Grindz Grinder Cleaner ''Best of Three'' giveaway

[HB]

Updated January 29th: The contest is over! Thanks everyone for entering and many thanks to Josh Dick and Charles McAlpin for sponsoring our Urnex giveaway!

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If you've heard about Grindz Grinder Cleaner but haven't tried it because of the cost, now is your chance to win more than a year's supply thanks to the Grindz Grinder Cleaner "Best of Three" giveaway sponsored by Urnex.


Each winner will receive Grindz commercial size (center), home size (left), and sample size (right)
as shown above (grinder and burrs not included)

Several HB members posted before/after photos back in May. Josh explains a little more about the product below:

In April of 2005, Urnex Brands filed US and domestic patents for the first ever grinder cleaning product. Trademarked "Grindz(tm) Grinder Cleaner," the product is a coffee bean shaped tablet composed of a proprietary formula which includes grains, cereals, and pharmaceutical grade binders. Everything in the product is natural and completely food safe. If you've ever seen it demonstrated in real life, you might have had a chance to see someone from Urnex eat a few tablets as part of the presentation. The original idea behind the product came out of a discussion between Josh Dick of Urnex Brands, Inc. and Nils Erichsen of Mahlkonig GMBH. After coming to understand the challenge of disassembling a grinder, Josh spent a lot of time experimenting with different cleaning concepts in the Urnex Brands brew lab.

To use the final product, you simply grind the recommended dose as if it were coffee. The tablets both absorb coffee oil residue and dislodge particles trapped on the burrs without leaving a sticky residue or jamming the motor. To return the grinder to use, the operator purges the residue of Grindz Grinder Cleaner with two doses of fresh coffee. All testing of the product for machine safety and compatibility was performed by the technicians and Malkonig Gmbh at Hamburg, Germany. A video demonstration of the product is available on the website http://www.urnex.com.

Post to this thread and you're automatically entered to win! The topic can be anything related to espresso. I will select the best from the day's new posts to this thread or at least three posts, whichever occurs first (i.e., a winner is declared for every day there are at least three posts, or if there are not, the day that the third entry is posted; posts asking about the rules, comments on other posts, etc. are excluded). Your entry can be a short-and-sweet hint, a espresso-related photograph, an organized collection of your favorite links, your "signature drink" espresso recipe, best modification, recent discovery on the web, ... really anything you like espresso-related, as long as it's interesting, helpful, thought-provoking, or just plain fun. Check out some entries from the last "best of" contest:

• Rocky Mods - How to turn it into an uber grinder
• Find the bogus coffee bean!
• Find the man in the coffee beans!
• I've set him on the road to ruin
• Water flushing and ''knowing'' your HX machine

I have a case of Grindz products to give away... so post your best stuff and help me clear out the HB giveaway closet.

[jrtatl]

Grind finer, Tamp softer

Jeremy

[JonR10]

Your entry can be a short-and-sweet hint...

Grind finer, Tamp softer

Excellent

...espresso-related photograph...

Can I post a few?
(geez - I'm a terrible showoff, but I've always been a ham)

Disclaimer: I don't claim to make the best espresso or to be
a good photographer. There is a simple joy for me in the
expression. That's why I post pics. I love to look at this stuff
and I like to share.

How about starting with one of my favorite drinks?

This is a double ristretto 4-ounce latte (1.5 oz. espresso + 2.5 oz. milk)
IMvHO, my skills pouring art are lacking, even after almost a year of practice.
The *NEW* pitcher (shown) came from http://www.espressoparts.com. I believe it
has helped (more than I thought it would). It was a Christmas present.

[roadman]

Okay, I'll bite.

Are you handy? Have around 80 hours worth of spare time and an old computer case hanging around? Got a spare $3000 burning a hole in you pocket and need an espresso machine for the office? Well then head over to here and check out this mod.

[Spencer]

There are some organic beans that may not be worth the price.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051230/od_nm/coffee_dc

[miKe mcKoffee]

How about starting with one of my favorite drinks?
image
This is a double ristretto 4-ounce latte (1.5 oz. espresso + 2.5 oz. milk)
IMvHO, my skills pouring art are lacking, even after almost a year of practice.
The *NEW* pitcher (shown) came from http://www.espressoparts.com. I believe it
has helped (more than I thought it would). It was a Christmas present...

