The S1 Cafe - Helping Your Espresso Dreams Become Reality

I'm new to the Vivaldi world, and appreciate all the information you vets have posted. I've been trying to follow the advice offered in various places on the site when it comes to backflushing and routine maintenance, but have noticed that coffee grounds are getting trapped behind the grouphead screens no matter what I do and after pullinig only three or four. They are collecting around the side of the grouphead's removable brass disk, where they can be removed with a wire brush but only if I take off the screens and disk -- maintenance that most on these boards say is not something that's needed every day. I think this is effecting the taste, since if I go for several days without cleaning the grounds off the disk, the coffee gets noticeably more bitter.

I have a Vivaldi II. Any suggestions?

Are you doing the "wiggle?"

Getting in there with a towel or paper towel after each series of shots gets a lot of these buggers, but I still have a ring of CoffeeCrud around the disk when I pull the screens & disk as well.

I just bought a CoffeeTool from Chris...should be arriving this week...which I hope helps a bit. I wish the Cafelat group brush was available in the Vivaldi's grouphead size.

http://www.chriscoffee.com/products/hom ... coffeetool
http://www.chriscoffee.com/products/hom ... aningbrush

I don't use the wire brush on the Vivaldi, by the way. Seems too harsh & I'm afraid of scoring the head gasket.

Sounds like we have the same problem. I will definitely try to brush more often using a stiff nylon brush and see if that helps.

Gee...now I feel like a prophy tech.

Have you tried doing a couple plain water backflushes after a session to see if this would clean off the sides of the disk? The two screen set up is designed to trap grounds between them so there is no getting around dropping them every 3-4 days for a cleaning.

BobUSN wrote:Are you doing the "wiggle?"

I wish the Cafelat group brush was available in the Vivaldi's grouphead size.

Bob, I bought one of these for the GS/3 recently and I have no doubt you could make it work with the 53mm group head. The two semi-circular brushes are created just with two turns of wire with a 90degree bend about an inch from each end. The ends are then inserted into holes in the handle. These arrangement has a reasonable amount of give so that the brushes will flex into the head and then snap up into the groove where the PF locks in. There may be enough give right there to accommodate the 53mm group. If not all you'd need is to change where the 90 degree bend is on each end of the brush. I'm certain that anyone who knows their way around a pair of pliers could made it work.

chas wrote:

BobUSN wrote:Are you doing the "wiggle?"

I wish the Cafelat group brush was available in the Vivaldi's grouphead size.

I'm certain that anyone who knows their way around a pair of pliers could made it work.

Thanks, Chas! I was hoping someone had it & would chime in. I'll grab one in my next order from Chris.