How to Clean a Sowtech Espresso Machine: Key Parts Discussed

How to clean a Sowtech espresso machine? 

Keeping your espresso machine in top condition is vital, you’ll not only brew great coffee every single time, but you’ll prolong the life of your machine without splashing out cash on a new machine any time soon. Stick around, in this article I’m going over the bolts and nuts of how to clean a Sowtech espresso machine effectively to enjoy great coffee day in, and day out. 

Let’s dive in. 

How to clean a Sowtech espresso machine? 

To clean your Sowtech espresso machine, start by unplugging it and take off the drip tray, water tank and portafilter. Use a cleaning solution to remove coffee oils and residue that might have been built on the inside. Put the removable parts back on and you’re good to go. 

A bit about Sowtech espresso machines

Sowtech espresso machines are great for making espresso-based coffees at home. What makes them stand out is that although they’re not made for professional use, they brew excellent coffee. 

Here’s a bunch of interesting facts that you’re probably not aware of: 

• Their pressure is 3.5 bars (way lower than a professional espresso machine that normally reaches 9 bars to make coffee) 
• It comes in black colour
• It has a milk frother attached
• Its Wattage is 800 watts 
• Its capacity is 240 mL
• Its material is plastic
• Extremely easy to use and ideal for all different ages as you switch it on, brew and froth with just 1 touch
• It has automatic temperature control (you don’t need to measure it manually)
• In the package, you’ll find 1 espresso machine, 1 filter, 1 funnel, 1 spoon, 1 carafe, 1 Ping for cleaning the steaming wand. 

I interviewed Katerina who’s had a Sowtech espresso brewer at her house for the last 3 years. Here’s what she had to say about her espresso maker:

‘I’m absolutely satisfied with my Sowtech coffee machine. I especially love the fact that it’s fairly easy to use. Since I’m not a barista, I couldn’t handle a complicated espresso machine. That’s why my Sowtech was the best option for my needs. Also it makes delicious coffee, I’m in love with the latte it makes – I have 1 cup every morning before work. In terms of cleaning it, I find it relatively easy as it doesn’t take up too much space, so it’s not that difficult to clean the inside and outside of it.’

Why is it important to clean your Sowtech espresso machine? 

Why should I bother cleaning my Sowtech espresso machine? 

I absolutely understand, cleaning any espresso machine is a daunting task. 

But the reality is the more often you clean it and the better you look after your espresso machine the longer it will last which is brilliant (considering that espresso machines don’t come cheap) 

Plus, a clean espresso machine always makes excellent espresso. So, if you’re a true coffee fan you have no option than keeping your Sowtech machine in top condition.

How often should you clean your Sowtech espresso machine? 

It depends on how often you should clean your Sowtech espresso machine.

Depends on what? 

It really depends on how many espresso shots you brew every day. Is it 3? Is it more than 3? 

As you might have guessed, the more espressos you brew a day the more often you need to clean your espresso maker. 

A great rule of thumb is, if you brew more than 3 espresso shots per day, it’s wise to thoroughly clean your machine at once in 15 days. 

But if you brew 1-3 espressos each day, it’s a good idea to clean your brewer every 25-30 days. 

Here’s another thing to keep in mind: 

Apart from thoroughly cleaning your machine (a process which I’m going over further down step by step), it’s vital to clean your espresso machine each time after you’re done with your brewing. It’ll take you less than 5 minutes, and this way you’ll ensure that your next espresso, cappuccino or latte is going to taste as good as the previous one. 

The components of a Sowtech espresso machine

Let’s talk about all the components of a Sowtech espresso machine and why it’s important to know how to take them off.

Water tank cover

 It’s made of stainless steel and perfectly seals the water tank, so you don’t need to worry about dripping water out if you’re moving the Sowtech espresso machine. It is removable and you can take it off to give it a good wash with water and soap and get rid of hard water minerals that might have built around it.

Switch knob and power indicator

It’s simple now that you turn it clockwise and turn the machine on. To ensure that your Sowtech espresso brewer is on it has a little red light that when it’s lit means that the machine is on (and obviously when it’s not lit the brewer isn’t on). I can confidently say that these little nuances make Sowtech espresso machines more user-friendly – that’s why coffee lovers are raving about it. 

Detachable filter 

This is an essential part to brew delicious espresso. It sits inside the funnel and this is where you place the coffee grounds. Water comes from the water tank and through the filter to brew coffee. Make sure to clean it properly to remove coffee residue and oils. Otherwise, your next espresso is going to taste bitter.

Funnel/portafilter

This is a funnel/portafilter made of stainless steel; it’s fairly easy to use. All you need to do is place the filter into it and then put it on the coffee maker. If you want to take it off the machine, you need to slide the bottom towards the coffee machine.

Stainless Steel Cup

A stainless steel cup is an innovative feature Sowtech espresso machines have. It makes your life easier as the coffee drips from the portafilter straight into the cup, meaning that your kitchen around your coffee machine remains clean as coffee doesn’t spill all over the place. 

Removable Milk Foam Tube 

The good news is that you can remove the milk foam tube and give it a proper wash. A common issue with milk foam tubes and wands is that burned milk is stuck on the inside and spoils the taste of your next cappuccino, macchiato or latte – as you might have guessed it needs a proper good washing to remove the burned milk. 

