Guide · Cleaning and maintenance
How to backflush an espresso machine
Backflushing with water and with detergent, step by step, how often machine makers say to do it, and how to check that your machine is built for it first.
Short answer
To backflush, you brew into a blind basket with no holes, so water, and sometimes an espresso detergent, is forced back through the group and out to the drip tray. Do it only if your machine's manual describes it. Breville recommends a clear-water backflush after each session on the Barista Express; Profitec and ECM say to use detergent about every 90 to 140 cups and warn against doing it more often.[1][2][3]
What backflushing does
During a shot, coffee residue and oils build up in and around the group head. A backflush pushes water into a blocked basket. On machines built for it, that water has nowhere to go but back through the group's release path, rinsing out residue as it goes.
Water alone rinses loose grounds and oils. A detergent made for espresso machines goes further: Urnex says its Cafiza powder removes coffee residue and oils from group heads, valves and lines.[4]
First, check that your machine is built for it
Your manual is the authority. These are the machines whose makers we found describing a backflush or a blind-basket cleaning routine:
| Machine | What the maker says |
|---|---|
| Breville Barista Express | A clear-water backflush after each brewing session, and a back-flushing cleaning cycle with the 1 CUP basket, the supplied cleaning disc and one cleaning tablet when the CLEAN ME light shows[1][5] |
| Profitec PRO 400 and JUMP | Clean the brew group with the supplied blind filter and group cleaner after about 90 to 140 cups[2] |
| ECM Classika PID | The same interval, with half a spoon of detergent in the blind filter[3] |
Several makers ship a blind basket in the box: Profitec with the GO 2.0, ECM with the Classika PID, and Lelit with the Mara X, Victoria and Bianca.[6][7][8][9][10] That is a good sign the maker expects you to use one, but read the manual for its exact steps.
If your manual does not mention backflushing, do not do it. That is our caution, not a rule from any one maker: a machine without a path for the backflushed water has nowhere to send it.
A clear-water backflush
Manuals differ, so use yours where it gives steps. A typical water-only routine looks like this:
- Heat the machine to brewing temperature.
- Swap the normal basket for the blind basket, or fit the cleaning disc your machine came with.
- Lock in the portafilter and run the pump for a few seconds, then stop. On a machine built for backflushing, water rushes out to the drip tray when you stop.
- Repeat a few times, then remove the portafilter.
- Rinse the basket and portafilter, and run a little water through the group with the portafilter out.
- Brush around the gasket and shower screen to clear grounds stuck there.
A detergent backflush with Cafiza
Urnex publishes this procedure for Cafiza powder:[4]
- Put up to 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) of Cafiza in the blind filter.
- Brew for 10 seconds, then stop for 10 seconds. Do this five times.
- Remove the portafilter and rinse it.
- Repeat the 10-second on, 10-second off cycle five times without powder.
- Pull an espresso to remove any traces of cleaner, and throw it away.
Machine manuals may adjust this. Profitec says to use cleaner according to the package instructions and to repeat the cycle up to 10 times, while ECM specifies half a spoon of detergent.[2][3] Where the manual and the detergent label differ, follow the manual for your machine.
How often
| Machine | Clear water | With detergent |
|---|---|---|
| Breville Barista Express | After each brewing session[1] | Cleaning cycle with a tablet when the CLEAN ME light shows[5] |
| Profitec PRO 400 and JUMP | Occasional rinses without cleaner[2] | About every 90 to 140 cups[2] |
| ECM Classika PID | Occasional rinses without cleaner[3] | About every 90 to 140 cups[3] |
| Other machines | As your manual says | As your manual says |
More is not better. Profitec and ECM both warn that cleaning too often with detergent degreases the moving parts of the group, which can lead to squeaking and faster wear.[2][3]
Cleaning the parts you take off
Baskets and the metal head of the portafilter can be soaked. Urnex's instructions are 6 g of Cafiza per liter of hot water for 30 minutes, then a rinse, and it says not to submerge the handle when you soak a portafilter.[4] A puck screen can be rinsed after each session so oils do not dry into its holes.
Backflushing is not descaling
A backflush cleans coffee residue from the group. It does nothing about mineral scale inside the boiler and pipes. Breville's Barista Express guide says plainly that its back-flushing cleaning cycle is separate from descaling.[5] Our Cafiza vs descaler guide explains the difference.
Next
Questions
Can every espresso machine be backflushed?
No. Only backflush if your manual describes it. Breville, Profitec and ECM document it for the machines we checked; a blind basket in the box is a good sign, but the manual is the authority.[5][2][3]
How often should I backflush with detergent?
Follow your manual. Profitec's PRO 400 & JUMP manual and ECM's Classika PID manual both say about every 90 to 140 cups, and both warn that cleaning with detergent too often degreases moving parts.[2][3]
How much Cafiza do I use for a backflush?
Urnex says up to 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) in a blind filter for a backflush, and 6 g per liter of hot water when soaking parts.[4]
Is backflushing the same as descaling?
No. Backflushing clears coffee residue and oils from the group; descaling removes mineral scale from inside the machine. Breville's Barista Express guide says its back-flushing cleaning cycle is separate from descaling; see Cafiza vs descaler.[5]
Do I need to throw away a shot after cleaning?
Urnex's Cafiza instructions end with pulling an espresso to remove traces of cleaner and discarding it, so yes, after a detergent backflush.[4]