How To Clean A Burr Grinder? 8 Steps Guide For Coffee Lovers

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Keeping your coffee grinder clean is key to making your brew taste amazing. Each coffee deserves to have a fresh coffee grinder if you want the true taste of different beans that you use. It is mandatory to learn how to clean a burr grinder.

The taste of your coffee has a definitive impact on it starting from its point of inception to when it is harvested and washed.

The coffee bean you buy has crossed all these crucial stages keeping its maximum flavors intact, to ruin all these efforts just because of a grinder mistake would be a matter of great shame.

Not cleaning and properly maintaining your coffee grinder would lead to a lower lifespan for your machine and bad coffee, which you certainly don’t want.

How To Clean A Burr Grinder

Once you thoroughly go through this guideline and practice a couple of times, grinder cleaning isn’t that hard of a job in reality.

Let’s get you to learn how to clean a coffee grinder properly.

The Easy Steps & A Complete Guideline Of How To Clean A Burr Grinder

Let’s face it – How Do I Clean My Coffee Grinder? Or, How To Clean A Coffee Grinder Properly?

We are all procrastinators, and when it comes down to cleaning you might have the urge to keep it at bay for as long as possible but as we have mentioned above, it ain’t that hard.

To start with, you are going to need some cleaning materials. Now, all of them are not an absolute necessity, but we are setting a typical example here. After cleaning burr grinder a couple of times, you may develop your own routine and customized process.

You might want to specifically know the process of cleaning Capresso burr grinder, or how to clean Baratza encore or other burr coffee grinders.

How To Clean A Burr Coffee Grinder
How To Clean A Burr Coffee Grinder

In reality, the cleaning process is almost similar for all the different grinders out there.

To begin with, first off, you’ll need some cleaning essentials.

  1. A grinder brush or a toothbrush or something similar
  2. Cotton swabs
  3. Wooden toothpicks
  4. Screwdriver
  5. Spare coffee beans for seasoning
  6. A washcloth or lint-free cloth
  7. A vacuum cleaner or compressed air blower
  8. Coffee grinder cleaning pellets

Now, don’t get shocked upon reading this huge list. You are going to need only a couple of them depending on the type of cleaning you are aiming for.

There Are Three Types Of Cleaning Rituals That You Need To Follow:

Day Cleaning:

After a day-long use, before you call it a day, just simple dusting with a coffee grinder brush and cotton swabs is recommended. Also, the exterior catches on some grounded coffee, for which you would want to use a dampened cloth to gently wipe it. It is going to take two to three minutes max.

Regular Cleaning:

This is a much more thorough cleaning that you do every week that can take up to 10 to 15 minutes depending upon your process.

Deep Cleaning:

This one requires much more time and dedication and is done less often. A deep clean is needed once in a while which boosts your grinder performance. Usually, it can take 20 to 30 minutes.

As you keep using the burr grinding machine, oil residue builds up, and a lot of grounded coffee remains all over the inside parts.

The fact that you have gotten yourself a burr grinder is because you want fresh coffee that has the best possible taste. So that you can consume its caffeine and obtain all the amazing benefits of drinking coffee.

(By the way, do you know how much caffeine is in your cup of coffee? Before this, as a coffee enthusiast, you should also know where do coffee beans come from and the coffee history, isn’t it?)

Now imagine that your coffee has some of the grounded beans from the last day.

How would you take it?

It is simply counterintuitive to the main reason why you got your grinder in the first place.

First Step:

Run your empty grinder for few seconds to remove any as much coffee grind as you can from the burrs.

Second Step:

Unplug The Coffee Grinder
Unplug The Coffee Grinder

You need to start by unplugging your electric burr coffee grinder, believe it or not, people often forget to follow a simple step like that.

Third Step:

Clean Coffee Grinder Bean Hopper
Clean Coffee Grinder Bean Hopper

You can take apart the hopper, which is through where you feed your coffee beans in the machine. Secondly, the container that holds the ground beans should also come apart.

These parts are usually dishwasher safe but you should still check using the manual guide from the company.

Be extra careful if your hopper and bin are made out of glass.