Dripping tray

This is a removable dripping tray made of stainless steel which makes it easy to wash it and make it look brand new. It’s wise to remove it at the end of each day (if you have used the machine obviously) and give it a quick wash in the morning before making your cup of coffee. 

How to descale a Sowtech espresso machine?

Hard water minerals are built on the inside of a coffee brewer because of frequent use. This will spoil the taste of your coffee and it’s not good for your machine as well as it forces it to work harder each time to produce an espresso shot. For this reason, you should descale your machine often enough to keep it in an excellent condition. 

There are 2 popular ways of descaling a Sowtech espresso machine. 

Let’s take a look at both ways.

Using a descaling solution 

You can find plenty of descaling solutions for your Sowtech brewer. They’re simple to use as you only need to add some of it to the water tank and run 3-4 brewing cycles (without placing the portafilter with coffee grounds on it) and then run a brewing cycle with just water. A good tip is to throw away the first 2 espressos after the descaling as they might slightly taste like the descaling solution.

Using vinegar 

The other method of descaling your Sowtech espresso machine is to use vinegar instead of a descaling solution? Why should you do that? It’s a natural way to descale your coffee maker and it comes cheaper as a descaling solution will cost you around $10 while a bottle of vinegar is at $2-$4. All you need to do is pour 2-3 tbsps into the water tank and run the brewing cycle 3-4 times. Don’t forget to run it at least 1 more time without any vinegar in the water tank to get rid of the taste and smell of it. 

How to make the perfect espresso with your Sowtech brewer

Let’s go over the steps of brewing the perfect espresso with your Sowtech brewer:

Grind your coffee: It’s 1 more step but it’s 100% worthwhile. If you’re a true coffee lover, do yourself a favour and do the grinding yourself instead of purchasing pre-ground coffee. Your coffee is going to have extra taste and aroma. 

Place the coffee grounds into the funnel: After you’re done with the grinding, place the coffee grounds into the funnel and add enough water to the water tank

Turn the machine on: turn the machine on and wait until the water hits the right temperature. Once it does, go ahead and brew your espresso shot. 

Top tip: the odds are the espresso you brew with a Sowtech machine isn’t going to have the crema layer on top. The reason being is it’s brewed at 2.5 bars which is regarded as low pressure considering that espresso machines for professional use brew coffee at 9 bars. The cream layer is a result of the high pressure the water hits the coffee grounds, so, don’t be surprised or even think that you did something wrong if your espresso doesn’t have crema.

How to froth with your Sowtech machine

Let’s talk about how to make espresso-based coffees with milk. 

How to make a latte with your Sowtech espresso brewer

This is a popular one for a good reason. 

It combines the slight bitterness of espresso with the subtle sweetness of milk.

Here are the steps of making a latte with your Sowtech machine: 

• Start by making your espresso
• Then place 8-15 oz cold milk (full fat ideally) into a jug and use the milk foam tube for about a minute to froth it
• Make sure the milk hits the right temperature (55-62 °C) 
• Put the espresso in a big cup and pour the milk evenly and let it sit for a minute before your first sip

How to make a cappuccino with your Sowtech espresso maker

Making a cappuccino is pretty similar to making a latte. 

Let’s take a look on how to go about it: 

• Make your espresso first
• You’ll only need 5 oz of milk (preferably full fat) into a jug and forth it for about a minute.
• Combine the espresso with the milk in a cup bigger than one of the espresso ones and you’re good to go

How to make a macchiato with your Sowtech

Macchiato is another milky coffee. It’s an espresso with a little frothed milk on top.

Let’s go over the steps of making Macchiato with your Sowtech machine:

• Start by brewing your espresso first
• Add a little milk on a jug and make sure the wand goes under the surface, let it forth until it creates bubbly froth
• Place the froth on top of your espresso and you’re done

How to clean the steaming wand of your Sowtech machine

That’s a vital step of keeping your Sowtech espresso maker in top condition.

Typically, milk is stuck on the inside of the wand because it is high in proteins (which makes it sticky).

If you don’t get rid of this milk on the inside, your next latte, cappuccino or macchiato is going to taste burnt.

The best thing you can do is to take off the milk tube and put it in a ball that has a mixture of water and vinegar in equal parts. Ideally, leave it in there overnight and the next day use soap and water to clean it and put it back on. 

This will do the trick. 

Let’s wrap it up

Do you know how to clean your Sowtech properly now? Sowtech espresso machines are some of the best out there in my humble opinion; they’re simple to use and brew great coffee. Stay tuned, more articles about brewing delicious coffee are to be published soon. 

FAQs

Let’s go over a bunch of frequently asked questions to help learn more about Sowtech coffee makers. 

How do you clean the inside of an espresso machine?

To clean the inside of an espresso machine, you need to use a cleaning solution. Coffee residue is built on the inside of the machine over time which makes your coffee maker work harder each time. By cleaning the inside frequently, you ensure that your coffee brewer functions well.

What can I run through my espresso machine to clean it?

You can run through a cleaning solution or alternatively you can run vinegar (preferably white); they are both great at removing coffee lipids, oils and residue to make your machine work as brand new.

How do I descale my espresso machine?

To descale your espresso machine, you’ll need a descaling solution or vinegar and this way you’ll get rid of hard water minerals that might have been stuck on the inside of your machine.