Project Description

Avoid machine down time, and consistently serve up flawless drinks

You’re a busy coffee shop. You’re making hundreds of coffee drinks each day. Business is booming, but then maybe a touch of complacency sets in? Deep down you know you should, but you’re not quite pushing yourself after closing time to clean and care for your espresso machine properly. Big mistake.

Backflushing and portafilter cleaning – the two essential daily cleaning processes for consistent high-quality brewing

By following cleaning guidelines, and maintaining a strict and regular regime, you’ll eliminate the two main threats to your prepared and served coffee quality: a build-up of dirt and clogging up of your machine. To maintain the reliability and functionality of your machine, and extend its life, the two things you absolutely must learn to do are 1: backflush, and 2: develop portafilter cleaning skills.

How to backflush an espresso machine

  • It’s inevitable. Unavoidable. During a shift, your espresso machine’s group’s head is bound to suffer from a build up of residue: oils and surplus coffee grounds
  • As the hours pass, and coffee after coffee is served, this residue can impact negatively upon freshly brewed coffee taste and texture
  • Don’t leave your machine cleaning to the end of the week. Backflush your machine after closing time, or at intervals in between particularly busy periods (you’ll soon learn when these occur each week)
  • When the opportunity presents itself, remove the filter basket from the portafilter, which we all commonly call the whole thing a group handle (put in bold for clarity)
  • Leave both to soak in cool water

Then:

  • Reach for your rubber backflush disc, aka blanking disc
  • Place it inside the filter basket
  • Add espresso cleaner. About a teaspoon amount should suffice
  • Clamp the portafilter into the machine
  • Flush water through the group head, getting rid of any residue build-up

Now:

  • Remove the portafilter (group handle)
  • Empty it
  • Repeat the process, but not using espresso cleaning powder
  • Clean the group seal with an espresso brush, not being tempted to use any other brush type
  • Lock the portafilter back onto the group head
  • Blast some water through it, and your backflushing’s done

Portafilter cleaning

Let’s get your portafilter nice and clean now. This will involve removing grime that has collected over time in your portafilter and filter baskets. That’s not poor working practise; it happens to every barista.

  • Take the filter basket out of your portafilter
  • Without wetting the plastic handles, leave the basket and portafilter to soak overnight in a bowl of hot water, with a small amount of some espresso cleaner mixed in for good measure
  • Upon returning to work the following morning, simply rinse

Preserve your reputation as well as your apparatus

If your hot drinks simply leave a bad taste in the mouth, word will spread amongst your customers. Avoid that. Keep your machine clean and in good condition and it will serve you well. Literally.

Making your cleaning routine thorough and regular will not only help to preserve your machine, but also your hard-won reputation as the place to go for great-tasting espresso, cappuccino, Americano, latte and all the other celebrated coffee classics.