If I can't see any buildup on my coffee equipment, is it clean?

No. Most residue builds up inside the equipment where you can't see it — in group heads, portafilters, valves, steam wands and drip trays. Equipment can look spotless on the outside and still have significant buildup internally, which is a common cause of flavour complaints.

Is rinsing my espresso machine with water enough to clean it?

No. Water removes loose grounds but not coffee oils, which are hydrophobic and don't dissolve in water. Without a purpose-built cleaner, oils keep building up on internal surfaces and affect flavour, flow rate and equipment performance. Rinsing is a preparation step, not a substitute for cleaning.

Does a coffee grinder need to be cleaned?

Yes. Every grind leaves stale coffee oil and fines behind in the burrs and chute. This residue oxidises and carries into the next shot, dulling flavour and adding bitter or stale notes, even with fresh beans. A grinder cleaning tablet like Urnex Grindz removes this buildup without needing to disassemble the grinder.

Is sanitising more important than cleaning coffee equipment?

No. Cleaning and sanitising do different jobs — cleaning removes coffee oils, milk residue and mineral buildup, while sanitising reduces microorganisms on a surface that is already clean. If oils and residue remain, a sanitiser cannot fully contact the surface underneath, so the correct order is always clean, rinse, then sanitise.

Is coffee residue the only thing I need to clean off espresso equipment?

No. Milk and plant-based alternatives leave their own residue behind, including protein and fat buildup in steam wands and milk jugs. This needs a dedicated milk system cleaner, such as Urnex Rinza, alongside a coffee-oil-specific cleaner for the group head and portafilter.

What Urnex products should I use to clean espresso equipment in New Zealand?

Urnex Grindz cleans coffee grinders, removing stale oils and residue from the burrs and grind chamber. Urnex Cafiza is used for backflushing espresso machine group heads and soaking portafilters and baskets. Urnex Rinza cleans milk systems, steam wands and jugs, removing protein and fat residue.

Barista back flushing a Slayer espresso machine group head

Coffee Equipment Cleaning Myths: What Every Café Needs to Know

You've got the good beans, your grinder's dialed in, and you've got someone on the machine who knows what they're doing.. But how clean is your gear? It's the bit that can undo all that other good work, and the customer will notice where it counts - in the cup.

Let's bust some myths, because there are a few floating around that are costing cafés flavour, gear, and sometimes - reputation.

Myth 1: "If I can't see, it's clean"

Nope. The stuff that matters most is happening where you're not looking — inside group heads, portafilters, valves, wands, drip trays, all the bits tucked out of sight. Equipment can look absolutely mint on the outside and still be hiding a build-up party on the inside. Most flavour complaints trace back to a part nobody thought to check.

Myth 2: "A quick rinse sorts it"

Water's fine for shifting loose grounds, but coffee oils laugh in the face of a rinse. They're hydrophobic — meaning they simply don't dissolve in water, no matter how enthusiastically you're rinsing. Skip the proper clean and that oil just keeps stacking up, quietly wrecking your flavour, your flow rate, and your gear's performance.

Rinsing is just a warm-up act.

Myth 3: "It's just beans going through the grinder, a vacuum will sort it"

No chance. Every single grind leaves a bit of stale coffee oil and fines behind in the burrs and chute. That residue doesn't chill there — it goes rancid and hitches a ride into your next shot, dulling the flavour and adding bitter, stale notes, even when the beans going in are fresh off the roast.

A brush won't shift the oil. That's the whole reason Urnex Grindz exists — run it through your grinder like beans and it absorbs the oily buildup and knocks loose stuck grounds, no stripping the grinder down required. Do it regularly and your shots stay consistent, and your burrs last longer too.

Myth 4: "Sanitising is the important bit, cleaning's just a nice-to-have"

Big nope, and an easy mistake to make. Cleaning and sanitising are doing two completely different jobs:

Cleaning removes coffee oils, milk residue, sugars and mineral buildup.
Sanitising knocks back microorganisms — but only on a surface that's already clean.

If there's still oil and gunk sitting there, your sanitiser can't actually get to the surface underneath it. So it's doing a lot less than you think. The order always has to be Clean > Rinse > Sanitise.

Myth 5: "Coffee's the only thing I need to worry about"

Not even close. Your bar is running milk and plant-based alternatives through just as much as coffee, and they leave their own residue behind — protein and fat buildup in wands and jugs. Ignore that side of things and you'll get off-flavours and hygiene headaches just as fast as from a dirty group head.

Myth 6: "I'll just until my scheduled maintenance"

Daily cleaning is actually doing a lot of heavy lifting. A solid cleaning routine protects:

Flavour — no stale carryover, no bitter surprises
Performance — group heads, solenoid valves and grinders keep running the way they should
Equipment lifespan — less wear from buildup and scale
Food safety — a clean surface means your sanitiser can actually work
The customer's experience — they'll never see inside your machine, but they'll absolutely taste what's going on in there

The right product for the right job

Different parts of your setup collect different gunk, so one product isn't going to cut it everywhere. Here's what we reckon covers you:

Urnex Grindz® — a grinder cleaning tablet that clears out stale coffee oils and residue from your burrs and grind chamber. Run it through like beans — no need to pull the grinder apart. Keeps your shots consistent and looks after your burrs.
Urnex Cafiza® — the go-to espresso machine cleaner for backflushing group heads and soaking portafilters and baskets. Handles the built-up oils and fines that water and elbow grease alone won't shift.
Urnex Rinza® — sorts out your milk system, wands and jugs, breaking down the protein and fat residue that causes off-flavours and blocked wands if you let it hang around too long.

Good beans get you most of the way there. Clean gear is what gets you the rest. Want a hand sorting the right Urnex products for your setup? Give us a shout.

Older

Commercial Equipment

Home Equipment

Accessories

Collections

Brands