Clean shower screen after each espresso extraction? - Page 2

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JohnB.
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#11: Post by JohnB. »

Typically each of my sessions is one extraction. One shot every couple hours till 5:00 - 5:30 PM.
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RapidCoffee
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#12: Post by RapidCoffee »

Bob_McBob wrote:No love for the portafilter wiggle anymore?
Plenty of love here. Flushing the group does a great job of rinsing grinds off the screen, but what about grinds up the side of the group towards the gasket? I do a PF wiggle before the backflush at the end of each session, to rinse away these remaining grinds. (Finger burn is optional. :) )
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spearfish25
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#13: Post by spearfish25 »

I take care of side basket and gasket grinds by folding the corner of a microfiber towel and running it around the basket and gasket after my last shot. So it's flush, wipe screen, run towel around gasket, back flush without detergent, wipe down machine. I typically rinse the PF with the hot water wand which also dilutes the steam boiler water to avoid concentration of minerals.
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LukeFlynn
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#14: Post by LukeFlynn »

I just flush the group after each extraction.. the Breville showerscreen likes to hold onto grounds more than most (due to the concaved conical shaped holes it has).. I usually do a thorough scrub every night.. backflush once a week (sometimes more). I take the shower screen and dispersion block down every 2 weeks and give those a good soak in cafiza. I don't do backflushes without chemicals, I feel like it's a waste of time... maybe not.

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cannonfodder
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#15: Post by cannonfodder »

After each shot I just run water out the group to rinse the screen and rinse my portafilter at the same time. Give them both a quick wipe with the bar towel then put the portafilter back in the group until my next espresso.
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Peppersass
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#16: Post by Peppersass »

I clean the shower screen after each extraction because when I run the group after a shot I can see particles of coffee and dissolved coffee coming off the screen. If that stuff stays on the screen, it'll cook and potentially add a bitter or rancid taste to the coffee.

I start by knocking out the puck and rinsing the PF with tea water. I use a Pallo brush to wipe out any remaining grounds. Then I start the group. After the water runs clear, I brush the screen and gasket with the Pallo brush. Then I do a PF wiggle (yes, some of us still do it!) Then I wipe the screen with a towel. Several years ago there was a thread about doing this. The consensus was that it really does remove coffee oils that would otherwise bake on the screen and add an off-flavor to the coffee. Finally, I pop the ridgeless basket, wipe out the stainless PF with a cloth, wipe the bottom of the basket and wipe the inside of the basket.

OCD? You bet! :D But it only takes about 20 seconds and I feel that small investment of time is entirely worth it.

If I was pulling shots in a busy cafe I'd probably knock out the puck, wipe the basket with a cloth and run the group to get rid of the loose grounds on the screen. That seems to be what the better establishments do. Some don't clean the PF or group at all (yuk.)

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weebit_nutty
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#17: Post by weebit_nutty »

Peppersass wrote: OCD? You bet! :D But it only takes about 20 seconds and I feel that small investment of time is entirely worth it.
Totally OCD and without unscrewing the dispersion screen and cleaning everything behind it, I'd say the residual grounds and oils there (which is probably more than the residual amount you've cleaned on the outside) defeat your purpose. So your idea of clean is an illusion, beyond just a quick flush before the shot.
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Peppersass
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#18: Post by Peppersass replying to weebit_nutty »

Well, the screen is cleaner than it would be without the steps I take. :D

Yeah, it would be better to remove the screen and brush/wipe the dispersion block, but that would be really OCD! Besides, I rarely see much in the way of coffee grounds behind the screen. I'm sure there are oils, though, which is why I remove the shower screen once a week, brush the dispersion block and do a detergent backflush cycle (the GS/3 has an automatic backflush program that flushes the group about 15 times.) I do that with the screen removed, which I soak in espresso detergent.

Some people do a water-only backflush after every shot or at the end of every session. That can be pretty effective. I've avoided that because I read somewhere (I think here) that frequent backflushing with the screen in place will cause the screen to deform prematurely, requiring more frequent replacement. As I think about this, though, I don't see how it can be any worse than any deformation that might occur when a shot is pulled. Besides, I use a Synesso screen in my GS/3. It's much higher quality than the stock screen and I think the one I've got in the machine is at least 5 years old. It has no sign of wear or deformation. Pretty rugged.

So perhaps I should consider a quick manual backflush (just one, not 15) between shots instead of brushing. Just musing here...

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