CelliniEVO wrote:Its gonna be a long while before I do another chemical backflush....

No no no no...
Seriously.

Sigh.

malachi wrote:No no no no...
Seriously.

I'm with this guy when it comes to keeping things clean.
Coffee oils do build up and will affect the taste of the shots.

On my (new) E61 Legend I water backflush daily, pull the screen and mushroom head screw twice a week, and chemical blackflush every other weekend (or more, if I detect any odor or taste in the water). When I first got the machine I was detergent flushing every weekend, but after frequent inspections and tasting the water it seems that I'm not getting off tastes or buildup so I do it less now (YMMV of course)

Last weekend I went ahead and did a lube job on my E61 lever and pins just to see how difficult it would be (the action was still smooth and easy after my first few chemical backflushes, I just wanted to try the procedure). Learning how with a new machine always takes extra time, but I feel confident that now, with a cooled machine it will take maybe 15 minutes to disassemble, lube, and reassemble.

It seems a very small price to pay to keep my shots free from built-up coffee oil nastiness.
To me, it's totally worth it. Of course YMMV as they say.