The Importance Of Descaling Your Nespresso Machine
Keeping your Nespresso machine clean is an important task to ensure the best-tasting coffee from your machine, and also to extend its life. One of the most important cleaning steps is removing minerals, also known as "scale" or lime from inside the machine. Over time, minerals from your water collect on the internal tubes and heating tank which can change the taste of your brew. In extreme cases, the minerals could even clog the tubing and damage the brewer. Nespresso recommends running a descaling cycle on all of their machines after three months or 300 capsules, and some newer machines will no longer brew coffee when that limit is exceeded. No matter which machine you own, descaling is an important maintenance step.
You can buy a descaling solution from Nespresso that is gentle and guaranteed to remove those minerals. Because each machine needs a specific ratio of water to descaling solution, knowing how much water to add to the solution in the tank is key. You'll find that information in the specific user guide for your Nespresso machine.
Descaling tips to remember
The descaling cycle can take up to 30 minutes, so be sure to plan for the event. That's especially true for the machines that stop working when the descaling time is due. Those machines will display blinking lights to warn you before you get locked out of your coffee fix.
A few of the Vertuo line machines require two packs of descaling solution, which is also good to know in advance. Running one pack of the solution when two are required won't provide a good result, and you'll just need to repeat the process, so be sure to look up those specifics for your machine. Other features that vary are which lights blink to signal the descaling time is due and what series of buttons will need to be pushed to start the cycle. What they all have in common is the need to run a cycle of clean water after the descaling solution is used — don't stop the process just because the machine has run through all of the solution. Use these tips and you'll get a better tasting cup of joe no matter how many capsules you brew.