Backflushing

Backflushing sends water and detergent backwards through your grouphead, cleaning out coffee oil buildup. It's easy to do once you get the hang of it. To keep your espresso tasting as clean and delicious as possible, we recommend backflushing your machine after every 20-40 shots or so. For most people this is once a month.

Here are the steps for backflushing your machine:

1. Place blind filter basket in your portafilter holder.
2. Place detergent in blind filter (we use 1/4 teaspoon powder or one tablet of Cafiza).
3. Place the portafilter securely into the group.
4. Move brew lever up or push brew button for about 10 seconds.
5. Move brew lever down to depressurize the group. Detergent will vent into the drip tray.
6. Wait 10 seconds, then repeat steps 4 & 5. Repeat cycle (10 seconds on, 10 seconds off) 5 times.
7. Remove the portafilter, rinse off any remaining detergent, then repeat this entire process without detergent.
8. Replace the blind basket with the regular basket, then make a shot of espresso and discard to season the grouphead.
9. Remove the portafilter, move the brew lever up or push brew button and scrub the grouphead screen with a wet towel or grouphead brush.
10. Backflush your machine after 35-50 shots to keep it nice and clean.

NOTE: Be sure your machine has a 3-way solenoid valve before attempting to backflush. All of the machines we sell at Clive Coffee can be backflushed, but if you own a different machine you should check your user's manual before attempting to backflush.