OOF, let’s see if this comes off
Its that… part of the Boiler?!
I am not going to judge too harshly… because my rancilio boiler was a mess too!
I learned…
That’s the back of the piece that holds the shower plate in place (back side of the piece I had pictured).
Really considering replacing that with a SS or Brass holder, they sell a kit on Amazon which also comes with the IMS shower screen and a silicone gasket. $44 for the Brass version, $48 for SS. Which is “better”
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To be fair, people generally don’t clean the inside of their grinders unless they are more on the coffee enthusiast end of things…
Older grinders frequently had smoked (like yours) or even straight up amber colored translucent hoppers to hide the discoloration and grime a bit - especially a problem when running more fully roasted/oily beans.
I’d recommend not using those old beans you got for anything. They may be a tiny bit useful for dialing in a grinder but they will leave nasty rancid residues and holdback in whatever grinder you use them in.
As an aside, do you have a local coffee shop or two that makes espresso that you find really really good? All too often I’ve seen people buy a machine and what not, without having a solid reference point in terms of taste/shot. Doesn’t need to be “godshot” level, but I know plenty of folks IRL who get a machine/grinder and have a go at things, without actually having a reference point or experience with espresso they truly enjoy.
PS - I’m all for a fixer upper, but that machine seems like a money/time pit (cleaning, descaling, gaskets, who knows what other parts/mods you will want to do). I wish you good luck.
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Thanks. It’s not too bad all the visually crazy stuff came off fairly well and I’d probably end up modding anyway. Even if I only get $50 for the grinder and base I’ll end up owning the Classic for $250 which isn’t bad at all.
Still needs more cleaning but I don’t mind that stuff. Descaling seems more time than labor intensive. I did a random 14g shot with some Aldi coffee and using my Encore on setting #7 and it was pretty good!
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not a bad idea… hadn’t though about it…
although…
A note on cleaning with rice:** Some folks recommend using rice as a grinder cleaner in place of a grinder cleaner like Grindz. We admit, we’ve tried it ourselves as well and found rice to be fairly effective. However, there are a few potential problems with using rice. The first is hardness. Rice can be quite a bit harder than your average coffee bean, which can stress the motor and burrs more than the beans they were designed for. Starch is also an issue. The powdery loose starch on uncooked grains of rice can gum up your grinder parts over time. Quick-cook dry rice, being less dense and relatively starch-free, avoids both problems, but may still be inadvisable as it is not covered by most manufacturer warranties. Baratza, for example, has noted that they don’t cover damage caused by the use of rice and only recommend using Full Circle or Grindz pellets. If you do decide to use rice, we suggest using the quick-cook variety (and doing so at your own risk), but we’d recommend just going in with a brush if you’d rather not buy grinder cleaner.
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When I descale would it be a decent idea to run the machine with the screen off? I’m not sure if there’s internal buildup in the pipes or boiler that may want to make it’s way out
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I never take it off…
You can use the backflush detergent to clean the screen shower…
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Yes, no harm and only benefit to taking the screen out for that (unless one crossthreads the screen screw or something like that). Depending on what gunk/scale is inside the boiler/tubes, I have seen gritty sediment come out.
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The main issue with rice for cleaning IMO is that it doesnt really seem to draw out or abrade away the residual coffee ground gunk from crevices etc. All grinders are diff in terms of the burr chamber, passages etc but old coffee seems to compact and solidify in corners etc, and the rice grounds just pass over them.
Fair point, and I definitely have seen the rice grounds turn tan/have flecks, so it is drawing something out… But for a full clean it really doesnt compare to taking the grinder apart and giving it a manual cleaning.
The stuff that is stuck and built up, perhaps it will remain there (and some seem to think it is good, as it seals up and prevents further retention), but either way, I want it out.
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I got out of spending much time thinking about coffee gear about the time when the LWW and Kafatek super grinders came out - it’s amazing how quickly the tech/knowledge has progressed.
That’s part of the reason I like my encore so much: easy to take apart and clean, I literally just vacuum it out and use a toothpick to break up whatever fines are stuck in the corners of the chute. It’s not perfect, but takes 60 seconds
Cleaning stuff is kind of methodical and I quite enjoy it overall, my bikes are “you can lick me” clean even the MTB after every ride, my concern with buildup inside was where can it get flushed out to, and that’s why I think I’ll run it with the screen and maybe the holder off. I googled some pretty nasty photos of Gaggia aluminum boilers and as bad as some look, the general consensus was that they were still very serviceable
Yup just put a mug under it and clean/flush it until you’re confident it is descaled, and the water looks/tastes clean.
It has been my understanding that aluminum boilers a a pin in the ass…
I think you need to research what product to use. Gaggia sells some products for descaling… I would look into those.
In any case…process should be similar…
add water and solution to the reservoir.
Run for a min or so to basically exchange all the water from the boiler for descaling mix.
Turn off the machine.
Give a solid 15 minutes.
repeat.
Do this till you run out of solution.
Since you have no clue how bad it is (or do you?) You may want to run it more than once.
once all is done, run 2 full water reservoirs through the system and you are done…
its more time consuming than anything else…
I may just disassemble the boiler and clean manually. Good way to learn my way around too
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Thats probably smart…
but you still want to keep it clean… every few months wouldn’t be a bad idea
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I’m pretty awful at frothing milk and my pitcher has a wide spout so it’s like trying to do latte art out of a bucket, but it’s tasty, even the wife likes it and asked me to learn to make “fun drinks” so she’s a quick convert
MDF still for sale, went with an M47 Phoenix hand grinder for espresso duty. Have that and a VST basket coming this week, and expecting a bottomless PF and some other stuff any day now
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