Hi all,

As I just posted in this old thread I've now completed a serious upgrade. After 10 years with a Starbucks Barista (then Sirena) and a Saeco Titan (or equivalent), I've just refurbed a Mazzer Major and paired it with a Gaggia Classic.

Having taken the grinder entirely apart, I'm fairly certain I understand how to do maintenance on it.

I've been reading a LOT about maintenance on the Espresso Machine, but I wanted to clarify a few things before I put a system in place.

1. I assume I should backflush daily, and for that I'll need one of these. Right?

2. I also assume I should descale and backflush with detergent every 3 or 4 months. Do I use Cafiza for doing both or just for the backflushing? If it doesn't do both, then what should I use to descale the Classic?

Thanks for any help. There are LOTS of of references to cleaning and backflushing, but my questions seemed more basic (that is, folks say, just backflush, but I want to make sure I do it right).

cheers!

Congratulations,

I'm assuming that its a new Coffee Gaggia, otherwise be careful to find out if it has a 3 way solenoid valve. My old one didn't so therefore I couldn't backflush it. You should check out some of the water hardness threads as the descaling regimen you are suggesting is a bit severe. I believe that Crystal Geyser is a popular bottled water for its balance of taste and smaller amounts of minerals. Then, it would depend on how much you are using your machine but I would expect that you could easily go a year between descalings.

It's a Gaggia Classic (sorry, I should have been clearer!), so it definitely has the 3-way valve.

Sounds like descaling that often might not be necessary. I'll be interested to hear more on that.

One question: are you saying to use Crystal Geyser for backflushing and/or descaling, or are you talking about it using it as your ONLY water source for the Gaggia?

My fault, I wrote Coffee Gaggia thinking Classic. My Coffee Gaggia looked exactly like a Classic only white. I was suggesting using only Crystal Geyser (if its available in your area - Trader Joes has it here at decent prices) as your water source. Find out about the water hardness in your area, maybe you're lucky and have softer water or already have a water softening system or use R.O. By the way, Joe Glo backflush detergent has been working for me quite nicely. Also, there have been previous threads about what to use for a descaling solution, Jim at 1st-line where I bought my machine(s) recommends Urnex Dezcal.

Happy espresso making.

fronesis wrote:1. I assume I should backflush daily, and for that I'll need one of these. Right?

2. I also assume I should descale and backflush with detergent every 3 or 4 months. Do I use Cafiza for doing both or just for the backflushing? If it doesn't do both, then what should I use to descale the Classic?

1. You'll need one of those, but I've mentioned before that I found a cover for a Sterno can (the little fuel cans used under chafing dishes) was a pretty good fit for my blank in a jam.

2. Descaling depends a lot on how much scale you introduce to your water. If you live in AZ and use tap water, you may have to descale one a month to keep your machine healthy!
Find out how your water is now, and think about using either a water softener, or store-bought water without minerals as opposed to letting the machine scale up and descaling it as often.
Straight citric acid is a decent descaler, but you do NOT want to use the same detergent that you backflush with in your boiler to descale. Citric acid can be purchased through brewing supply stores and soap making supply stores, and probably other places as well.