# gaggia cubika plus RI8151/60 coffe was great then 3 months later coffe went nasty



## ijwia (May 3, 2013)

i have descaled the machine and descaled and cleaned the shower plate underneath removing the coffee grease

the milk frother is tripping the electric fuse box aswell so i don't use that and i'm not sure if it has anything to do with the nasty tasting coffee

there is a leak coming from the brewing part of machine so i reckon i need a new seal dont know if that is what is causing the bad tasting coffee

so can any of you guys help me out ???

it is not just a case of me buying crap coffee, as i have tried other brands that were good when i first got the machine but now everything tastes bad!!!









so bad i've went out a bought a tassimo as there was a sale going on and i was at a loose end for a coffee fix and i wanted to try out the tassimo gadget

not that impressed with the tassimo but i suppose it serves its purpose

but really wanting my gaggia cubika plus back giving me a good cuppa

cheers


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## ijwia (May 3, 2013)

right this machine doesnt have the solenoid thingy

it is the spring with the wee round plastic thingy, so backflushing doesn't get done on these machines does it ???

so since i have descaled the machine and the coffee still tastes bad do i run through some kind of cleaning solution now *???* since the backflushing can't be done on this model

*I'm new to this coffee making lark so any help at all would be appreciated ???*


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## rodabod (Dec 4, 2011)

No back flushing as you suggested. The valve you speak of (I forget its name) should be clean and free of scale.

Does the water flow reasonably strongly when you press the brew switch?

Another possible concern could be the temperature of the water.


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## ijwia (May 3, 2013)

rodabod said:


> No back flushing as you suggested. The valve you speak of (I forget its name) should be clean and free of scale.
> 
> Does the water flow reasonably strongly when you press the brew switch?
> 
> Another possible concern could be the temperature of the water.


valve is clean and free of scale and plasic spherical bit is still round

yeah the water flows strong and is hot

thanks for replying friend, how would you clean the pipes in a machine like this then when backflushing is not a possibility *???* i take it i would use another cleaning solution and put it in the water tank like i done before with the descaling powder, do you know what cleaning solution to use *??? *would i just use washing up liquid *???*

i'm thinking that the bad taste has got to be a result of clogged coffee oils inside of the machine


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## rodabod (Dec 4, 2011)

I suppose you could rinse it with washing up liquid if you wanted. The lack of pressure release after brewing means that there isn't such a requirement for backflushing, as in theory not much coffee will return back into the grouphead.

It's a bit worrying about the steam mode causing fuses to blow. Does it blow as soon as you press the steam switch?


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## ijwia (May 3, 2013)

it trips the fuse after a couple of seconds

it's not the button press that causes the fuse to trip

it's after turning the knob and after the initial water then turns to steam that the fuse trips


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## rodabod (Dec 4, 2011)

That's a bit odd. Maybe something is getting wet and shorting. It's hard to say without seeing the unit though.


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## ijwia (May 3, 2013)

i could live without the steam wand frother but it may indeed be linked to the why the coffee ain't developing correctly

as i don't undestand these machine very well

what i did find out though is after cleaning group head and removing the gasket seal and cleaning under the rubber seal

once i put it back together the machine wouldn't dispence water through the group head (was scratching my head then removed it all gain and put back together still didnt dispense the water)

until i turned the knob and let water out the steam wand then it allowed water to dispense from the group head

i guess it is the same setup as bleeding radiators


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

I have experienced gaggia suck milk back up the steam wand and into the boiler, this might be the cause of the foul tasting coffee, if it is you will have o strip the boiler to get the burnt milk out of the machine!


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## ijwia (May 3, 2013)

coffeechap said:


> I have experienced gaggia suck milk back up the steam wand and into the boiler, this might be the cause of the foul tasting coffee, if it is you will have o strip the boiler to get the burnt milk out of the machine!


yikes

i will try running some fairly liquid through the machine see if that helps failing that i'll look at dismantling the machine to get to the boiler and strip it down

cheers mate


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

You can't run fairy liquid through the machine, you will never never get if out, all you can do if you have impurities in the biker is to take the boiler apart and clean it manually.!


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## ijwia (May 3, 2013)

coffeechap said:


> You can't run fairy liquid through the machine, you will never never get if out, all you can do if you have impurities in the biker is to take the boiler apart and clean it manually.!


ok i won't, i know next to nothing about coffee machines, so i won't run through the fairy liquid


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## rodabod (Dec 4, 2011)

I wonder if there's another degreaser you could use other than soap.


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## bubbajvegas (Jan 26, 2013)

What about citric acid,surely that would break down any milk deposits and tidy up any lime scale at the same time


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## rodabod (Dec 4, 2011)

It's a fair point, actually (although I'd use tartaric acid in an aluminium boiler as previously discussed).


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