For many avid coffee drinkers, espresso is their favorite way to drink down the caffeinated beverage, whether on its own or with milk or cream. However, brewing espresso is a very technical process, and even with a high-tech espresso machine, your shot can taste a little off if you don't pay attention to the details.

Even if there aren't clumps of leftover coffee grounds stuck in your espresso machine's grinder, oils from the crushed beans can accumulate on the burrs over time. Ground coffee and oils can even get stuck in the spout, which can affect the overall flavor of your espresso shot and make it taste stale, or even damage your grinder.

To avoid disappointing coffee, clean your espresso machine's grinder roughly every week or so, or even as much as once a day if you use darker, oily roasts. You can use a small vacuum attachment to suck out clumped coffee grounds, then grind up a food-safe pellet to absorb the oils and get rid of any left-behind grounds.