Okay, let's talk about cleaning the espresso machine. It's one of those jobs, right? Necessary, but easy to put off.

Time for a Cleanup

So, my machine, bless its heart, started acting up a bit. The shots weren't pulling quite right, maybe a bit slower, tasting a little... off. Not bad, but not that crisp taste I love. Figured it was probably time to do a proper clean, more than just wiping it down. It’s been a while, honestly.

I remembered I had a box of those espresso machine cleaning tablets stashed away. Bought them ages ago. You know the ones, little white tabs specifically for this job.

Getting Started with the Tablets

Right, so I pulled out the manual first – yeah, I actually read it sometimes! Just to double-check the process for my specific model. Seemed straightforward enough. Needed the backflush disk, that solid metal thingy you put in the portafilter instead of the normal basket.

• First, I ran some hot water through the group head, just to warm things up and clear loose grounds.
• Then, I popped the regular filter basket out of the portafilter and put in the blank, solid backflush disk.
• Dropped one of those white cleaning tablets right into the center of the disk. Looked simple enough.

Running the Cleaning Cycle

Locked the portafilter back into the group head, just like making an espresso. Then came the slightly weird part. The instructions basically said to run the pump for like 10 seconds, stop it for 10 seconds, and repeat this maybe 5 times.

Man, the first time I turned the pump on, you could hear it straining a little against the blocked filter. Then when I stopped it, whoosh! A load of murky, brownish water flushed out through the bottom drain pipe (the three-way solenoid valve doing its thing, I guess). Seeing that gunk come out was pretty satisfying, not gonna lie. Kinda gross, but good to know it was getting cleaned.

I repeated that on-off cycle like they said. Each time, a bit more foamy, dirty water came out. After the 5th cycle, I left the portafilter in place for a bit, letting the detergent soak, as the tablet box suggested.

Rinsing it All Out

This part felt important. Didn't want any cleaning stuff in my next coffee! So, I removed the portafilter, rinsed the blank disk and the portafilter really well under the tap. Lots of running water.

Then, I put the portafilter with the clean blank disk back in and ran the pump continuously for maybe 20-30 seconds to flush the system thoroughly. Did the 10-second on/off cycle a few more times with just water, just to be absolutely sure. Water coming out the drain looked clear by the end.

Finally, took the blank disk out, put the regular double-shot basket back in, and pulled a shot with no coffee grounds, just letting hot water run through everything one last time.

The Result?

Wiped everything down. The group head looked shinier inside. Brewed an actual espresso shot afterwards. And yeah, definitely noticed a difference. The flow seemed smoother, more consistent. And the taste? Back to normal. Clean, bright, no weird aftertaste. Much better.

It wasn't a hard job at all, maybe took 15 minutes total, including the rinsing. Just needed to follow the steps. Definitely worth doing regularly. Makes you realize how much gunk builds up in there, even if you can't see it.