Conventional wisdom (rule of thumb, if you prefer) says that to re-heat a Linea to working temperature on should flush about 180 ml (6 oz).
I have never gotten it to work.
I feel it overheats the PF while leaving the grouphead not quite at the desired temperature.
I feel it wastes water, all the more costly for me since I only use mineral water.
But if I do two to three shots, the third or fourth is ok. Not the greatest but better than shots one to two or three.
But I do not want to waste coffee by pulling two or three dump shots.
Last week, in a fit of sleeplessness, I had an inspiring moment: why not lock in the PF with a blind basket and do a backflush? Why not two or three backflush?
Why not?
I did and it works.
The technique: just do a two or three or four backflush.
How often depends on how hot I think the machine is. Cooler? Three to four backflush. Hotter? Two backflush. I do not remove the PF between backflushes.
How long? Dunno... Sometimes I let it go on for 5 to 10 seconds, sometimes I just wait for it to go full pressure then end it.
Now I dump less coffee than before.
