Has anyone here cleaned their coffee grinder? What did you use and how did it go?
I have a Baratza Encore (or whatever the entry level model is called) and it could use some tlc. There are a bunch of bean parts accumulating under the hopper and grounds are getting stuck in places. I can disassemble to get the big stuff, but that's not enough. I'm wary of just splashing water or using a damp rag to wipe parts down. The oily residue needs some sort of detergent but I don't want to ruin anything or end up having my coffee tasting like soap or something.
Anyone have any experience or suggestions?
Edit: thanks to everyone for the tips! I've bought some grindz and I already popped the hopper off and gave the grinder a good brushing. There was a lot of buildup and the first grind afterward felt like it sounded quieter and I could swear the grounds were more consistent, but those are both probably illusions. Haven't made enough cups to taste a difference yet but I'll definitely be adding a regular cleaning to my routine.
I use Urnex Grindz every once in a while. Maybe there are better ways but this one is easy.
I have a Baratza and also use Urnex Grindz. I would not use rice and I recommend against getting any water at all on the blade. The other parts that are plastic (lid, hopper basket, etc) just get a hand wash with dish soap, and I air dry them for like a day before reassembling.
I can vouch for this. Plus the container you get lasts forever
Do you do any of the other cleaning too (ie brushing and wishing?) or just chase this stuff through the grinder as needed?
I personally think the most important part of cleaning is taking the bean hopper off, and brushing / blowing off the upper burr. There's a rubber or silicone band around the burr, and grounds get caught under it and cause the burr to not sit as low and securely as it should. Just brush it off with a brush, or paper towels or something. If they're really stuck in there you can slip the ring off to clean under it then put it back on. I don't like to remove it too often because I'm worried it'll break it faster, but I'm sure it's inexpensive. I try to do this once a week. I skipped it for a few months and my brew became very inconsistent. Do not wash the burr under water.
I wash the hopper occasionally since it gets oily, but I find that the tablets take care of everything else for me. That being said, I have a different grinder - Quamar M80E so maintenance might be slightly different.
You can use dry oatmeal to clean the inside of a coffee grinder. Grind down the oats in small batches (1 inch circle in your palm) and it'll clean out the coffee residue and the oils. Then wipe out with a soapy washcloth and then multiple passes with a just water cloth, then dry and let fully air dry.
I used old fashioned oats, don't use instant, quick oats might be ok...
In addition to all the people suggesting to watch the video on YouTube from baratza specifically on how to do it (you should, it’s easy) they also have lifetime free repair for individual consumers. If you happen to be in the seattle area you can drop off your grinder and pick it up once it’s repaired. I imagine you can probably ship it to them if you’re not local (although I guess you’d have to pay for shipping then). A really great service - I took advantage of it just recently for a grinder that had finally (after a good 20 years of service) given up the ghost - it’s just like new! Baratza rocks!
Amazing, thanks for the tip!
I do have experience with this, as I bought a used Baratza encore from Ebay and it came clogged with coffee grounds. I believe Baratza has a video for cleaning out a clog. Which incidentally also cleans out the grinder.
The main method is basically just to clean all the plastic/rubber parts like the hopper, lid, etc with normal dish soap. But you can just brush the burr clean. If there really is a ton of oil residue I would guess you could wipe those areas down with oil (like dissolves like) and then a paper towel.
I mainly depend on the grindz tablets. I’ve disassembled each of the grinders I’ve owned once just to brush off, but never really felt the need.
I have a similar style of coffee grinder and I’ve only cleaned mine with an air compressor. There has to be a better way to get the oily residue as you said, I will be watching this post with interest.
A very low-tech way to prevent the buildup of oily residue is to wipe the metal immediately after grinding with a dry paper towel or similar - it won't get everything, but it keeps the buildup from affecting the functionality of the machine.
Video baratza have put pretty good video online that I follow when I clean mine. Usually do it about once a month. Definitely don’t ever want to get water on the burrs.
Oh that's super helpful, thanks! I guess I'm way behind the curve of monthly cleanings. It's probably been four years of daily use. Oops
If it helps, our Encore has been our daily grinder for… close to a decade? And I think we’ve disassembled it completely for cleaning maybe twice.
I’ve been using the Grindz for a couple of years now and they work quite well, and every so often I just brush out the hopper feed to remove any buildup.
That is helpful. Much appreciated
I take mine apart and use a brush with wet cloth. Not sure if you are able to take yours apart
I think so, but don't you get oil build up?
I'd would have guessed that the wet cloth would help with the oil buildup, but to be honest this isn't something I've heard of before.
I'm definitely going to look into grinder cleaners like the Urnex Grindz and use that in addition to my brushing technique in the future.
Answering the title and not the text: Yes, I have an 1Zpresso J-Max manual grinder and have cleaned it a couple times. It disassembles very easily and I've never needed to use any more than a brush to clean it out. One of the reasons I prefer a manual grinder like this over an electric grinder is the easy of cleaning.
Slightly off topic, but while you're cleaning your Encore, its worth inspecting the burr holder. It's the plastic part the upper burr is encased in.
This part had 3 fins around the outside which can break easily. If one is broken, your burr won't sit as stable, and will lead to inconsistent grinds.
You can replace the part very cheaply and easily. Here's a video which shows how to tell if it's broken, and how to replace it.
https://youtu.be/DhmAEZmgGvY
Thanks! I'll definitely take a look.
I'm a big fan of the manual grinders and have a Kyocera daily driver (I think it's the same as the Hario) and a Javapresse for travel. The latter tucks nicely inside the Aeropress for travel.
Both are pretty easy to take apart and clean, as you disassemble lay the parts out bottom to top. Then scrub with a toothbrush and some soapy water. About every six weeks seems to keep the flavours tip top.
Just fyi on the Encore, the burrs are made of tool steel and rust easily so avoid water if you can. I have a Encore and an Ode and for both, I run Urnex Grindz through them, disassemble each grinder, brush the components, reassemble, and run a small amount of beans (5g-10g) to help purge any remaining Grindz powder. I tend to clean my grinders a couple times a year.
The dishwasher. I have an aeropress.
I'm going to need a video of you grinding beans with an aeropress. That sounds wild.
I totally didn’t misread the question. I grind the beans by smashing them between the counter and the press, cavewoman style. I never clean (or actually use) my grinder, but I think you could grind rice in it if necessary and then just blow the rice dust out.
This grinding method is fascinating. How coarse and how consistent does the grind end up?
Having tried to grind a variety of things in my grinder (for science), I've found that rice and such usually works. But if your beans are oily, the rice dust will stick to the burr, and then you have to clean it with a brush, possibly some chemicals, and a lot of patience.
It was actually just a joke…sorry, I’m an ex-redditor and not used to this whole “high-quality” thing lol.