Hi O Experts 
Yesterday afternoon, the coffee heathen (AKA the hubby) queried what the tool end of the coffee scoop on the 6910 was for. I have no idea and it doesnt mention it in the booklet anywhere, so I ask the first question - does anyone know its purpose?
So, in an effort to work it out and being an insatiably curious thing that I am, this morning I decided to undo partially the group head shower screens to see if the tool fit in there. I undid the screw in the shower screens and gently took the shower screens out and nearly dry retched when I saw how much black gunky oil had built up on the back of the shower screens. I took this as I obviously dont backflush enough (I can get a bit lazy and only do it every second or third day, so after about 6-8 coffees during the week). So I gave the shower screens a good going over with the good old toothbrush and soapy water and got rid of it. Also removed some (but not all and I didnt want to attack it too much with a scourer) of the black gunk on the solid bit at the top of the group head. I also gave the seals a good wipe over and got rid of as much coffee grounds off them as I possibly could without taking them out, which I didnt want to do because I figured it might do something untowards to the seals and I didnt want to stuff the seals up.
I then put it all back together again and the taste of my coffee has improved tenfold, thank goodness! The coffee I made just prior to doing all of this tasted really quite icky, over extracted and dirty, which was another reason why I thought Id give it a thorough clean out.
So, my second question is, is what I just did the equivalent to using a cleaning tablet and running it through the comprehensive cleaning program, or should I still try and get my hands on some cleaning tablets (I saw some on EvilBay a few weeks ago for only about $4.00 plus postage) and do this as well. As in, does the thorough cleaning cycle clean more than just the shower screens and group head?
Cheers
Di

Yesterday afternoon, the coffee heathen (AKA the hubby) queried what the tool end of the coffee scoop on the 6910 was for. I have no idea and it doesnt mention it in the booklet anywhere, so I ask the first question - does anyone know its purpose?
So, in an effort to work it out and being an insatiably curious thing that I am, this morning I decided to undo partially the group head shower screens to see if the tool fit in there. I undid the screw in the shower screens and gently took the shower screens out and nearly dry retched when I saw how much black gunky oil had built up on the back of the shower screens. I took this as I obviously dont backflush enough (I can get a bit lazy and only do it every second or third day, so after about 6-8 coffees during the week). So I gave the shower screens a good going over with the good old toothbrush and soapy water and got rid of it. Also removed some (but not all and I didnt want to attack it too much with a scourer) of the black gunk on the solid bit at the top of the group head. I also gave the seals a good wipe over and got rid of as much coffee grounds off them as I possibly could without taking them out, which I didnt want to do because I figured it might do something untowards to the seals and I didnt want to stuff the seals up.
I then put it all back together again and the taste of my coffee has improved tenfold, thank goodness! The coffee I made just prior to doing all of this tasted really quite icky, over extracted and dirty, which was another reason why I thought Id give it a thorough clean out.
So, my second question is, is what I just did the equivalent to using a cleaning tablet and running it through the comprehensive cleaning program, or should I still try and get my hands on some cleaning tablets (I saw some on EvilBay a few weeks ago for only about $4.00 plus postage) and do this as well. As in, does the thorough cleaning cycle clean more than just the shower screens and group head?
Cheers
Di

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