Great video! Just a few tips: the gasket should be changed every 6 months, or when you see those groves in it, like yours. Also, this machine is build like a tank and every piece can be bought and replaced if needed. Treat it like a car: if it's broken, go fix it, not dump it. The parts are very common and quite cheap. But just like you said in the video: maintenance is key to great coffee made with clean water and a reliable machine
I use baking soda to clean my group head and after a bit of soaking everything comes out clean and shiny. One of the first things I did when I received my GCP was to gt a silicine group gasket. Easier to remove, clean and it lasts much longer.
You're very welcome. We're all in this to make better coffee. I Used to buy the name brand products to keep my machine running clean and smooth. I live in Costa Rica and it's very expensive to source those products. I checked the ingredients in the most popular descaling agenda and found that the main ingredient in most is citric acid with lactic acid also added. So I use citric acid for descaling and sodium bicarbonate for back flushing and group head cleaning.
Really depends on how much you use the machine! In my case, I do so every 3 months, can go up to 6 months if I’m brewing a lot with other methods. If you only brew 1-2 shots everyday, deep cleaning twice a year should be enough. As long as you’re backflushing regularly and keeping it decent on a day-to-day basis!
01:13 what if I cannot remove the thicker shower screen plate even after removing the two screws? My machine is fairly new and this thing is stuck on there. 🤯
🙈 it could be hard to remove the first time. That’s why I stick a flat head screwdriver in one of the holes and pull as it was a lever. You can try the different holes around the edges, but with some leverage it should be easier!