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The removable brew unit of a coffee machine resting in a stainless kitchen sink under a gently running faucet in a US home, seen from above, a stainless built-in coffee machine visible in a tall cabinet behind the sink with its front door open and a plain white cup on the counter.

Maintenance and prevention

Cleaning the Brew Unit: A Weekly Rinse for the Removable Kind, Tablets for Every Kind

Cleaning the brew unit keeps coffee oils and packed grounds from stalling it or souring the cup. On models with a removable unit, such as Miele's CVA 6405, it comes out weekly for a rinse under warm water with no soap, plus a tablet degreasing program when prompted. Fixed units, as on JURA's E8, are cleaned only by the tablet program.

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At a
glance.

The brew unit is where ground coffee meets hot water under pressure, and coffee oils and fine grounds stay behind after every cup. How you keep it clean depends on one question first: does your model let the unit come out, or does it stay inside and clean itself with a tablet program?

Read the whole guide

Removable unitRinse by hand weekly, warm water, no soap

Miele says detergents damage the grease on its moving parts.

Degreasing tabletWhen the display asks

Miele prompts after 200 portions; JURA after 180 drinks or 80 rinses.

Program lengthAbout 11 minutes (Miele) to 20 (JURA E8)

Neither should be interrupted once started.

Before touching itMachine off and cooled

The parts around the brew unit get very hot in use.

What builds up in a brew unit

Every shot leaves a thin film of coffee oil on the brew chamber, the piston and the fine screens that hold the grounds back. Some ground coffee escapes the puck and lodges around the edges. Over weeks the oil turns tacky and binds the loose grounds into a crust that slows the piston and blocks the screens.

Heat and moisture make the inside of the machine a friendly place for mold. Miele's instructions warn that coffee residues inside the machine can become moldy and pose a risk to health, which is why the brew unit appears on its weekly cleaning list, not its yearly one.

Signs the brew unit wants cleaning

  • Coffee flows slowly or the cup fills short, with the grind unchanged.
  • The puck comes out wet and sloppy instead of firm.
  • Grounds collect in the bay around the unit or in the drip tray.
  • The coffee tastes bitter or stale even with fresh beans.
  • The unit grinds or clicks as it moves into position.

Source: Miele — Operating and Installation Instructions, CVA 6405 built-in coffee system (en-US) — Coffee residues can go moldy; remove and hand-wash the brew unit weekly under warm water without detergent; removal steps and do not turn the handle while out; wipe filters, dry funnel, vacuum dry grounds; degreasing about 11 minutes, prompted after 200 portions, tablet in the chute; flavored coffee deposits not removed by tablets

Removable or fixed: check your model first

Built-in coffee systems and countertop bean-to-cup machines split into two families. On many, the brew unit is a single assembly you unlatch and slide out through the front door or a side panel. On others, the unit stays inside the housing for its whole life, and the owner cleans it by running a program with a tablet dropped into the ground-coffee chute.

The manual settles which one you have. Miele's CVA 6405 instructions describe removing the unit and washing it by hand once a week. JURA's E8 manual describes no removal step and cleans the unit with its tablet program instead. Never force a panel or a latch the manual does not mention.

Source: Miele — Operating and Installation Instructions, CVA 6405 built-in coffee system (en-US) — Coffee residues can go moldy; remove and hand-wash the brew unit weekly under warm water without detergent; removal steps and do not turn the handle while out; wipe filters, dry funnel, vacuum dry grounds; degreasing about 11 minutes, prompted after 200 portions, tablet in the chute; flavored coffee deposits not removed by tablets; JURA — E8 Instructions for Use (North America) — Cleaning prompted after 180 preparations or 80 switch-on rinses; about 20 minutes; JURA tablet in the ground-coffee funnel; do not interrupt

Close on a removed brew unit of a coffee machine drying on a towel beside the sink.
Close on a removed brew unit of a coffee machine drying on a towel beside the sink.

Rinsing a removable unit

On the Miele CVA 6405, the owner opens the machine door, takes out the water tank, the waste unit and the ground-coffee chute cover, then presses the button on the brew unit handle, turns the handle counterclockwise, presses the catch and draws the unit out carefully. If it resists, the manual says it is not in the correct position, and pulling harder is not the answer.

The unit is cleaned by hand under warm running water only. Miele says not to use dish soap or any other cleaning agent, because the moving parts are greased and detergents would damage them. It also warns not to turn the handle while the unit is out, as that throws it out of alignment and it will not go back in.

The bay around it

With the unit out, the empty bay shows where grounds collect. Miele suggests wiping coffee off the two filters beside the funnel, drying the funnel so fresh grounds do not stick, and using a vacuum cleaner for dry grounds inside the machine. Let the unit air-dry before sliding it back in straight and locking the handle clockwise.

Source: Miele — Operating and Installation Instructions, CVA 6405 built-in coffee system (en-US) — Coffee residues can go moldy; remove and hand-wash the brew unit weekly under warm water without detergent; removal steps and do not turn the handle while out; wipe filters, dry funnel, vacuum dry grounds; degreasing about 11 minutes, prompted after 200 portions, tablet in the chute; flavored coffee deposits not removed by tablets

Tablet degreasing programs

A rinse removes loose grounds, but coffee oil needs a cleaning tablet. Makers ask for their own tablets, formulated for their seals and greases. The display prompts when it is due, and the program can usually be started early from the maintenance menu so it does not interrupt a busy morning.

Miele's degreasing program runs for about 11 minutes and is prompted after 200 portions: the owner drops a tablet into the ground-coffee chute and follows the display. JURA's E8 asks for cleaning after 180 preparations or 80 switch-on rinses; the program takes about 20 minutes, with a tablet placed in the ground-coffee funnel and the drip tray and grounds container emptied before and after.

