Reddit mentions of Urnex Espresso Machine Cleaning Powder - 566 grams - Cafiza Professional Espresso Machine Cleaner

You'd be amazed at how clean you can get that with no effort just by just putting it in the dishwasher. Or a quick soak in some Cafiza which you probably have just lying around. ;)

If you're making coffee at home frequently, I really recommend getting a cleaning product like Cafiza.

Coffee stains the way it does due to a build-up of its oils that aren't so soluble in water. What Cafiza does is react with the oils to turn them into "soap". So it's really the most effective tool for removing coffee stains, and it won't add any residual soap stains or flavor or anything like that.

You just add a very small amount of Cafiza to hot water and place the stained equipment in it. Be sure to rinse very thoroughly after a brief soak. And don't touch the hot Cafiza water. Your equipment will be cleaner than it has been in ages, and a canister should last you a very, very long time.

There's a product called Cafiza that's used to clean out espresso machines. But I occasionally use a spoonful of it on my mug every so often since I don't like all the gunk coating the insides either. All you do is add a spoonful or two of the Cafiza, some water, let it soak for about 20 minutes, and then toss the water and rinse it. All the coffee stains wipe right off and my mug looks like new every time. This stuff was made to take coffee stains out and a little bit goes a long way.

This shit is incredible:

https://www.amazon.com/Urnex-Professional-Espresso-Machine-Cleaning/dp/B001418KNS

Most specialty coffee shops use this stuff Cafiza to clean coffee gear:

https://www.amazon.com/Urnex-Cafiza-Espresso-Machine-Cleaner/dp/B001418KNS

You'd only need a pinch of it or so. Add hot water and let it soak. It should almost definitely get rid of any of the onion oil/smell.

What's your water source? Hard water could lend itself to a salty taste.

Your machine might also need cleaning. Try running some vinegar through a few times then rinse it with water a few times maybe. Cafiza cleaning powder is even better.

Most likely it's the extraction though, like /u/hifideo said. Try adjusting dose, grind, time/water, and tamping pressure. You want it coming out like honey and to stop even after the stream turns blonde.

Fill with hot water and a little bit of Cafiza for 30 ish minutes, then swish a sponge around with the end of a stick or something. Works great at my coffee shop.

http://www.amazon.com/Urnex-02025-Cafiza-20oz-powder/dp/B001418KNS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1342543094&sr=8-2&keywords=espresso+cleaner

I use this to clean my piece. You put a spoonful in a zip lock bag with hot water and the piece you want to clean. Shake the bag around and in a minute or two, the water is completely black and bam, 95% clean. Grab a qtip and wipe away the extra gunk in the bowl and you're good to go.

I have a pretty deep chamber, so I also blow out the remaining gunk out into a tissue. Takes about 45 min (depending on the size of the piece). Looks brand new as the day you bought it afterwards.

This will melt the coffee off

https://www.amazon.com/Urnex-Professional-Espresso-Machine-Cleaning/dp/B001418KNS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1521157376&sr=8-3&keywords=cafiza

This is what most coffee shops actually use to clean their machines

Look into Cafiza. It's meant to dissolve oils left by coffee in espresso machines but I also used it to clean a Swell bottle that I forgot in my garage with milk and after cleaning with it, it doesn't smell like anything or have any taste. I tried bleach previously and boiling water to no avail.

You don't need anything special to descale your kettle, just boil the water, add some vinegar and let it rest for an hour or so.

To clean your Chemex, you could try some backflushing chemicals like http://www.amazon.com/Urnex-02025-Cafiza-20oz-powder/dp/B001418KNS/ref=pd_sim_k_1 I know its more for espresso machines however it does get rid of all the oils on my portafilter so it should work on your Chemex?

I just clean everything with Cafiza. It's $10 for a lifetime supply. The scale can be got rid of with citric acid ( check the hardware store )

Cafiza


Dezcal


Backflush disk if you don't have one


Silvia group head gasket with new better shower screen

Boom, this will last you for ten years, and you have a new machine!

I would use this stuff to descale the machine. It goes into the water tank.

http://www.amazon.com/Durgol-Universal-Express-Multipurpose-Decalcifier/dp/B000NGQR4E?ie=UTF8&keywords=Durgol&qid=1465490177&ref_=sr_1_3&sr=8-3

And use this stuff (NEVER IN THE WATER TANK!!!)

http://www.amazon.com/Urnex-Cafiza-Espresso-Machine-Cleaner/dp/B001418KNS?ie=UTF8&keywords=Cafiza&qid=1465491567&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

with a

Backflush insert like this every other week.

http://www.amazon.com/Espresso-Supply-58-Milimeter-Backflush-Insert/dp/B0016C8ZO4?ie=UTF8&keywords=Blond%20Portafilter&qid=1465491618&ref_=sr_1_sc_1&sr=8-1-spell

Coffee has oils in it, and oils go rancid.

