Removing taste of flavored coffees from used grinder

Grinders are one of the keys to exceptional espresso. Discuss them here.
einstein
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#1: Post by einstein »

I got a la cimbali grinder and the previous owner used flavored beans, how do i get that taste out?

Thanks for any help, would grindz or rice or something else work?


Matt

kize
Posts: 271
Joined: 13 years ago

#2: Post by kize »

Its my understanding that grindz removes the leftover traces of coffee and its oils. Manufacturer states it is rice based. Ive never used the stuff but heard good things. I would try it - before going to the next level. Which would be the tear down and manual deep cleaning.

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LaDan
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#3: Post by LaDan »

If you got it used, I'd take the grinder parts out so that I can manually clean everything in there and start from a "clean slate". You don't know what kind of junk you've got there. Take a hard bristle toothbrush and clean that out. Vacuum. Paper towel with alcohol for the oil and flavor residue.

After that, run some of your own good coffee to coat the burrs with some of your coffee oil since the alcohol dries that out. The oil from your good beans gives it some protection coat.

I wouldn't even bother with Grindz in your case. You don't even know what you have there inside.

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aecletec
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#4: Post by aecletec »

Excellent method from LaDan there, followed it for my ex-cafe grinder and worked a treat - it didn't smell... tasty when I got it, the dust and oils were stuck everywhere! It turned out super clean with just a bit of scrubbing, no residual funky flavour etc.

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cannonfodder
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#5: Post by cannonfodder »

Joe-Glo worked for me. On my Bunn, which had moldy beans in the burrs. I did a full tear down and washed everything in Joe-Glo using hot as you can stand water. That helps lift the oils off the metal and plastic. Then a good drying so nothing rusts.
Dave Stephens

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HB
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#6: Post by HB »

LaDan wrote:If you got it used, I'd take the grinder parts out so that I can manually clean everything in there and start from a "clean slate".
It's an old thread, but that's what Dave documented in Reviving an Abused Cimbali Max.
Dan Kehn