Last updated: October 2, 2026
Quick answer: Our top pick in 2026 is the Cafiza Powder (E31) — our #1 rated choice. See the full ranked comparison, alternatives and buying advice below.
What Cafiza Is and Isn’t
Cafiza is Urnex’s espresso machine detergent. It’s not a descaler and it’s not a sanitizer in the way most people mean it. It is a concentrated powder (also sold as tablets) designed to break down dried coffee oils and fine particles that stick to metal, gaskets, and screens. Those oils go rancid. When they build up you get bitter, ashy flavors, slow shots, and a shower screen that looks clean on the outside but is clogged around the edges.
If you own a home machine with a three-way solenoid valve — that is, most semi-automatic machines like the Breville/Sage Bambino and Barista series, Gaggia Classic, Rancilio Silvia, Lelit, ECM, Profitec — you need something like Cafiza. If your machine uses a pressurized system without a solenoid or you only brew with a moka pot or drip, you don’t backflush. You still might use Cafiza to soak the portafilter and basket, but the process is different.
Cafiza E31 is the version most home users buy. It’s the same chemistry as Cafiza 2 tablets, just in powder form so you can dose it yourself. Both work. Powder is cheaper per cleaning and lets you measure a smaller dose for a home machine; tablets are pre-measured and less messy but you pay more for convenience.
What You Need Before You Start
See also: Breville Bench Saver • Rocket Espresso Coffee Machine
You don’t need much, but skipping the right basket makes a mess. For a backflush you need a blind basket — a filter basket with no holes — that fits your portafilter. Most 58mm machines come with one. Breville 54mm machines include a rubber cleaning disc that sits inside the single-wall basket and does the same job. Check your box before you order anything.
Have hot water, a small bowl or jug for soaking, a group brush, and a microfiber cloth. If you want to keep this simple, a blind filter cleaning basket and a Cafiza espresso cleaner are the only two consumables you actually use up. Cafiza powder lasts a very long time at home doses — a 20oz jar will do 60+ cleanings.
One warning that matters: Cafiza is alkaline and will discolor and pit aluminum. If your portafilter or basket is aluminum (rare on modern 58mm machines, but common on some cheaper 51mm and pressurized portafilters), do not soak it in Cafiza. Use it only for backflushing through stainless steel parts, and wash aluminum parts with hot water and mild dish soap instead.
How to Backflush With Cafiza (For Machines With a Solenoid)
This is for machines that can backflush. If your manual says “do not backflush” or you have a Breville Bambino base model without a three-way valve, Nespresso, or a lever without a solenoid, skip to the soaking method below.
Start with the machine fully heated. Remove the portafilter, brush the group gasket and shower screen to knock off loose grounds. Rinse the portafilter and insert the blind basket. Add Cafiza — and this is where home users overdose. You need about 1/4 teaspoon, roughly 1 gram. A full teaspoon is for commercial groups. More powder does not clean better; it just leaves residue that is harder to rinse.
Lock in the portafilter. Run the brew cycle for 10 seconds. You will hear the pump strain as pressure builds against the blind basket. Stop, wait 10 seconds, and let the solenoid release — you’ll hear a hiss into the drip tray. That’s the detergent being forced back through the valve. Repeat this on/off cycle 5 times.
Remove the portafilter, rinse it thoroughly, then re-lock it empty and repeat the 10-second on/off cycle 5 more times with clean water only. This rinse is not optional. Cafiza leaves a slippery, soapy film if not fully flushed. Pull a blank shot after that and dump it. Wipe the shower screen and gasket. Empty and rinse the drip tray — it will be brown and sudsy.
If water still beads and barely passes through the screen, or the discharge is very dark, you waited too long between cleanings. Do a second detergent cycle before you call it done. Don’t run 15 backflushes in a row to compensate; two short cycles with a rinse between is more effective and easier on the pump.
How to Soak the Portafilter, Basket, and Shower Screen
Backflushing cleans the valve and the path behind the shower screen. Soaking cleans what you can see. You should do both, but soaking is what removes the baked-on ring around the basket rim and inside the portafilter spouts.
Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon (about 2-3 grams) of Cafiza in about 500ml of very hot water in a heat-safe bowl. Not boiling — just off-boil is fine. Drop in the basket, portafilter (handle up, so you don’t soak the handle if it’s plastic or wood), and the shower screen if yours is removable. Let it sit 10-15 minutes. For heavy build-up, 30 minutes is the max you need. Overnight soaking doesn’t improve cleaning and increases risk of pitting on chrome.
After soaking, scrub with a espresso group cleaning brush or an old toothbrush, rinse under hot water until the water sheets off the metal instead of beading, and dry. If you removed the shower screen, brush the group head while it’s off so loose grounds don’t get sealed back in. Reassemble and pull one rinse shot.
For machines you cannot backflush, this soaking method is your main cleaning. Do it weekly if you pull 1-2 shots a day, and wipe the group gasket with a hot wet cloth after every session.
