last week, I bought a Giotto- I am in espresso heaven.

I have a Rocky grinder. I live in NYC and traveled to Italy many times, and I truly think my cappuccinos and espresso are comparably to the best coffee shops. Now I have been reading on HB about every discussion and decided its time to clean my grinder (after 1 year).

I removed the finger guard, cleaned the burrs and replaced them. I believe i did everything correctly, I had the burrs touch, then pulled it back a bit. (I didn't listen to the sounds). after I cleaned the machine, my shots aren't tasting as good as they did before the cleaning. I even tried the teflon tape mod, but it was too tight for me so I couldn't do that.

Is there any reason why after cleaning my grinder, the taste of my espresso would be different?

kamali wrote:....I removed the finger guard, cleaned the burrs and replaced them. ...

You took the burrS OUT? {re: "them"}

kamali wrote:after I cleaned the machine, my shots aren't tasting as good as they did before the cleaning.

How did the taste change? Do you weigh the dose? If not, you may have (unknowingly) increased the dose to compensate for the dulling burrs and now you're dosing too much for the sharper burrs.

"Taste different" is the point of the exercise. You didn't provide enough information for an informed response. Among other things you're no longer getting the benefit of stale fines and rancid oils.

In addition to the other fellow's questions:
[*]Did you season the grinder by running a 1/2 pound (or so) of beans through it?
[*]Are you sure you have your grinder dialed in?

Seasoning actually takes two pounds or so, but the first 250g or so are the most important. I buy and store cheap, Brazilian medium-roast beans for $3.99/lb from the Armenian market just for the purpose. Mmmm. Cheap Braziilan.

It's a good idea to clean your grinder more often than annually. Every four to ten weeks is more like it; frequency isn't just about how many beans you push through the grinder, but how long the oils and grinds just sit there muttering discontent and rebellion.

I use Grindz most of the time and only take the machine apart annually. Grindz or other similar cleaners (including converted rice) aren't as thorough as a complete tear down, but at least they get the parts of the path the beans and grinds follow. So, "Good enough for the girls I go out with."*

Other parts of your annual regimen should include replacing gasket(s), replacing water filter(s), checking inside and underneath your espresso machine for corrosion, etc.

At some point, you're going to want to think about new burrs, but the interval depends on your particular use and old burrs. So when you do disassemble next time, keep your eyes open for wear.

BDL

* For the record, it's just an expression. Nothing is too good for my Baby. Or yours either. Not that they're reading this. Are they?

Note that the OP said he cleaned the burrs - he didn't say anything about replacing them, which might be a reasonable idea.

Thanks for all the replies.

No i didn't replace the burrs, i only cleaned them. I have used grindz in the past, but I don't love to use that product due to the wheat.

The taste difference is that the shots aren't as strong as they used to be. Btw i didn't know i should run a 1/2 pound after cleaning the burrs. Thanks for that advice.

Another thing I see is that before i cleaned he burrs, I used to be on a grind setting of 5-7 , now I'm on setting of 3-5. Why is that?

boar_d_laze wrote:"Taste different" is the point of the exercise. You didn't provide enough information for an informed response. Among other things you're no longer getting the benefit of stale fines and rancid oils.

In addition to the other fellow's questions:
[*]Did you season the grinder by running a 1/2 pound (or so) of beans through it?
[*]Are you sure you have your grinder dialed in?

Would it be necessary to run a 1/2 pound only if i cleaned the burrs? I think you may have misunderstood and thought I replaced the burrs. Yes i believe I have it dialed in. I am using CCC Toscano, about 1 lb per week. When would the panel suggest actually replacing the burrs?

kamali wrote:When would the panel suggest actually replacing the burrs?

See How to know grinder burrs are worn out? Most agree that Rocky burrs are good for 75 pounds of coffee (yes, a lot less than Mazzer grinders).

kamali wrote:Would it be necessary to run a 1/2 pound only if i cleaned the burrs? I think you may have misunderstood and thought I replaced the burrs. Yes i believe I have it dialed in. I am using CCC Toscano, about 1 lb per week. When would the panel suggest actually replacing the burrs?

I assumed you meant what you'd written and believed you'd cleaned the burrs rather than replacing them.

You want some fresh build up on the burrs; having coffee grind the coffee makes the ground coffee taste better.

Your cleaner burrs are probably part of the reason you're adjusting them "tighter" to get the same grind. There's no gunk filling up the spaces between them anymore so you need less space between burrs to get the same grind.

The mean duty cycle for a set of Rocky burrs is around 75 pounds of coffee (h/t Dan). The generic advice is, "When in doubt, replace." It's a no-lose situation. If the new burrs don't make a huge improvement, your old ones will serve as a backup when the new ones wear out. And if they do make a huge improvement, BINGO!

Keep your eye on the grind and adjust as needed; preferably daily. If one grinder setting lasts through the week it takes to work your way through a pound of coffee, you may be one of the lucky few but more likely have some technique issues and aren't getting the most out of your beans.

How many pounds have you ground since cleaning? After you've got a couple of pounds through the machine, let's re-evaluate.

BDL