Looks great to me! (I'm more at the finger painting cap' art stage.) However, me thinks that ain't no over milked latte, that be a ristretto cappuccino, yum!

[miKe mcKoffee]

Minute Rice works great for quick cleaning grinders in between take apart thorough cleaning. Been using it for years. Would be interesting to compare with Grindz.

Note: while not posting any pournography, I did update my avatar with a naked Sumatra Volkopi SO shot.

[greedus]

Cool beans, but what do I do with the minute rice now?

Would it be worth while for one of us to purchase a large amount and sell off a cleanings worth to others at cost? We could all clean our grinders and not need the bigger investment .

clean grinder=happy grinder=better shots

pete

[miKe mcKoffee]

We've all heard about proper dental hygiene and been taught the benefits of brushing and flossing after every meal. Well there's espresso grouphead hygiene too. Remember to flush and wiggle after every shot. Ok you're new and thinking what is this some kind of disco dance move! (it can be;-) Simply after each shot flush the empty group for a second or so, stop and loosely insert portafilter with backflush blank, start flush again wiggling PF so water flows out and over the PF. Now you're ready to proceed to the next shot. If it's the last shot in a series after flush and wiggle rinse PF/backflush blank and follow with a water only backflush.

Ok, you're new and thinking what a hassle constantly switching from shot basket to backflush blank to shot basket to backflush blank... Get a cheapo portafilter dedicated to backflushing and keep it out next to your machine at all times! Out of sight out of mind.

[miKe mcKoffee]

Do you find these best of three give aways kind of hokie? I thought I did.
So PICK ME PICK ME PICK!

[zeromike]

remember when bbq roasting coffee that the beans become very flammable

4 foot flames!!!

[HB]

Let's sum up today's "best of" entries: Jeremy, the man of few words; Jon, the man who can't get enough espressoporn; roadman, story of a computer transformed into coffee machine; Spencer, story of civet droppings as gourmet coffee, Mike M, wiggle-rinse explained; Mike Z, homeroaster fire safety.

It's January. Is everyone tired from all the holiday parties?

I can't explain it, but somehow the brevity of Jeremy's response is oddly compelling. In fact, it's given me an idea for another thread... so congratulation jrtatl, you are the first Grindz Grinder Cleaner winner! Please contact Charles McAlpin to claim your prize.

On to round two! Need more ideas? How about:

• Video demonstration of the Stockfleth's move (contact me for help uploading it)
• Explanation of thermometry basics like thermocouple types and how to apply it to brew water measurements
• Top five mistakes and how to correct them
• More barista tuning exercises (original list)

Suggestions of what topics you would like to hear more about are also welcome.

[Dogshot]

I have never used rice to clean my grinder, because I have a theory that rice will cause grounds to re-accumulate very quickly, based on the 2 following qualities of rice:

1) Rice has a lot of starchy powder on it. Wash your rice and look at how milky the water becomes.

2) Rice holds moisture.

So you clean your grinder with rice, which will inevitably deposit some of this starch and bits of rice where grounds tend to go. Starch and rice bits hold moisture, so that when you grind coffee, your grounds readily attach to it, resulting in a rapid re-accumulation. Maybe Grindz is not as hydrophilic as rice.

I would love to test this theory by seeing how long it takes a rice-cleaned grinder to become dirty again versus a Grindz-cleaned grinder, and by testing to see how clean rice gets the grinder overall versus Grindz. Yep, if I had some Grindz, that would be the first thing that I would do...


Mark

[cappadoc]

Double boiler machines have smaller learning curves. The down side is they offer little to work on for the obsessive tinkerer. The up side is a total amateur (me) can make incredible espresso about 30 minutes after turning it on. Sometimes it gets boring pulling consistently amazing shots, but the only real variables now are grind, dose, distribute and tamp. The La Spaz has really allowed me to focus on technique rather than temp surfing, water dance and the like. The sheer pleasure of machine consistency can never be overstated.


Jeff

[miKe mcKoffee]

I have never used rice to clean my grinder, because I have a theory that rice will cause grounds to re-accumulate very quickly, based on the 2 following qualities of rice:

1) Rice has a lot of starchy powder on it. Wash your rice and look at how milky the water becomes.

