I quickly learned after acquiring my brass pre millenium LaPavoni Europiccola that it is extremely important to do everything in an absolutely standard way with a very rigidly followed check list. Cleaning after each use needs to be part of this check list. Improper cleaning leads to serious damage and horrible tasting espresso!

Here is my routine:

1. After making the last cup of espresso, leave the machine on and enjoy the espresso.

2. Remove the portafilter. Turn it slowly to prevent "portafilter sneeze" in case pressure remain inside. Dump the entire filter basket into a stainless steel soap dish to let it cool. Wash the portafilter immediately with cold water. Dry it and place it on the storage tray.

3. Take a ramekin that will fit over the base of the group and fill it 2/3 full of tap water. Place this under the group and lift it so that the base of the group is submerged. Lift the handle 2/3 of the way up to draw the water into the base of the group. Lower the ramekin and bring down the handle. Water will spray out of the "shower head". Repeat this operation. With the ramekin a short distance below the group lift the handle all the way and let about 25mL of water escape to rinse. Turn off power and unplug machine. Dump the water. Dry the "shower head" with a paper towel. Run a cotton swab around the seal at the base of the group.

4. Wash the cups, the filter basket, and the drip tray and grill in clean water. Dry them all.

5. Wipe the machine base with a damp cloth. This is more important than most realise. Replace the drip tray and grill.

6. After the machine cools, top off the boiler with more water. (I use only distilled, I am a retired chemistry professor and realise just how corrosive and damaging certain ions can be in copper boilers. I prefer the taste of espresso made this way anyway.)

ON Saturday only:

1. Rinse the portafilter with vinegar before washing it.

2. After the machine cools wipe the entire machine with a damp cloth, not just the base. Remove boiler cap and look inside. The water should be crystal clear with no colour. Brown indicates the sealing rings on the piston are leaking. This needs immediate attention. There should be no white deposits anywhere. Deposits generally mean that the water has too much Ca2+ or Mg2+ or both. Light green deposits are likely CuCO3. That means boiler corrosion is occurring! If descaling be necessary note the colour of the solution afterward. A blue colour again means boiler corrosion is occurring. Either white or green deposits mean one should consider using different water!

Does it actually require this much of work?

For me:

Daily: After making and finish sipping your espresso, dump the coffee puck and flush the headscreen/gasket with portafilter loosely engaged. Then, wipe the shower screen with a cloth and flush again. Just rinse the portafilter with hot tap water. No soap required. Optional: Wipe the machine with microfiber cloth after everything to maintain the shininess


Ocassionally: Take off/clean the shower screen and lube the inner cylinder every few months.

Rarely: Descale only if needed. Usually I use 50/50 distilled water+filtered tap water. So there's not much scale building up in the boiler. And I think a thin film of scale on the boiler could actually be beneficial because they're probably less likely to react with the water. For Cremina and Pavoni, you can take off the grouphead and look at the feeding tube to determine if you need a descaling.