You invested in quality coffee equipment, purchased your favourite gourmet beans, and your home coffee station is set up with all the essentials: the right barista tools, designer coffee cups, and, of course, a “but first coffee” towel.
You are organised and ready to enjoy a deliciously perfect coffee every time, right? Well, not exactly.
Many elements can affect the quality of your coffee. Sure, appropriate equipment, the nature of the coffee beans and, of course, the barista’s technique are all important elements that will result in a quality coffee. However, there are also other factors that, although dreaded by many, should definitely be taken into consideration when attempting to create consistent quality coffee at home.
These factors are: regular equipment maintenance and the unpleasant task of cleaning your coffee equipment, that is your espresso machine and your coffee grinder.
Just like any other appliance around your home, your coffee grinder needs to be cleaned regularly to ensure that the accumulation of coffee gunk does not damage your machine and the beautiful coffee taste you are after.
So, here’s all you need to know about cleaning your burr coffee grinder.
Why Should I Clean My Coffee Grinder?
Coffee beans are rich in flavour and oils. However, coffee is also a perishable product that decays over time. Now, when you pass your beans through a grinder, a small, yet considerable amount of particles is left behind in the grinder. In time, this decaying coffee gunk will wreak havoc on the mechanism of your machine and the taste and quality of your coffee.
Therefore, if your usual blend suddenly tastes rancid, maybe the growing colony of coffee particles living in the crevices of your grinder is to blame.
How Often Should I Clean My Grinder?
This is the question everyone asks, which should be answered with another question: how often do you use your grinder? Any respectable coffee shop will maintain a daily cleaning routine for their grinders. However, they also use their grinders—a lot.
In the same token, you should thoroughly clean your grinder immediately after use if you use your appliance scarcely.
To clear the confusion, here is the super easy cleaning routine we recommend.
No-Stress Coffee Grinder Cleaning Routine
Cleaning your coffee equipment is an important part of your coffee-making experience. That being said, we also know that, for some, it is a burden they would rather put off indefinitely. For this reason, we’ve come up with a simple, no-stress grinder cleaning routine that will keep your appliance running great and your coffee tasting wonderful!
Please ensure that you remove the coffee grinder plug before cleaning your appliance!
Daily
1. Clean the outside structure of your grinder with a damp cloth
2. With a coffee grinder brush (or a soft bristle brush) dust off the excess coffee grounds from the dosing area
3. If your appliance has a ground coffee container, clean it daily with a dry towel
Weekly
4. Repeat steps 1, 2 and 3 from the daily routine
5. Remove the hopper and empty it of any whole bean coffee. Use a clean, dry towel to wipe out the inside of the hopper
6. While your burrs are exposed, brush away the coffee grounds. Use a vacuum cleaner (preferably with a crevice nozzle) to vacuum the excess grounds
Monthly
7. Repeat steps 1 through 6
8. If your bean hopper has an odour or looks “oily”, you may want to spray the inside of your hopper with a suitable cleaning solution or white vinegar and wipe it clean with a dry cloth. You can do the same with your ground container. If you take this step, make sure that you let the parts air dry for at least 1 hour
9. Reassemble the bean hopper back and add
grind cleaning crystals into the empty grinder (as per cleaning crystals and appliance instructions)
10. Grind the crystals through and discard
11. Add some coffee beans to your hopper and grind the coffee to help push the remaining crystals left in the burrs and discard
Yearly
12. Disassemble your machine for deep cleaning and to replace burrs (as per appliance instruction manual) or bring your appliance in for maintenance.
Keeping up with this routine will ensure that your quality coffee grinder will keep working as it should, so you can keep enjoying perfectly wonderful coffee, every time!
