I just took apart my Rocky and completely cleaned it. I was shocked and horrified to see the insides with old crusted on coffee from "I dont want to say how long"

Question is: How often should you clean your Grinder ? Is there such a thing as a light cleaning or there is just the total take apart ?

I have a Mazzer Mini on the way and want to keep it in top condition...

Smell it. If it smells like fresh ground coffee, it's fine. If it starts to smell like coffee left on a hotplate, clean it.
'Twere me, I'd clean all the surfaces that beans and grounds come into contact with. And when it is me, that's just what I do.

misterdoggy wrote:Question is: How often should you clean your Grinder ? Is there such a thing as a light cleaning or there is just the total take apart ?

Cleaning grinder with Grindz shows how to freshen up the grinder without disassembly. Grindz does remove oils and funky smells, but even if I use them, I'll want to clean the grinder anyway because of the nagging feeling that it's trading one trapped particle for another:



In all fairness, this was a really, really dirty grinder depicted in Cleaning a Mazzer Mini. I could tell you that the grime was allowed to accumulate for the benefit of the cleaning tutorial, but that'd be a lie. Sometimes I fall behind on maintenance; when I can't remember when a grinder was last cleaned, I do the doser sniff test Chris suggests. If it's funky, it's overdue.

mhoy wrote:We'll have to see what cleaning is needed and how often with my new Baratza Vario.

Oils collect and go rancid in a grinder no matter how well it sweeps the grind chamber. If you use a grinder daily, I don't think once a month is overkill, but as mentioned earlier, the sniff test will tell. That said, a product like Grindz should work better with a grinder that doesn't trap coffee in nooks and crannies.

Okay, this is overkill, but I now clean my grinder almost daily. I didn't always used to clean it daily. I think I went three months or so after purchasing it before I cleaned it for the first time. It was starting to smell, so I figured I should do something about it. Once I discovered how easy it was to clean, it became my nightly ritual. I undo two screws, take off the adjustment cover, take out the outer burr, take out the key and spring, then brush. I use a toothpick for the screw heads. Put it all back together. It takes less than ten minutes, but more than five--call it seven, give or take. It's actually somewhat relaxing and therapeutic, and it's a nice way to finish the day for a coffee lover. But, like I said, mine is very easy to clean. Other grinders may actually involve a bit more effort.

I've had my Mazzer Mini over three years now, and I've been so nervous about mis-threading the burrs that I've just used Grindz once a month. Should I quit worrying and go ahead and do a better cleaning?
Jen

caffeinatedjen wrote:I've had my Mazzer Mini over three years now, and I've been so nervous about mis-threading the burs that I've just used Grindz once a month. Should I quit worrying and go ahead and do a better cleaning?
Jen

No. What you're doing is fine. Grinders are for smashing beans into very small particles, not for acting out obsessive compulsive rituals.

Obsessive, Who us ? who spend our time on Forums discussing coffee beans (not even) er machines that is..

Thats not me....

Back to the subject, I just bought the Macap m4d which shoots the shot directly into the PF taking out a cleaning step of the doser basket which I felt was really worthless. This machine measures doses and no basket cleaning.

If I didn't obsess about this what would replace it ??

misterdoggy wrote:If I didn't obsess about this what would replace it ??

Sleep? Face-to-face contact with other humans?

caffeinatedjen wrote:I've had my Mazzer Mini over three years now, and I've been so nervous about mis-threading the burrs that I've just used Grindz once a month.

See Mazzer reassembly problem after burr replacement for hints.