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Backflushing: how and when to backflush

Oct 03, 2026

Backflushing cleans coffee oils and fine particles out of the group head, the shower screen and the three-way valve. It is the single most important maintenance task on an espresso machine with a three-way valve, for example all E61 machines.

Does your machine have a three-way valve? If water comes out into the drip tray through a pipe under the group when you stop brewing, it does. Machines without a three-way valve (many thermoblock machines) should not be backflushed with a blind basket. Follow the manual.

Daily: backflush with water

  1. Swap the filter basket in the portafilter for a 58 mm blind basket.
  2. Lock in the portafilter and start brewing for about 10 seconds. Pressure builds up and the water is pushed back through the group.
  3. Stop. Water and coffee sludge spray out into the drip tray.
  4. Repeat 5 times. Empty the blind basket in between until the water runs clear.

Weekly: backflush with detergent

  1. Put half a teaspoon of Cafetto EVO cleaning powder or one TEVO tablet (Cafetto TEVO cleaning tablets) in the blind basket.
  2. Run 10 seconds on, 10 seconds off, 5 times.
  3. Remove the portafilter and rinse the blind basket.
  4. Then backflush with clean water at least 5 times so that no detergent is left. Pull a shot and pour it away.

At the same time, soak the portafilters and baskets for 10 minutes in 2 teaspoons of detergent dissolved in hot water, then rinse thoroughly. Do not submerge the portafilter handle.

Brush the gasket

After backflushing: brush the group gasket and shower screen with a group head cleaning brush while the group is warm. Coffee stuck to the gasket makes it dry out and leak sooner.

How often?

  • At home, 1–4 cups a day: water every day, detergent every week.
  • Office or café: detergent every day after closing.

Tip for E61 owners: do not backflush with detergent every day at home. The detergent washes the grease off the cam in the group, so the lever becomes stiff. See The E61 group: how it works and how to service it.

Barista & Espresso