CrayonShinchan wrote:Also, very confused about what you had in parenthesis.

Sorry, my English isn't always as good as I would like it to be.

I was trying to say that if I do not correct the grind adjustment after putting the upper burr back in place, as the grind adjustment shifts significantly, eventually either:
A. I won't be able to adjust finer enough for some beans (the micro slider at fine will not be enough)
B. I won't be able to adjust coarse enough for some beans (micro slider at coarse will not be enough)

Instead of waiting for either one or the other to happen, I prefer to correct the adjustment just after cleaning.

From what I remember (I cleaned my Vario only 4-5 times since I got it), it either shifts finer or coarser, unpredictably. From what I understand of the Vario, only the grounds pushes the burrs apart, until they reach the cams, limiting the opening to the setting you've made. Also, the burr carrier being plastic, it may also explain why it shifts.

Note that I do not consider this to be a big issue with the Vario, as it doesn't need to be cleaned that often because of its good design.

OK, I admit I'm taking the "high road" here. I do not own a Vario and have never used GrindZ.

Steve, I would follow the manufacturer's recommendations to the letter. IIRC, they DO NOT recommend any rice-like product of any kind. They do, I think, recommend the use of GrindZ. So why not use it either at their recommended interval or something else? I appreciate your concern as regards $, but this is an expensive grinder to conduct experiments on.

To me, it's not the expense of the cleaning product, but rather the time, trouble, and expense of getting all of the cleaning product out of the grinder before the primo bean load-in.