Coffee Appreciation

http://www.londoncoffeefestival.com/

I use a backflush "basket".

Swapping them out takes 5 seconds and also encourages you to clean your portafilter

Happy Donkey have lots of models..
http://www.happydonkey.co.uk/hd0184-gaggia-backflushing-basket.html

So, if you were backflushing a Gaggia Classic, how much tartaric acid would you drop into the portafilter?

what is back flush? i have been using mineral water to avoid scaling. I don't know if this is the right thing to do though!

Note that you should only be backflushing if your machine permits you to do so. That usually means the machine has a 3-way solenoid to allow liquid to return back through the grouphead (and eventually out the exit pipe into the drip tray).

You obviously won't need to do it as often if you have soft water, but it'll still get clocked with coffee grounds and oil.

Regarding how much acid to place in the basket, I do it by guesswork. Half a teaspoon of powder is probably around what I use. I usually heat the portafilter with a blind basket, pump some water into it, then mix the solution before backflushing.

Depending on yourmachine, if you want a higher pressure backflush, you can pre-heat the boiler to boiling, often by using the steam switch first (remember to disengage steam switch before backflushing).

I may use some washing-up liquid next time I backflush as I'm not convinced about the degreasing properties of acid alone. The acid is primarily there to dissolve the chalk in your machine.

Just bought some bits online for my first backflush/descale session...

Boooooooooring!!!

Picked up some Mocha Parfait beans yesterday from Algerian Coffee shop on OId Compton St (great place BTW).

In the Aeropress they come out pretty bright, in fact a bit acidy compared to the Columbian beans I was drinking last week, not as enjoyable to my tastebuds. Still, I'm halfway down the second cup today and they're growing on me.

http://londoncoffeejobs.co.uk/?p=16036

A Prufrocker can:
like customers and smile at them
manually dose within +-.2g
yield within +-1g
steam milk within +-.2deg
limit milk surplus to 5ml
hold a cup by the handle
arrive at work -5min
clean toilets

thanks for the advice about back flush.
Is it ok to put only mineral water in the machine?

I read (here p'raps even) mineral water was bad. Scale deposits come from minerals e.g. Calcium etc.

You want de-mineralised water e.g. Britta filtered

Hold it.

Backflushing is done with detergent, e.g Pulycaff or JoeGlo and should ideally be done after every session on machines equipped with a 3-way solenoid (machines which don't spray you with wet grounds if you remove the portafilter immediately after a shot) otherwise you get mucky taints in your coffee and the solenoid and pipework get blocked.

Descaling is done with acid and needs doing every 3-6 months to remove calcium which will eventually destroy your machine.

Do not backflush with acid.
Do not descale with detergent.

Claro?

There's no way I'm backflushing after every session. Even doing it weekly, the detergent water was coming out barely tainted after 2 flushes. And at 2 weeks, it's not like I'm getting spoiled shots. (Silvia, BTW)

Maybe if I was using more oily beans it would be worse?

Make a stovetop and leave it on the side in the kitchen for a week. That's the same shit breeding in the exhaust of your machine when you don't backflush it.

It's nice to know that any parts of the machine which have been in contact with coffee are totally clean when you walk up to make a shot. OK, it's on the exhaust side and shouldn't end up in your drink but knowing that there's perishable coffee muck sitting in those pipes at a nice cosy bacteria friendly temperature during warm-up and cool-down feels at odds to all the care you take at every other stage of preparation.

tl;dr It takes 1 minute and it's a bit skanky if you don't.

Oh shit, do you not need any descaling action on the backflush then? I assumed that those bits could get chalked up too.

Ok, cheers BC.

Make a stovetop and leave it on the side in the kitchen for a week. That's the same shit breeding in the exhaust of your machine when you don't backflush it.

It's nice to know that any parts of the machine which have been in contact with coffee are totally clean when you walk up to make a shot. OK, it's on the exhaust side and shouldn't end up in your drink but knowing that there's perishable coffee muck sitting in those pipes at a nice cosy bacteria friendly temperature during warm-up and cool-down feels at odds to all the care you take at every other stage of preparation.

tl;dr It takes 1 minute and it's a bit skanky if you don't.

But I run the brew switch through the portafilter and grouphead (also semi-fitted and wiggling to get some water around the gasket) after each session.

If, after making the hypothetical stovetop, I ran ~boiling water through the emptied basket, spout, and reservoir, build up of bacteria would be negligible, and build up of unwanted oily patina would be retarded (no, not 'retarded' in that sense).

250g of house blend purchased today from Tom Tom in Belgravia. Seemingly expensive at £6.80. They recommend drinking with a Partagas cigar! Contains Sumatra Takengon, Brazil Fazenda Iraema and semi washed Costa Rican (whatever semi-washed means). Won some award. Looking forward to a shot this evening.

Cleaning bits and pieces arrived from Happy Donkey half an hour ago (thanks for the tip, hippo)... Just cleaned shower screen, currently descaling and will be backflushing shortly thereafter...

FFS, mine were ordered last wednesday and I've still not received them.

#picksupphone.

You live on an island in the Irish Sea, Andy... Give it time...

But our boat is working.

Oops. Should have read the terms and conditions.

*Please note that as from today 26/01/2010 we now ONLY ship to the UK Mainland.

We no longer ship to southern or northern Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey,Isle of man, Scottish Highlands and Islands or anywhere outside of mainland UK.

This is due to the fact that shipping to these destinations has proved difficult and time consuming.

Please note that there are NO EXCEPTIONS to the rule, please do not E-mail us asking us about this as these mails will not be replied to.*

Still took my money though.

So, where else can I get a naked portafilter and a blind basket for my classic.

Some where that will actually post to the Isle of Man.

That was easy enough...

Some where that will actually post to the Isle of Man.

I'm sure one of us would if you asked us nicely. Or you could set up a business and corner the market on nice coffee accessories on your island.

Your call.