Maintaining an espresso machine not only provides flavorful espresso but also extends the life of your machine. One of the most commonly adopted ways of cleaning the screen and group head is to backflush the machine with a small amount of detergent. All you need is a blind filter or backflush insert for the portafilter. Universal rubber blind filter(Sample picture - only the rubber is supplied) Joe Glo Backflush Detergent is recommended for backflush cleaning. Instructions as printed on every container of Joe Glo Espresso Machine Cleaner:1. Twice a day, pour a 1/2 tsp of JoeGlo Espresso Machine Cleaning detergent onto a "blind" disc insert (backflush disc) in your portafilter. 2. With the portafilter attached, backflush your machine by running the group five times in 15 second start/stop intervals. 3. Remove portafilter, discard the leftover bits and run the group to rinse away the crud. 4. Use a quality group head brush like the Pallo Coffeetool to get rid of any residual oils or loose grinds. 5. Reattach portafilter and backflush five more times in 5 second start/stop intervals, this time without detergent. 6. Once again, remove portafilter and run the group to rinse clean. 7. Replace the 'blind' insert with a normal filter insert then pull and discard a couple of shots to "re-season" your machine.
