What cleaning brushes do we need for complete protection of our machine?
Ένας μικρός οδηγός για κάθε ερασιτέχνη ή επαγγελματία barista.
When one starts making one's own, personal collection of barista tools, it is a fact that the many choices and special needs can be confusing and disorienting. This phenomenon does not only happen to amateur coffee lovers, but even to professional baristas.
Starting to make our collection, one of the first things we need to take care of is the cleanliness of our machine, choosing the right tools. Cleaning brushes are one of the basic supplies that every amateur or professional barista must have in his collection, in order to work with clean equipment and enjoy, in the end, better coffee.
We made a small "road map" for the basic cleaning brushes that every barista needs, as well as their technical specifications - because what counts, above all, is good coffee.
What cleaning brushes do we need for complete protection of our machine?
Grinding Mill Cleaning Brush: Whether we use a grinding mill or our machine has a built-in grinder, we must keep in mind that frequent cleaning is necessary. In the blades of the mill, but also in the surrounding areas, accumulated ground coffee residues, which should be removed and not remain in our mill for a long time. In the case of a professional machine, one cleaning is recommended per day, while in the case of a home machine (where the use is not so intense) we can do the same procedure less often. The brush we will use should have soft bristles in order to remove debris without damaging or scratching the grinder blades, and ergonomic design to offer a comfortable grip that will allow us to reach even the most difficult points.
Indicative Brushes: Feggrini A6, Feggrini A62, Feggrini A63 (with a special design that allows more efficient and comfortable cleaning)
Group Cleaning Brush: The group of the machine is one of its parts that must be cleaned thoroughly and very often. A dirty group, full of coffee grounds, will not only reduce the life of our machine, but will also have a direct impact on the quality of our coffee, spoiling its taste. The brushes we use to clean the group have hard hair, which allows the particles to be removed successfully. Ergonomic design is necessary here as well, in order for the cleaning to be done successfully and not as a difficult process.
Group cleaning brushes generally follow two design principles. At first, they do not differ from any brush, except that their head is tilted in order to better approach the group. In the second, the brushes are circular and apply to the group like the shutter, offering easier access to the most difficult points.
Indicative Brushes: Feggrini J43, Feggrini A38, Feggrini A38-1
Bench Cleaning Brush: In addition to the machine, we must consider since our workbench gets dirty easily, either in a professional space or even in our home. Ground coffee grounds, water, milk, sugar, coffee create an "explosive" mixture that must be cleaned immediately, ideally after each use of our machine, if we are home, and many, many times a day, whenever the need arises, if we talk for professional barista workbench. We need a brush with hard hair (in order to easily collect solid residues), a small ashtray for easy disposal, and a cloth or sponge surface for liquid residues.
Indicative Brushes: Feggrini J55 (with two edges, for workbench and mill), Feggrini G50 (with built-in ashtray and two sockets, for solid and liquid residues).
Cleanliness is not only half the nobility, but also something very important for the quality of the coffee we drink and for the maintenance of our machine. A collection of the right brushes are the first weapons in our quiver for this purpose.
