Table of Contents
Introduction
There are so many important factors that affect coffee flavor, cleaning and appliance maintenance is one of those factors. Fine particles, oils, and other coffee residue build up inside the grinder over time, and then it will cause a negative impact on taste and appliance health.
To reduce that negative impact, usually people search about how to clean coffee grinder. In this article, we answer that query and explore every parameter of cleaning a coffee grinder.
Why should you clean your coffee grinder?
First part of our query how to clean coffee grinder is, why you should clean your appliance. Their reasons are as follows
Coffee beans contain a natural oil component in them. This oil and other tiny particles stuck over time and turned rancid, leading to staleness in coffee taste, and also a clog can build up inside the appliance, which decreases the grinder’s efficiency. By cleaning the appliance, the chances of clogging and rancidity will be minimized, and no negative impact will be created. Let’s understand in detail…
A clean coffee grinder produces a perfect grind size, and this uniform grind size plays an essential role in flavor extraction. But suppose if you do not maintain proper cleanliness, then coffee dust, coffee oils, and other residues can cause strain on motors and other internal parts.
Because of that, the grinding mechanism cannot work properly. Hence, it may cause wear and tear of internal parts, and also uneven grind size will be obtained. This uneven grind size will cause improper extraction, like under-extraction and over-extraction.
Signs your grinder needs immediate cleaning
So, does your coffee grinder really need immediate cleaning? Let’s explore its signs.
If your coffee tastes off
If you find out that your coffee grinder produces coffee with a bitter or stale taste with some unusual odor. It may be caused by rancidity, and it must require immediate cleaning.
If the grinding speed of your appliance slows down
If you find out that the grinding speed and mechanism of your machine are becoming slow, then clean it immediately. It slow down because of tiny particles stuck in its internal components and cause resistance over grinding.
If your grinder produces uneven grinding
If you find out that your grinder produces uneven grinding, then you have to clean it immediately. It may be caused because of improper working of grinding mechanism and the reason of this improper working are sticking residue.
If coffee residue is visible inside the appliance
This is the most common sign. If you see that residue is sticking continuously inside your appliance, then you have to immediately wash your appliance.
Types of coffee grinders
Now for a deeper understanding of how to clean coffee grinder, you have to understand the manufacturing and types of coffee grinders. So, let’s move towards our second main section, which is the type of coffee grinder. For clear knowledge, we divide coffee grinders into two types, which are as follows
Burr grinder
The coffee grinder’s whose grinding mechanism consists of two sharp textured burrs for grinding coffee beans, known as a burr grinder. It provides a more consistent grind size, but it requires deeper cleaning, which is sometimes difficult.
Blade grinder
The coffee grinder whose grinding mechanism is based on a spinning sharp blade for cutting and grinding coffee beans is known as a blade grinder. It provides a less consistent grind size as compared to a burr, but it is effortless in cleaning.
How to clean coffee grinder
Now, in this section, we are going to explore our main point, which is how to clean coffee grinder. So, the basic methods of cleaning are as follows
Gather your cleaning supplies
First, you have to gather all the cleaning supplies that will be used in cleaning. So, the supplies that you have to gather are as follows
- Brush: A soft brush, like a toothbrush or a bristled brush is required to remove stuck particles from the internal part of the grinder.
- Dry cloth: A dry paper or cloth-like towel is essentially required for wiping out oil components as well as drying washed parts.
- Dish soap: Especially for washing removable parts, unscented dish soap is required.
- Cleaning tablets: It is an optional thing, but cleaning tablets like Urnex and Grindz can be used.
- Toothpick or wooden skewer: It is also an optional thing, but it will be required if your coffee has some hard stubborn.
Disassemble the grinder (if possible)
After gathering the supplies, the second step in our journey of finding how to clean coffee grinder is disassembling. You have to disassemble your appliance, but different types of coffee grinders have different structures, and because of that, they will be disassembled in different ways. It is good to read the manual of your appliance to disassemble it perfectly.
Here, we divide the disassembled method according to the main types of grinders.
Blade grinder
It is effortless to disassemble the blade grinder. Unplug all the parts of your appliance, especially the grinder blades. If your appliance has removable blades, then you have to remove it as well.
Burr grinder
The container that holds coffee beans is called a bean hopper. You have to disassemble it first. Then check if your grinder has a removable outer burr, and then remove it. Also disassemble the grinder chamber if it is also removable.
Brush and wipe away residue
Now, the third step of how to clean coffee grinder is to use a brush to remove the entire residue. Then use a dry paper or towel and wipe out the internal parts. This will absorb all the oil residue that is present inside the machine. If you find out that a strong, stubborn, or hard residue is stuck, then you can use a toothpick or wooden skewer to scrape it off.
Cleaning with soap & water
The second-to-last step of how to clean coffee grinder is cleaning with soap and water. You have to wash it with soap and water, but remember not all parts are soap and water safe.
- Hooper and grind chamber and removable plastic and metal accessories, wash it with a mild soap and warm water.
- Never wash a burr or blade with soap and water. It may cause rust or may damage it. Instead, you can clean it by just brushing or wiping as mentioned above.
Perform cleaning until you ensure that no residue is left and cleaning is done perfectly.
Reassemble
After that, the last step of how to clean coffee grinder is to dry all the parts of your appliance. Again, wipe out with a dry cloth or paper. When you ensure that no water particle or moisture is left. Reassemble all the parts.
Now, your coffee grinder is ready to reuse.