Hi there

Relatively new espresso user here - I have found the forum super helpful but wasn't able to find an answer to my question so I thought I would ask it here.

Briefly, I've been using a pro 700 for the past six months and enjoying it very much. I was cleaning the dispersion screen area this morning and noticed that the brass dispersion plate was unevenly discolored or eroded. Being new to this hobby, I wasn't sure if this type of wearing is normal or if there's something I should be concerned about either from a health standpoint or in terms of water quality.

I've testing my water a couple of times. Total dissolved solids are typically around 120, pH is around eight and water hardness is around 20 to 25. Coffee overall tastes great.

Would appreciate any thoughts!

Cheers

Brass discolors over time unless it's plated. Chrome plating often wears off in portafilters due to scrubbing and espresso cleaners. I've not seen a plated diffuser like yours appears to be, but even so, its appearance wouldn't concern me.

Many thanks for the quick reply.

After a little bit of additional research I tried a small amount of lemon juice and salt and the brass plate is looking almost back to its normal appearance.

Was glad to find an easy solution!

Cheers

Who knew! But be aware that it will probably look like that again in a few days. For what it's worth, I just backflush with espresso cleaner and don't worry about prettying up brass that isn't readily visible.