Urnex Cafiza – espresso machine cleaning powder, 566 g
Blind basket in the portafilter, half a teaspoon of powder, lock it in. Ten seconds of brewing, ten seconds of pause, five times. Afterwards the water from the group head runs clear again, without streaks of oil.
Urnex Cafiza is a cleaning powder for espresso machines. It removes coffee residue and coffee oils from group heads, valves and lines and can be used as a soaking solution for portafilters, baskets and shower screens. Odourless, NSF-certified, 566 g. Coffee Coaching Club is the official Swiss importer of Urnex, with showrooms in Bern and Zurich.
Volume discount
Automatically cheaper from 2 Urnex products – no code needed
| Quantity (any combination) |
Discount |
| from 2 items |
5% |
| from 4 items |
15% |
| from 13 items |
40% |
Applies to the entire Urnex collection (Cafiza, BioCaf cleaning powder, BioCaf milk cleaner, Grindz) – combine them however you like, including several of the same product. The discount is deducted automatically in the basket.
Features
Dissolves easily and cleans easily
Urnex formulated the powder for an optimal balance of solubility and foaming. It is odourless.
Removes coffee oils from group heads, valves and lines
Cafiza removes coffee residue and oils from group heads, valves and lines and keeps shower screens and baskets clear so extraction stays even.
For the daily backflush routine
Our routine: a daily backflush with clean water, at home every 50 shots or every two weeks with Cafiza, in hospitality daily with Cafiza. Why we do it this way is explained in Backflushing correctly.
For traditional portafilter machines
Cafiza is made for traditional espresso machines with a portafilter, at home and in the café.
NSF-certified and OMRI Listed
Cafiza is NSF-certified and kosher (pareve). Urnex also lists the powder as OMRI Listed.
How to use: backflush
For backflushing, your machine needs a three-way valve that releases the pressure from the group head after brewing. Your machine's manual tells you whether it has one.
This is how Urnex describes it: insert the blind basket into the portafilter and add up to half a teaspoon (3 g) of Cafiza. Lock in the portafilter, run the brew cycle for 10 seconds, stop for 10 seconds and repeat five times. Then remove the portafilter, start the brew cycle and rinse the portafilter in the stream of water from the group head.
Next, lock the portafilter back in without powder and run five more cycles of 10 seconds brewing, 10 seconds pause. Finally, swap the blind basket for the standard basket, brew an espresso and discard it so that no cleaner residue remains in the system.
How to use: soaking
For portafilters, baskets, shower screens and other parts, make a soaking solution: 6 g of Cafiza per litre of hot water. Soak the parts for 30 minutes; with a portafilter, do not submerge the handle. Then rinse with fresh water.
At a glance
| Use | Backflush and soaking solution for espresso machines and accessories |
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| Form | Powder, odourless |
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| Ingredients | Sodium percarbonate, sodium carbonate |
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| Certifications | NSF, kosher (pareve), OMRI Listed |
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| Backflush dosage | up to 3 g (½ teaspoon) |
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| Soaking dosage | 6 g per litre of hot water, 30 minutes |
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| Contents | 566 g (20 oz), enough for around 180 backflushes of 3 g |
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| Urnex item number | 12-ESP20 |
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| Country of origin | USA |
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| Notes | not a descaler, not recommended for aluminium, GHS07 hazard pictogram (see safety data sheet) |
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Who it's made for
For everyone with a portafilter machine, whether single boiler, heat exchanger or dual boiler. Clean group heads and baskets aren't an end in themselves: in our experience, old coffee oils pass their taste on to every following extraction. If you prefer ingredients from natural sources, you'll find BioCaf from Urnex in our machine and grinder cleaning range, along with Grindz for the grinder and the BioCaf milk cleaner.
Puck screens help keep the shower screen cleaner between cleanings. Affordable and precise: Normcore. If you want the system designed to work together: Weber Workshops. If you're still looking for the right machine, you'll find it among our espresso machines; our advice tool helps you narrow it down.
Ordering and delivery
You can buy Urnex Cafiza in Switzerland directly in our webshop. Delivery across Switzerland and to Liechtenstein in 2 to 5 working days. Click and Collect in Bern, Gerberngasse 44 and Zurich, Hagenholzstrasse 50b. Questions about the backflush routine to [email protected].
Frequently asked questions
Can I use Cafiza in any espresso machine?
Cafiza is made for traditional portafilter machines. For backflushing, the machine needs a three-way valve that releases the pressure after brewing. Without this function, you use Cafiza only as a soaking solution for portafilters, baskets and shower screens.
How often should I backflush with Cafiza?
A daily backflush with clean water, at home every 50 shots or every two weeks with Cafiza, in hospitality daily with Cafiza.
Is Cafiza a descaler?
No. Cafiza dissolves coffee oils and coffee residue, not limescale. For descaling you need a separate descaler.
What is the difference from BioCaf?
Both clean group heads, valves and lines and can be used as a soaking solution. According to Urnex, BioCaf is made from biodegradable, phosphate-free ingredients derived from natural sources and comes in a 500 g jar. Cafiza works with sodium percarbonate and sodium carbonate and comes in a 566 g jar.
Can I use Cafiza on aluminium parts?
Urnex does not recommend Cafiza for aluminium. This applies, for example, to aluminium moka pots. You can soak stainless steel parts such as baskets, portafilters and shower screens; do not submerge the portafilter handle.
Can I see Cafiza before buying?
In our showrooms in Bern (Gerberngasse 44) and Zurich (Hagenholzstrasse 50b) we show a large selection, but not the entire range. Write to us before your visit at [email protected], and we'll check whether it is on site.
Tip from the roastery: A clean system lets the bean speak. With dense, full-bodied roasts such as Cozy Chocolate, Nutty Delight or Very Nutty, chocolate and nut stay clear. With fruity roasts such as Wild Peach, a freshly cleaned system shows especially clearly in the acidity. That's our recommendation, one of many.
