How Often Does an Espresso Machine Need Descaling?
Summary
Most current machines tell you. The Breville Bambino flashes its 2 Cup button, the Barista Express Impress lights a CLEAN / DESCALE light, and De'Longhi's Rivelia puts a message on the screen. For De'Longhi pump espresso machines without a reminder, the company recommends descaling after 200 uses, sooner if your water is hard.
What the reminder looks like on each machine
Scale is mineral from the water, and it builds up inside the machine where you can't see it. Breville's Bambino manual says hard water can cause mineral buildup in and on the inner parts, "reducing the brewing flow, brewing temperature, power of the machine, and the taste of the espresso." That is why the machine counts for you, and why the manual advises against ignoring the warning.
The signal differs even within one brand. On the Bambino, the 2 Cup button keeps flashing. On the Barista Express Impress, the CLEAN / DESCALE light comes on and stays on. De'Longhi's Dedica shows a red descale light, and the Rivelia displays a "descale is needed" message.
One cycle on the Bambino, from the manual
- Empty the drip tray and put it back.
- Fill the tank to the DESCALE line and add the descaling agent.
- Set a 2 L (68 fl oz) container under the group head and steam wand.
- Press 2 Cup and Steam together for 5 seconds. The machine pauses when the solution runs out.
- Rinse the tank, refill it to MAX, empty the container, and press 2 Cup to run the rinse. The machine goes back to ready mode when the rinse ends.
The Barista Express Impress starts differently. Its manual has you turn the machine off, then hold 2 CUP and POWER for 5 seconds, with one sachet of Breville descaling powder dissolved in 1 liter of water. You also take the water filter out of the tank first, and you run the steam wand and hot water outlet by hand with the dial. A video for one machine won't match the buttons on the other.
Why the interval changes from house to house
De'Longhi says the frequency "will depend on the water hardness in your area," and on machines with a hardness setting, the reminder comes sooner or later depending on what you set. Its Dedica and Rivelia pages ask owners to test their water and set the machine to match. Breville takes a different route on the Impress: replacing the water filter every three months reduces the need to descale, and in a hard water area the manual says to change it more often.
The Bambino manual also warns against going the other way. It says not to use highly filtered, demineralized, or distilled water, because it can affect the taste and how the machine is designed to work.
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Sources
- Breville — the Bambino instruction book (US), Clean & Descale Cycle
- Breville — the Bambino: How to perform a descale
- Breville — the Barista Express Impress: How to perform a descale
- Breville — the Barista Express Impress instruction book (ANZ), Descaling
- De'Longhi — How often does my pump espresso coffee machine need to be descaled?
- De'Longhi — Dedica and Dedica Arte, Descaling and Cleaning
- De'Longhi — How do I descale my Rivelia?
- De'Longhi — How to descale a coffee machine
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