2) Rice holds moisture.

So you clean your grinder with rice, which will inevitably deposit some of this starch and bits of rice where grounds tend to go. Starch and rice bits hold moisture, so that when you grind coffee, your grounds readily attach to it, resulting in a rapid re-accumulation. Maybe Grindz is not as hydrophilic as rice.

I would love to test this theory by seeing how long it takes a rice-cleaned grinder to become dirty again versus a Grindz-cleaned grinder, and by testing to see how clean rice gets the grinder overall versus Grindz. Yep, if I had some Grindz, that would be the first thing that I would do...


Mark

Fascinating theory, and as you say untested. First possible discrepancy I said specifically Minute Rice, which is already par-cooked then dried. Wash that and see how milky the water becomes. Rice holds moisture, so does coffee, and from what I've read I highly suspect so does Grindz! Grindz was formulated to absorb coffee oils. There's seemingly a huge assumption that somehow the Minute Rice is going to adhere to the grinder. Such has not been my observation when doing a take apart cleaning.

So if you follow the same procedure specified for Grindz with Minute Rice (or other brand par-cooked dried rice) which ends by flushing the grinder with a couple doses of beans you just might be surprised how well Minute Rice actually works.

[jrtatl]

I can't explain it, but somehow the brevity of Jeremy's response is oddly compelling. In fact, it's given me an idea for another thread... so congratulation jrtatl, you are the first Grindz Grinder Cleaner winner! Please contact Charles McAlpin to claim your prize.

Thanks Dan!

I was going for a zen-of-espresso quote. (I was thinking about ordering chinese for dinner, and I thought of what I'd like to see in my fortune cookie. ;-} )


Also, when I click on "Charles McAlpin," I get the following message: "This user does not wish to receive e-mail. Try sending them a private message." I'll try the PM and see if that works.


Jeremy

[HB]

Mike "pick me! pick me!" mcKoffee, I can take a hint... you're going to keep trying until you win, right? Those are two good posts, so I'm going to bend the rules and recycle my favorite photo below to make the third for the day. Congratulations, you are the second Grindz Grinder Cleaner winner! Please contact Charles McAlpin to claim your prize.

PS: We look forward to your Minute Rice versus Grindz report.
PSS: Mike's winning entries were split off to Espresso as Dessert in the Knockbox forum.
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This photo was taken at Cafe Marly in the Louvre while visiting Paris with my oldest son several years ago. We had just come from a toy store near Rue Rivoli where we purchased the car shown below. I setup this composition on the spur of the moment. There are a lot of unplanned but interesting reflections. I especially like the tourist caught mid-stride in the background. The espresso was so-so but the gateau moelleux (not shown) was fabulous.


Cafe Marly composition (sadly the car was lost only days later)

[miKe mcKoffee]

Mike "pick me! pick me!" mcKoffee, I can take a hint... you're going to keep trying until you win, right? Those are two good posts, so I'm going to bend the rules and recycle my favorite photo below to make the third for the day. Congratulations, you are the second Grindz Grinder Cleaner winner! Please contact Charles McAlpin to claim your prize.

PS: We look forward to your Minute Rice versus Grindz report.

Yay, thanks Dan, you PICKED ME PICKED ME PICKED ME!

I've somewhat followed Grindz reports since it was first introduced and it will be an interesting comparison. I've no doubt their claims of less dust than Minute Rice may be true. The question to me becomes is there enough difference to justify the price. I've just treated Minute Rice dust the same as coffee fines, flux brush etc.

Nice Cafe Marly pic BTW.

[miKe mcKoffee]

Mike "pick me! pick me!" mcKoffee, I can take a hint... you're going to keep trying until you win, right?

Since you awarded me a win does this mean I shouldn't post my home made Kona Mocha Hot Fudge Sauce recipe which also uses Kona ristretto shot? Maybe I'll save it (and others) for the next contest

[HB]

Since you awarded me a win does this mean I shouldn't post my home made Kona Mocha Hot Fudge Sauce recipe which also uses Kona ristretto shot?

It's a good topic, so I split it off to Espresso as Dessert. Feel free to add more ideas; it may encourage others to contribute. As for "next time", don't worry, there will be plenty of opportunities to win in 2006.