Descaling

Snake
The 5 headed snake god Nagra had a little roadside temple, as we were leaving the India coffee research station India

The process of removing harmful scale buildup from a boiler. Descaling is usually accomplished by adding a commercial descaling product or citric acid to water and running this solution through a machine.

Espresso machines and brewers should be descaled regularly (with the frequency depending on the hardness of water used) to maintain optimal functionality.

It is also the process by which you remove scales from a fish with a knife. 😉

Search Our Coffee Glossary