in between three pressures. The minimum expected to be measured the mains water pressure for about 4 bar, based on the local mains water pressure. If the coffee machine is not powered, the mains water pressure is usually signaled. The minimal pressure observed is the mains water pressure around 4 bar and depends upon the local mains water pressure. Whereas, while your coffee is brewing, the pressure is raised to about 9 bar, which is known to be the peak brew temperature for espresso.
How does pressure signify the quality of your espresso?
Have you ever made coffee using a coffee machine? If yes, you might know that the water is poured at the top of the device, and it gets heated, then pushed through the coffee grounds to leak out some delightful java.
However, for preparing espresso, you need a lot more than water and heat. You need a considerable amount of pressure and temperature that you won’t find in any standard coffee maker. Higher pressures put in more flavor in your espresso. You can extract your utterly delicious espresso at 9 bar. If you’re using a home coffee machine, you’ll need 15 bar pumps because they usually use vibratory pumps that are not enough.
The pressure here makes a huge difference. You process the beans, and then you “tamp” the grounds. You’re constructing a disk out of the fields, so they’re becoming tiny and substantial. The heated water moves through the grounds with the required pressure, mostly, to smash through the disk and take all the flavor out of the grounds.
Therefore, your espresso machine needs a little attention from your side, or else it starts it behave differently in a few days. You may panic or get frustrated because of the inconvenience caused due to the change in the taste of your coffee or whenever your machine sounds weird or stops working completely. We have a little list of guides for all such people that will explain the problems caused by a coffee machine when it uses its pressure.
Following is a list of troubleshooting issues that all the coffee enthusiasts usually have to face when their machine stops working or has some serious problems while making espresso for himself.
- Espresso doesn’t pour out even after turning the pump on.
While using your coffee machine regularly, you must know about what restrains it from producing espresso.
-Make sure about the quantity of water left in your reservoir
If you’re utilizing a tankless machine, you need to make sure the water is turned on or not because it gets water directly from your water system. On the other hand, while using a machine that consists of a boiler, you only have to prime the pump to put water into the boiler.
-Your coffee might cause the blockage
It might be possible that your filter is full of an excessive amount of coffee, or it may be because of coffee usage, which is ground very finely; hence its density doesn’t permit the flow of water.
-Your pump might be clogged
The process of descaling must be performed once a month. When you’re facing taking out your espresso from the machine, you might try out the descaling process. It clears out all the deposits of mineral that might have stuck in it.
-Check the screen inside the group
Your coffee might have stuck on this screen, so you can easily remove it by unscrewing the screw and give it a quick cleaning.
- The espresso pours out too slow or too fast.
A runny espresso signifies that it has a very small about of crème in it. Therefore, you need to check if the grounds are very much spread out or not? A coffee, which is too much ground, boorishly leaves a lot of space between them. It makes the water flow without taking in any coffee into the cup.
Also, the freshness of the coffee decides the speed of water that goes through the grounds. It would help if you made sure that your grounds are freshly out of the grinder, and they look even out in the filter portion. Also, make sure that they are strongly tamped to standard pressure.
On the other hand, if your espresso flows out too slowly, your taste might get bitter, and you may notice a burnt taste and smell in it. It indicates that your machine might have a pump issue. Generally, it requires enough pressure in the pump to produce the power needed to push the water through the grounds fast. The pump of your machine might be at fault, or it may be getting lesser water flow. It may also be a sign of an excessive amount of coffee inserted in the portafilter. Therefore, you must check the group head for residue. Clean and remove it if it requires so.
- What makes your coffee taste sour?
The change in the taste of your coffee may occur naturally due to tannic acid in the coffee beans. This taste might happen when you ‘degas’ your coffee. To attain a sour taste, you need to let your coffee sit for a few days, and aging will eventually help you get the bitter taste.
Other than that, it might be due to the temperature used while brewing because optimum temperature ranges higher than 201.2 degrees Fahrenheit.
You can also get this taste by using cooler water. Also, the way you extract your coffee matters a lot. Under-extracting your coffee would give a sour taste of tannic acid rather than the taste of coffee itself.
- The pump makes a loud sound when you turn it on.
Pumps are designed in such a way that they need water flow to function accurately. If your pump is making a loud sound, you need to check its reservoir because it might be full or the water is turned on with direct sources for the machine. It may also be because of your coarse grounds that cause the water flow too quickly.
Espresso machines consist of many working parts that assist in producing the elixir drink that coffee lovers crave for. Therefore, it becomes essential for all the coffee lovers to keep up with the maintenance and regular cleaning that the machine’s manufacturer suggests you do.
We hope this guide was useful for all the coffee enthusiasts who were having troubleshooting issues regarding their espresso machines. By following the steps mentioned above, you may get your machine’s performance back as quickly as possible. You can also share your experiences with us to let us know if this helped you or not. We’ll try to come up with some new and better ways to help you in future.
