Gaggia Classico Problem - Espresso Sprays from Portafilter

ysaletore

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Jul 25, 2010
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Hi,

So I recently purchased the Gaggia Classico Espresso machine about a month or so ago. It has worked beautifully for me until the past week. I might have left the portafilter attached to the device overnight with coffee in it, so not sure if this had something to do with it. My problem is that now, whenever I pull a shot, it sprays coffee from the portafilter spouts. It's not coming from the sides, so I'm sure it's not a leak in the gasket seal. I at first thought it was because I switched to a different coffee (Lavazza Qualita Oro), which was not as finely ground. I tried using a Starbucks blend that was ground to their finest setting and I still had the problem. It just sprays coffee sidesways from the spouts instead of dripping down nicely, the shot pulls too fast, and the spray appears to be all crema.

I recently though to add the Gaggia Perfect Crema device. This did solve the spray problem, but the shots are still being pulled too fast. The coffee is as finely ground as I could have it made, I tried to use a fork to distribute the grinds in case I needed something like WDT, and I also tried to tamp the coffee down harder, but to no avail. The perfect crema device fixes the spray problem, but it's only a workaround, and I'd still like to know if anyone has a solution or idea as to what's actually happening.

Thanks,

Yogesh Saletore
 
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That's a good point, I did try to clean it, but how do you thoroughly clean the basket? It was spraying water when there was no coffee in there. I tried soaking it in water too, but that didn't seem to help.
 
Use a backflush detergent such as JoeGlo, Cafiza, etc. These cleaning agents are very useful for soaking baskets, portafilters and other parts of your machine. If these are not readily available to you something like OxyClean can also be used. Just rinse well and soak just long enough to do the job.

Also remove the shower screen and dispersion disc to soak as well. This is a great time to scrub the group gasket. Later!
 
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