Espresso machine water tastes really bad
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- Posts: 86
- Joined: 14 years ago
HI
I noticed that once on while the water taste really bad in my machine (taste very metallic? copper like?) i use my machine twice daily (rocket) i do cooling flush about one 14oz cub.
i end up emptying the boiler 3 times i a row to get rid of the taste, is that normal?
should i do that routinely?
thanks
I noticed that once on while the water taste really bad in my machine (taste very metallic? copper like?) i use my machine twice daily (rocket) i do cooling flush about one 14oz cub.
i end up emptying the boiler 3 times i a row to get rid of the taste, is that normal?
should i do that routinely?
thanks
- another_jim
- Team HB
- Posts: 13966
- Joined: 19 years ago
When you steam, you lose water, but not minerals. So the mineral content in the boiler builds up. You also can get some leached metals. The result is a brackish taste. This is not a factor in the coffee taste, since the espresso water passes through the HX, not the boiler.
However, mineral build up can cause scale and will spoil Americanos. Once a week to once a month (more frequently if you are in a hard water area), fill your tank with distilled water, and open the hot water tap. This will drain the boiler and replace the highly mineralized water with distilled water. This is called "blowing down" the boiler and should be done routinely with espresso machines.
However, mineral build up can cause scale and will spoil Americanos. Once a week to once a month (more frequently if you are in a hard water area), fill your tank with distilled water, and open the hot water tap. This will drain the boiler and replace the highly mineralized water with distilled water. This is called "blowing down" the boiler and should be done routinely with espresso machines.
Jim Schulman
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- Posts: 167
- Joined: 18 years ago
If you're ever caught with milk being sucked back... That can also give a funky taste.
Not sure as to if to very metallic? copper like? but worth keeping an open mind.
Not sure as to if to very metallic? copper like? but worth keeping an open mind.
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