If you use Grindz:

How often do you clean your grinder with Grindz?
Do you go by length of time?
If so, how long between Grindz cleanings?

Or do you clean after pushing a given amount through your grinder?
If so, how much?

How often do you actually disassemble and clean everything out in some other way?
Brush only?
Or, something else?

The manufacturer recommends cleaning with Grindz every week, but that seems a lot for typical home-use amounts. On the other hand, you don't want the oil and solids residue from grinding left in the path to get rancid.

If you've had experience with both, does Uncle Ben's work as well?
How would you compare them?

Thanks,
BDL

I personally do it once every 3-4 weeks. I also stick my nose in the collar once in a while to make sure things don't smell funny. If i detect any sourness or rancidness (is that even a word?), or if it's been a few months, i'll go ahead and disassemble the grinder and clean up everything using some brushes. I don't think any amount of Grindz will save you a least some periodic grinder disassembly and manual cleaning. The coffee just gets caked in the nooks and crannies.

Look up some older threads on this site to see the horror show that is a neglected grinder! Search for dirty grinder or mazzer... something like that.

I just read my post and it seems to be lacking some info.

I go through about a pound of coffee per week. I keep beans in the hopper most of the time, i do not single dose. Most of the blends i use are light to medium roasts, no oily stuff. There are many threads about rice versus Grindz that you can read. IMO Grindz was made to clean grinders and rice was designed by (choose your religion/god) to be eaten. Use Grindz, but most importantly, use your nose. That will tell you when you've pushed your luck too far. To clean the beast, use a combination of brushes and a vacuum cleaner. I wouldn't use compressed air nor would i use any kind of liquid in there.

Anyway, that's my take on it. Cheers.

spiffdude wrote:I wouldn't use compressed air

Why not?...Just asking.

Thanks for answering Dan. I have just been using the 12oz. aerosol can variety.

I dont use Grindz. Personal opinion, the coffee that gets caked in and stale is the fine powdery stuff. It ends up caked around the burr carrier and the little nooks and crannies. Grindz will not get that. You have to take it apart and brush it out to really clean it. I will use compressed air but I set the regulator on my compressor for around 40psi. I also blow the air in the opposite direction of the bean path, through the discharge chute not through the burr carrier. Just make sure the grinder is pointed away from you unless you want a shower of fine coffee dust.

I have a container of grindz and still don't use it. I have read the threads and seen the pictures of the caked debris. I don't see how those caked on grounds could affect my coffee. If I disassemble my grinder and clean every nook, the instant I grind the next bean, the caking begins and within one day, reaches the same level. Once the debris is caked, it remains stable and is of no concern to me.

The debris has oils in it. These oils go rancid after a time and will transfer rancid flavors to fresh coffee passing through the grinder.

You may not want to leave things caked for too long... if you're Starbucks, then some day down the road a home espresso enthusiast will buy yous SJ and have to clean out years of disgusting, caked up coffee grinds.

But I digress. I will sometimes use Grindz, but every so often I will remove the top burr and sweep everything out (on both grinders). To make this easier, I removed the top sheet metal cover from my Le'Lit grinder, so the only thing I need to remove to open up the burrs is the worm gear.