How Often to Use It
Frequency depends on volume, not calendar time. A cafe backflushes daily. At home, every 1-2 weeks is right for most people making 2-4 drinks a day. If you make one milk drink a day and rinse well after each shot, every 2-3 weeks is fine. Soak the portafilter and basket on the same schedule.
Don’t use Cafiza every day at home. It strips all oils, including the thin layer that helps the gasket seal. Daily use accelerates gasket wear and you will get more water weeping around the portafilter, not less. Daily care should be: knock out the puck, rinse the basket, wipe the gasket, and run a 3-second blank flush.
Descaling is separate. Cafiza does not remove mineral scale. If you have hard water, you still need a citric-acid based descaler based on your manufacturer’s schedule. Do not mix them in the same cycle.
Common Mistakes and Failure Modes
The most common failure is not rinsing enough. If your next shot has no crema and tastes soapy or flat, you left detergent in the group. Do 5 extra clean-water backflushes and flush 200ml through the group. The second failure is using Cafiza on aluminum or on coated drip trays for hours — it will darken and etch the finish. Keep soak time short and keep aluminum out.
Another mistake is backflushing a machine that shouldn’t be backflushed. On machines without a three-way valve, pressure has nowhere to go except back through the pump. You will stress the pump and blow water out around the portafilter with no cleaning benefit. If you are not sure, look in the drip tray: if you never hear a hiss/release after you stop a shot, you probably do not have that valve.
Finally, people use Cafiza to fix a bad-tasting shot that is actually caused by stale beans, too fine a grind, or channeling. If your shots were fine last week and now are bitter, check your beans and grind first. Clean the machine, but don’t expect detergent to fix extraction problems.
Cafiza Powder vs. Tablets vs. Other Options
All of these are alkaline espresso detergents. The difference is dose control, cost, and residue.
| Product | Best For | Dose Control | Cost Per Clean | Downside |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cafiza Powder (E31) | Home users with a blind basket who want the cheapest option | Excellent — you measure 1/4 tsp for home groups | Low | Easy to overdose if you scoop by eye; powder clumps in humidity |
| Cafiza 2 Tablets | People who want no measuring or use a Breville auto-clean cycle | Fixed 1.5-2g tablet | Medium-high | Too much for small 54mm home groups; you may need to split a tablet |
| Generic Espresso Detergent (Puly, JoeGlo, etc.) | Budget shoppers | Varies — powder or tablet | Low-medium | Some leave more perfume or foam; rinsing takes longer |
| Water + Brush Only | Daily maintenance between detergent cleans | N/A | Free | Does not remove rancid oils once they polymerize |
For most home owners, powder is the rational buy. Tablets make sense if your machine prompts you with a cleaning cycle that expects a tablet, like Breville’s Clean Me light, or if you share the machine and don’t want anyone guessing the dose. Generics are fine if they list sodium carbonate and sodium percarbonate and dissolve fully with little scent. Avoid anything that advertises heavy fragrance — it is harder to rinse out.
Who Should Buy What
If you have a Gaggia, Rancilio, Lelit, ECM, or Profitec and make 2+ shots daily, get the powder and a blind basket you know fits. You will backflush properly and soak once every week or two. Total annual cost is a few dollars.
If you have a Breville Barista Express/Pro/Touch, use the included cleaning disc and either tablets or a carefully measured 1/4 tsp of powder when the Clean Me light comes on, plus a manual soak of the portafilter. Don’t run the cleaning cycle more often than the machine asks — it is counting shots, not oil build-up, so you can still go longer if your shots taste clean.
If you have a small single-serve or pressurized-basket machine without a solenoid, skip backflushing entirely. Buy a small jar of powder just for soaking the basket and wiping the group. It will last a year or more.
FAQ
Can I use Cafiza in a Breville Bambino or Barista Express?
Yes, but use the method your model expects. Bambino Plus and Barista Express/Pro have a 3-way valve and can backflush — use the blind basket or the included rubber cleaning disc with 1/4 tsp powder or half a tablet. The base Bambino (non-Plus) should not be backflushed; soak the portafilter and basket instead and flush the group with water.
Is Cafiza safe for my machine?
Yes for stainless steel groups, brass, and chrome portafilters when used at the correct dose and rinsed well. Do not soak aluminum, non-stick coatings, or plastic handles for long periods, and never put Cafiza in the water tank. It is meant for the group circuit and for soaking parts in a separate bowl.
How much Cafiza do I need per cleaning?
Less than you think. For a home backflush, 1 gram (about 1/4 teaspoon) is enough. For a soak, 2-3 grams in 500ml hot water is enough. Using more does not clean faster and makes thorough rinsing harder.
Why does my espresso taste soapy after cleaning?
Detergent is still in the group or basket. Remove the portafilter, run 5-10 blank flushes with fresh water, scrub the basket and shower screen, and rinse until water no longer feels slippery. Always end with a rinse shot you discard.
Ready to decide? Our #1 pick for 2026 is the Cafiza Powder (E31).
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