Well, I took the first step in getting my first setup together and picked up a used Super Jolly off of craigslist today. I was going to get a Vario due to the great reviews and it's kitchen friendly size but...

Now that I have the Super Jolly I am really pumped to have this iconic grinder at my disposal. Don't know why, but its bigger than I expected but I can tell right away what everyone means when they say its built like a tank.

I picked it up on my lunch break and am back at work now. I will be tearing it down and cleaning it up later when I get off of work. It is in pretty good condition but does show light signs of being used. I have not been able to look at the burrs but I will post more pics later for help/suggestions with pampering her.

I got her for $300 even and she came with the knock-box, tamper(58mm), SS grounds tray and what looks like some stale beans:p how did i for a deal?

Here is a quick pic i took with my phone to show her off.

ok, now the picture is working(my first time embedding here)

jammin wrote:how did i for a deal?

Nice!

The beans look like shyte...but the grinder is the new body style and has the stainless tray.
Clean her up and replace the burrs (I think they are less than $40 at ChrisCoffee.com)

Congrats on the nice acquisition!

-Jon

lol @ the comment about the beans - i thought the same thing when they unloaded it haha. I was like - oh my, i wonder how old those are!


I will be cleaning her up tonight and hopefully posting pics of the process. I am really looking forward to doing the maintenance

Definitely a nice find!

Having the Grind Tray is cool... I wish I had one for mine, but when I see the price of them, I always get something else instead.

Ok, well I finally got to tear into it and see how she looked inside. Pretty dirty as expected since it was just retired from cafe duty.
Mind you I have NEVER worked with any type of espresso equipment before so this was certainly a first. I found the SJ very easy and intuitive to dis-assembly for cleaning/maintenance.
I took the hopper off and got rid of all the beans, and ground coffee in the hopper. I then removed the burr carriage, removed the burrs and inspected them. The burrs did not feel rounded off at the edge but they felt smooth to the touch as I ran my fingertips across their edges. I was told the grinder was 4 years old and I imagine these are the original burrs. When bargaining over price, I stated that the grinder would most likely need a change of burrs to help hold my ground over offer price - she made no counter argument at all to that claim haha. I would add them to my order from 1st-line however they are out of stock Im thinking about ordering a new set from espresso parts.
Next I fiddled around with the doser and figured out how to take the upper sweeper out followed by the clear plastic inside that makes the "windows". The sweepers were badly caked with residue so I thoroughly cleaned them and replaced them. I also cleaned the plastic as it was covered in residue and writing from some green paint marker. That coffee residue is hard to get off! I am open to tips on this!!! The window to the doser looks MUCH better now and i am very happy with it. I also learned that the material is fairly fragile as it was wanting to crack as I was cleaning it. My SJ seems to also be missing that "cowling" that is by the chute. Not worried about that though since i will be sweeping the chute out regularly.
Afterwards I cleaned off the burrs, burr carriage etc.. and re-assembled it. Went together quite easily. I then HAD to run some beans through it so I could play with the adjustment and experiment with its sensitivity. Since I do not have my espresso machine yet, i dialed it in for french press so i can put her to use right away! I can't wait for coffee in the morning! I did a 21 gun salute for ancient blade grinder - j/k lol;)

Anyways, enough yapping - here's a few pics of the filth factor, enjoy

here are a few more pics:

Cafiza (or other espresso machine cleaner) mixed in hot water is good for removing the oil and residue. Let the pieces soak in it for awhile and then use an old toothbrush to scrub clean. A box of TSP from Home Depot will work too, which is usually more readily available.

For new burrs, check out Chris' Coffee (http://www.chriscoffee.com/). Best price around.

Sheesh - looks terrible.

One tip for coffee grime is a wire brush wheel for your drill

And for burrs I go to these places first:
http://www.chriscoffee.com/products/home/mazzerparts (you might get a new doser lens too)

http://stores.ebay.com/Phaelon-Coffee

(I hope the links work)

ew.

That was gross looking. I'm glad you finally gave your Super Jolly the respect that it needed. Congrats! They are great grinders for sure.

When I replaced my Major's burrs I got them from Phaelon Coffee. Recommended.