Cleaning. It might sound dull but if coffee is to be consistently excellent it's probably one of the most important things the caterer does, particularly with bulk brew and pour over machines. You can have the freshest coffee and the purest water but if the machine isn't clean you will have problems.

Technical Manager, Bob McMillan, lists some key points:

• The oils from the coffee can collect in a machine giving a bitter and stale taste and a bad smell.
• Part of the residue of the old coffee will be washed out with the fresh with the above result.
• On pour-over machines the spray head can become partially blocked by coffee grounds. Not only does this lead to weak coffee (and therefore dissatisfied customers) but it can also cause the coffee to overflow the brew basket.
• The longer the machine is left uncleaned the harder it will be to do!
• The continual heating bakes the residue until its almost impossible to deal with.
• A dirty coffee system can be a breeding ground for bacteria.
• Cleaning your coffee machine should of course be part of your cleaning regime in your HACCP system.
• Dirty equipment is not only unpleasant to work with - it can put customers off.
• One more thing. Always use cleaning and sanitising chemicals as directed on the label and remember to rinse the item thoroughly - and twice - in fresh hot water. Never leave the cleaning solution lying around and dispose of it safely as soon as you have finished.
  

This article originally appeared in Fresh 3