Please, buy some Cafiza and clean out your friend's coffee mug.

I've never used a knockbox, but I agree with the rest. Also:

A small, digital scale in grams. Besides the grind's coarseness, accuracy and consistency are key.

If you're making milk drinks, a pitcher. Milk poured to the crease in the middle is perfect for a (6 oz) capp.

A thermometer for steaming milk, if you don't yet trust your instincts (I don't).

A blind basket for back flushing and cleaning.

Caffiza for occasional deep cleaning.

Nice-to-have: A vacuum sealed coffee canister so that beans stay fresher a bit longer.

Our favorite cups: Cremaware

I use the same stuff on my espresso maker as my glassware; Cafiza. It's very soluble, no residue, and does not affect flavor. I'll wash my glassware once or twice a month outside of very hot water rinses.

Wow, those are some great videos, thanks for sharing! Maybe I'm a noob at Instagram but I scrolled a few pages and I didn't see any of the Gaggia Espresso.

I was reading that you can use this steam wand on the Gaggia Classic, and I'm guessing they have the same steam wand standard? The little plastic piece at the end that I'm missing is about $20 so might as well do this upgrade for $20.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rancilio-Silvia-V1-V2-Steam-Wand-Gaggia-Classic-Steam-Tube-Conversion-Kit-/271383061059

> The Espresso model doesn't have a solenoid

Well that explains my confusion partly and why all the valves look different in my search. I guess it's just the pump then? Where the plastic water tube connects to the reservoir before the part the heats up. The brass part is the part right before the part that heats up.

EDIT: Here's a picture with the part circled - http://i.imgur.com/YSV6QlN.png

> Get yourself a bag of citric acid from Amazon or wherever and look up instructions for descaling using it.

I have a large container of Dezcal that I used to descale it. Any reason to also use citric acid or should that cover it?

> the shower screen holder

I actually got that part off OK and soaked it in Cafiza to clean it up.

> You'll need a 58mm tamper for that one.

That's what I got with my calipers. I have this one in my cart:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018GGYQWM/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2XWFJK5V0K9BH

Thanks for the comment, great to hear from another owner and great to see just how capable the machine is.

Help you learn. You can see exactly what's going on with your shots. Also, it's just cool.

I have this tamp but I'll probably upgrade to a precision. It's a solid cheap option, though:

Tamper - Espresso Tamper - mm... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NJ8MGWZ?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

And then this leveler:

Coffee Tamper Coffee... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M986PM7?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Since I'm in Amazon, you're gonna want to pick up some descaler. There's probably a cheaper option but this is what's recommended by Gaggia:

Gaggia Decalcifier Descaler... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IABPSNY?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Then some cafiza to back flush:

Urnex Espresso Machine Cleaning... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001418KNS?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

If you're buying used, I'd highly recommend pulling the boiler apart to make sure it's not super gross and just soak it in descaler.

For the espresso: Get a tamper

For the cleaning: Get Espresso machine cleaner like [1]

The basket is porbably a backflush insert, so I assume your machine has a three way solenoid valve: Just put a bit of it in the backflush insert and backflush a few times.

[1]http://www.amazon.com/Urnex-Cafiza-Espresso-Machine-Cleaner/dp/B001418KNS/ref=sr_1_sc_1/190-5191694-6192036?ie=UTF8&qid=1410953416&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=puly+caf

The guys from I Brew My Own Coffee use [this] (https://www.amazon.com/Cafiza-Professional-Espresso-Machine-Cleaning/dp/B001418KNS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484838183&sr=8-1&keywords=cafiza) stuff to clean all of their coffee gear( i have not used it yet).

Edit: Updated Link

You could try soaking in this stuff with boiling hot water. It will deodorize plastics, if the stink hasn't soaked in too deeply. But it's basically like using the dishwasher in terms of the chemistry.

I've got one of the old timey cream colored baby gaggias. I use "Full circle" coffee and espresso equipment descaling powder. Make sure you follow the directions.
I also have some Cafiza, but I only use it to soak parts of the machine. If your machine is like mine, you can remove the screen above the portafilter and there's also a few hex bolts to remove and clean the metal plate above the screen.