How to Descale Breville Coffee Makers

You may still experience clogging issues in the future, even if you keep your coffee maker clean. If you clean your machine after every use and schedule a deep clean every month but still have water flow issues and bad-tasting coffee, it might signal that your coffee maker needs to be descaled.

This article aims to demonstrate how to descale your Breville coffee maker. The first step is to determine if you need to descale your machine, and then we’ll show you how to do it. Although it may sound intimidating, it’s a straightforward process that takes no more than 30 minutes and can significantly improve the quality of your coffee.

How to tell if your coffee maker needs to be descaled

If you regularly clean your coffee maker but still notice water flow problems, the problem might be hard water. Hard water contains a high concentration of minerals, most notably calcium and magnesium. Hard water can be tested with a pool or spa test or a hard water test kit, but check your sink and tub drains to learn if you live in an area with hard water.

It’s a good indicator that you have hard water if you see a white residue around the drains. Hard water can cause clogs in coffee machines and must be removed. Cleaning removable parts with soap and water or coffee maker cleaning tablets won’t work. Your machine must be descaled.

Steps On How to Descale Breville Espresso Machines

Either vinegar or a descaling solution will be needed to descale your Breville. Making your descaling solution with vinegar and water works great and can save you money, but you can also purchase a pre-made descaling solution. Calcium and magnesium deposits are essential, so you must use something acidic.

Equipment

● An espresso machine made by Breville.

Materials

● Descaling solution or white vinegar.

● Water.

Instructions

● To fill the water reservoir in your coffee maker, mix one-part vinegar with one part water.

● The vinegar-water solution (or descaling solution, if you prefer) should be added to the reservoir.

● Brew several times until no more vinegar solution remains.

● Fill the water reservoir with fresh water

● Brew using only fresh water for four to five cycles. You must do this step to ensure that your next brew of coffee tastes normal. It isn’t dangerous, but the descaling solution does not taste good, so don’t skip this step.

Descaling Solutions Other Than Vinegar

You can also use other alternatives if you don’t want to use vinegar. Citric acid is acidic, so it breaks down minerals. Use one tablespoon of citric acid pellets per gallon of water to create a solution that is the appropriate strength. Use the vinegar solution as you would, following the steps outlined above. Citric acid has the advantage of leaving a much less intrusive aftertaste than vinegar. However, if some of the citric acids are left behind, it will impact your coffee less. We recommend thoroughly rinsing the machine with 3-5 brew cycles regardless of whether you choose citric acid or vinegar.

The third option–if neither vinegar nor citric acid appeal to you–is lemon juice, which contains a high citric acid. You want to aim for one part lemon juice to two parts water with lemon juice. Regarding descaling ability, lemon juice is the least effective option since it lingers in the mouth and is easier to attain than citric acid.

After descaling your Breville, it won’t leave any aftertaste if you rinse it carefully, so we recommend using vinegar or a premade descaling solution since they work best. Citric acid or lemon juice will work in a pinch but won’t provide the same results.