  • Empty the drip tray and grounds container before starting.
  • Set a container under the coffee spout for the cleaning water.
  • Have the maker's tablet at hand; the program pauses and asks for it.
  • Stay nearby until the display says the program has finished.

What tablets cannot remove

Sugar is the exception. Miele warns that flavored ground coffee leaves a sugary deposit that blocks the brew unit and that its cleaning tablets will not remove it. Oily, dark, glossy beans speed up the oil film as well. Plain roasted beans are the cheapest way to keep the unit moving.

Source: Miele — Operating and Installation Instructions, CVA 6405 built-in coffee system (en-US) — Coffee residues can go moldy; remove and hand-wash the brew unit weekly under warm water without detergent; removal steps and do not turn the handle while out; wipe filters, dry funnel, vacuum dry grounds; degreasing about 11 minutes, prompted after 200 portions, tablet in the chute; flavored coffee deposits not removed by tablets; JURA — E8 Instructions for Use (North America) — Cleaning prompted after 180 preparations or 80 switch-on rinses; about 20 minutes; JURA tablet in the ground-coffee funnel; do not interrupt

The manual espresso equivalent

A portafilter machine has no brew unit in this sense; its equivalent is the group head, the gasket around it and the shower screen above. Coffee oil and fines collect there just the same. Knock out the puck, wipe the gasket and screen with a damp cloth after the last shot of the day, and flush a little water through the group.

Follow your manual for anything beyond that, including whether it approves a backflush or a cleaning powder.

Step
by step.

Five steps, in the order worth doing them.

01

Switch off and let it cool

Turn the machine off and wait until the spouts and the area around the brew unit are cool to the touch.

02

Clear the way

Open the door or side panel and take out the parts the manual lists, such as the tank, grounds container and chute cover.

03

Release and remove

Unlatch the unit exactly as the manual shows and slide it out straight, without turning the handle once it is free.

04

Rinse without soap and dry

Rinse under warm running water, clear the bay of grounds, then let the unit air-dry completely.

05

Refit and run a rinse

Slide the unit in straight, lock it, close the door and run a rinse before the next cup.

A family sharing morning coffee at a built-in coffee machine in a bright kitchen.
For the heart of your home.

Questions
owners ask.

How often should I rinse a removable brew unit?
Once a week is the interval Miele gives for its CVA 6405, and more often if you brew a lot or see grounds collecting in the bay.
Can I wash the brew unit with dish soap?
Not on a Miele: its manual says to rinse the unit under warm running water only and lists it among parts cleaned by hand, because detergent damages the grease on its moving parts.
Is cleaning the brew unit enough without the tablet program?
No. Water rinses away grounds but leaves coffee oil. The degreasing tablet program removes the oil film and should run whenever the display asks.
Why will my brew unit not go back in?
One common cause is a handle turned while the unit was out, which Miele says puts it out of alignment. Check the manual's reset step; if it still will not seat, book a visit.

The problems
behind it.

Each has a page of its own: what it usually means and the causes in the order worth checking.

All 17 problems
The side service door of a stainless built-in coffee machine standing open in a tall kitchen cabinet, the gray plastic brew unit visible inside set back in its bay, a white cup under the spouts of the coffee machine and a few coffee beans on the shelf. Problem

Coffee Machine Brew Unit Stuck or Will Not Come Out

6 causes, cheapest first

 A white cup of pale, thin coffee with almost no crema sitting under the spouts of a brushed stainless countertop coffee machine, a small pile of coffee beans and an open bean hopper lid on the coffee machine. Problem

Coffee Machine Making Weak or Watery Coffee

6 causes, cheapest first

 The grounds container of a stainless countertop coffee machine pulled halfway out and packed with dark used coffee pucks, the drip tray below it, a white cup under the spouts of the coffee machine and a handful of fresh coffee beans on the stone counter. Problem

Coffee Machine Empty Grounds Message Will Not Clear

6 causes, cheapest first

When it needs
a technician.

The repairs on the right are where this guide ends when the checks do not settle it.

Coffee machine brew unit repair

Resealing, lubricating or replacing the brew unit that tamps the grounds and presses water through them, removable or fixed.

Coffee machine seal and leak repair

Finding where water or steam escapes inside a coffee machine and renewing the O-rings, gaskets and hose clips that should hold it.

Coffee machine diagnostic visit

A visit that brews and froths with you watching, reads the machine's own counters, then tests grinder, brew unit, pump and heater until one part is named.

More in
maintenance and prevention.

The small routines that keep a coffee machine off our schedule, from descaling on time and changing the water filter to rinsing the brew unit, cleaning the milk system every day and emptying the grounds before they mold.

The whole section
Habits that keep it pouring for years

Descaling a Coffee Machine by Its Maker's Program, Tablets and Timing

How the machine decides a descale is due, what the Miele and JURA programs ask for, why vinegar and a stopped cycle do harm, and when a filter changes the schedule.

 Habits that keep it pouring for years

Caring for the Milk System: Rinse After Each Cup, Brush Daily, Clean Weekly

The rinse after every milk drink, the flask, lid and valve by hand, the maker's cleaning program, the milk that belongs in it and keeping it cold between cups.

 Guides

All 18 guides

Six sections, by what you are trying to find out.

Back to your everyday

Read it and still not sure?

Book with what you checked and the model number, and the technician starts where the guide stopped.

Schedule a repair Call (844) 551-4777
(844) 551-4777 Schedule a repair