Grouphead Flush Between Shots
Hi all. This is my first post here, as I just recently discovered this wonderous site. I have been a barista for a few years now, and I've spent a lot of time on my own learning about the trade. My question concerns what my boss is now telling me to do, and he thinks I should not be flushing the groupheads at all between shots, because it "screws up the temperature." Now we have a 3 group Marzocco Linea, which is an obvious beast, so I have a hard time believing that a 1-2oz flush between shots will screw up the temperature. We are pretty high volume, so there are times where we have 2 barista's on a 3 group and 2 group going all out, so I guess it's a lot of flushing, but enough to change the temperature, I don't know.. Plus I feel the flush also rinses out the screen, which is what I am going for. I have fought many a battle about making espresso with my boss, so I am used to this. I was hoping to get some feedback; is it necessary to flush the group between shots with this machine? And will the flush between shots mess up the temperature? Thanks for your help!
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Dustin DeMers on
-
cleanliness is next to godliness, so I say flush the screen. What does your boss say when you show him the dirty screen and tell him your cleaning it by flushing some water threw?
-
Permalink Reply by Graeme Duhamel on
-
flush the screen fuck your boss, he doesn't no anything but pen pushing. i use an LM linea and always flush before extraction but it shouldn't matter what machine as dustin rightly said cleanliness is next to godliness
-
Permalink Reply by Daniel Demers on
-
Haha. Thanks for the support guys. I'll show him the dirty water he is brewing espresso with if I don't flush the screen and see what he says. This is the same guy who tried to tell me not to dry the portafilters before putting grounds in it because we have a Marzocco Swift grinder (which I hate by the way) but to just rinse them because it needs to be wet because of the grinder we have. And this is something he got from someone else, but I showed him how inconsistent the brew times were when you did that and he had to reconsider this point of view (although I don't think he ever said I was right).
-
Permalink Reply by Brady on
-
Flushing is valuable for cleanliness, however there is something to what he's saying. The important part is to understand what the reality is so that you can speak to his concerns.
I do know that flushing several ounces of water will effect your brew temp. Exactly what happens depends on your machine. I'm more familiar with the behavior of heat exchange machine, but there are several here that can speak to the Linea's thermal behavior.
In a nutshell, I'd say that his concern is totally valid, BUT that if you are flushing an ounce or less there is nothing to worry about. An ounce is plenty to clear the nastiness from the previous shot without effecting the brew temp.
-
-
Careful. Don't forget, its your boss's machine, store, and money on the line. There are appropriate ways to disagree with your boss, this is not one of them. Respectfully discussing store practices to get them changed is much better.
Repeatedly ignoring store policies that you don't agree with is a bad idea. I'd fire you.
Graeme Duhamel said:flush the screen fuck your boss, he doesn't no anything but pen pushing. i use an LM linea and always flush before extraction but it shouldn't matter what machine as dustin rightly said cleanliness is next to godliness
-
Permalink Reply by Greg Hill on
-
ive had people concerned with this. the best resolution is to flush the group before you go grind your shot, immediately after you remove the portafilter. the 20 seconds or so it takes you to grind, dose, and tamp is enough for the group to stabilize.
-
-
Flushing (purging) is essential mate, helps to clean the groups before the next shot. Good idea to purge the group, let the water pour into a glass and show the boss the dirty water. That should help to illustrate the point. If anything, purging helps to stabilise the temperature of the group heads.
-
-
Brady - Thanks for the reminder, it's always good to remember that aspect of being an employee. I am hopefully moving beyond this shop as I think I have outgrown it in many ways. Thinking of getting started on opening my own cafe, but that is still in the works. Thanks for the help!
-
Permalink Reply by Bryan Wray on
-
How the group responds is going to depend on a lot of variables. I work on a couple 4 group Lineas and a 3 group every week. Each machine is PID'd. The 4 groups (which are just two 2 groups squished together as far as brewing is concerned) definitely see a substantial heat sink after a 2 ounce flush. The 3 group still sees one, but it's pretty damn small. Depending on how long it's been since the last shot was pulled, the swings are typically .4-.8 degrees. If your machine doesn't have a PID your temperature swings are so crazy that it doesn't matter either way, lol.
Ultimately I look at it like this:
Can I tell the difference between a shot pulled at 199.5 and one pulled at 200? Maybe (but probably not, haha).
Can I tell the difference between a shot pulled on a clean machine and one pulled on a nasty one? Absolutely. Every freaking time. Dirty group=tastes like the ground.
I guess what I would tell your boss is something like:
"I asked a bunch of other baristas online about the flushing of the screen and it looks like we need to be doing it. If we don't it's like we are brewing part of the last shot again, and then it just keeps on repeating and building up until we are pulling tiny amounts of the last 10 or so shots with every fresh one. I'm willing to work on better temperature management, but I don't think it's worth risking it over a half degree or so."
-bry
-
Permalink Reply by Shadow on
-
Running water from the group into a clear glass should definitely help to illustrate the point you're trying to get across. I'd also point out how much buildup can occur from a lack of cleaning by putting your blind basket in, put in a bit of backflush detergent and do a few portafilter wiggles with him standing there. IMO that's a great demonstration to prove how important consistent cleaning/flushing of the entire group can be.
Like others I do recommend doing a short flush before you grind, dose, etc. to give the group that bit of extra time to stabilize.
Barista Exchange Partners
Barista Exchange Friends
Keep Barista Exchange Free
Are you enjoying Barista Exchange? Is it helping you promote your business and helping you network in this great industry? Donate today to keep it free to all members. Supporters can join the "Supporters Group" with a donation. Thanks!
© 2024 Created by Matt Milletto.
Powered by
