Coffee remnants from brewing head

by **matt1203** on Tue Aug 30, 2011 9:41 pm

I was doing back flush and cleaning of the machine, found there is always few coffee ground left when you pull flushing shot to check the water purity.

is this norm?

Thanks in advance

by **allon** on Tue Aug 30, 2011 9:56 pm

Do you do a portafilter wiggle (using the blank basket, insert the portafilter loosely, run the pump, and wiggle the portafilter to get water to flow over all sides, allowing water to carry grinds away and rinsing off the gasket) ? Do you use a brush? Ever remove the group screen and clean it?

If you only backflush, you're not giving grinds a good way to escape - any that make it past the shower screen, are only gonna gook up your three way valve.

I usually blast off the shower screen into the drip tray after a shot, and do a portafilter wiggle and water-only backflush if the machine is going to be idle for any length of time.

[edit - it is norm, if you don't clean. It is not desirable...clean well and it won't be the norm]

by **matt1203** on Tue Aug 30, 2011 9:59 pm

Thanks for the advise, will try it

by **cannonfodder** on Tue Aug 30, 2011 11:05 pm

I just flush some water through the group after the shot then wipe the screen with my bar towel. That takes care of the issue.

by **allon** on Wed Aug 31, 2011 7:19 am

Another thought -

If you have so much coffee "up there", maybe you're overdosing and smashing coffee into the shower head?
Do your pucks look like an impression of your shower screen?

by **mitch236** on Wed Aug 31, 2011 8:51 am

allon wrote:Another thought -

If you have so much coffee "up there", maybe you're overdosing and smashing coffee into the shower head?
Do your pucks look like an impression of your shower screen?

Having the puck smash into the screen after the brew button is turned off is a normal (or at least a regular) occurrence on my machine with its 3-way valve. No overdosing going on here.

My routine is to rinse the showerhead while gently brushing, then wipe with my bar towel. At the end of the day's session, I will add backflushing. I haven't had to wiggle my pf in months. The only time I need the wiggle is if a puck sticks to the screen and then makes a mess as it falls off, but that almost never happens. Before I remove the pf, I kick on the pump for a second or two to dislodge the puck.

by **allon** on Wed Aug 31, 2011 9:04 am

Fair enough, when updosing. But if you're using the showescreen like a cheesegrater when you lock the PF, it might be time to consider reducing the load....


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