You can use soap water or a dry cloth to properly clean and wipe out the oils and grounded coffee lingering to the sides.

Fourth Step:

Coffee Grinder Cleaning Brush
Coffee Grinder Cleaning Brush

Next, you need to take off any rubber seal or protector if there is any and get the debris or dirt out of it by using the soft brush, this seal helps in catching the coffee grounds from entering the cavity of the machine.

Now take apart the top burr and brush off the coffee dust, make sure the brush gets rid of all the solid leftovers.

Fifth Step:

Burr Grinder Deep Cleaning Ritual
Burr Grinder Deep Cleaning Ritual

The lower part of the burrs usually doesn’t come off easily, hence you don’t wanna take it out if you are not doing a deep cleaning ritual.

Use your coffee grinder cleaning brush to loosen the solid coffee dust in the inside of the machine, and if you want a thorough cleaning, then use your vacuum cleaner to suck up the dust particles. Or you can simply use an air blower intuitively.

If needed, take a screwdriver, and carefully take the machine apart, make sure to follow the instruction manual provided by the company. You don’t want to be opening up the entire machine for no reason.

The small springs and screws that you’ve taken apart all need to be kept under careful administration for you to be able to put your machine back to one piece successfully.

Use a cotton swab to clean small chutes in the machine, where your brush can’t reach. Clean up the oil buildup and bend the swabs to help reach nooks and crannies.

Shake off any excess dust with a smack till there is none.

Sixth Step:

Cleaning Feeder Channel of Burr Grinder
Cleaning Feeder Channel of Burr Grinder

Make sure to poke with your cotton swab in the chute (feeder channel) from where the grounded coffee falls into the bin. Turn the grinder upside down and shake it with a couple of slaps to make sure all the grounded beans fall off.

Seventh Step:

Assemble Your Grinder Back After Cleaning
Assemble Your Grinder Back After Cleaning

Before you assemble your grinder back, make sure it is thoroughly clean and dry.

You don’t want any water to be in there.

Moisture can help in rust building around the burrs and other components.

You’ll have to assemble it all in the right order for it to work, make sure the grinder has all its part in the right grid lines, it should work just fine as long as you’ve got it settled in right. Check after assembling

Eighth Step:

Although it is not an absolute must, seasoning your grinder can help it attain the maximum robustness to your brew.

After you clean your grinder and want your next cup of coffee, season it with a little bit of the same coffee beans so that you don’t lose any taste.

Let’s Watch a Video Review: How to Clean a Burr Coffee Grinder

That’s all the easy 8 steps process to clean your burr coffee grinders. Now you can apply the same process to your coffee maker with a built-in grinder and your super-automatic espresso machine at home as you know all the super-automatic coffee machines have an integrated burr grinder.

For example, we have detailed review articles on some coffee machines which have integrated/ built-in burr grinders, those are respectively on Saeco Picobaristo, then Delonghi ESAM3300 Magnifica, then Breville oracle touch, then Breville barista express, and finally on Cuisinart DGB 900bc. If you guys are using any of these machines, start to apply this burr grinder cleaning process at your home from today and continue. 

You, who are the owner of a coffee shop or cafe, using commercial espresso machines, you are also using commercial coffee grinders like Nuova Simonelli Mythos. So, start to apply this cleaning process also at your commercial place from now onwards.

In order to get your desired perfect grinds (medium-fine) for your automatic pour-over coffee makers, you also need a burr grinder. So, here also you have to learn how you will clean your burr coffee grinder.

How Often Should You Clean Your Burr Grinder?

(How Often Clean Coffee Grinder)

How Often Clean Coffee Grinder

The intensity of cleaning a coffee grinder varies on an individual’s usage.

If you are making different types of coffee and using different beans, you don’t want to get a horrible taste as different grounded beans get mixed.

To taste the real beans, you need to keep the grinder clean daily.

You are supposed to lightly clean the grinder every day as the day ends.

You simply don’t want stale coffee beans when you crave a fresh cup of coffee as the first thing tomorrow morning.

It’s just basic cleaning and dusting that takes a couple of minutes.

On average, a weekly light cleaning is encouraged, and it is a must if you are regularly using it.

This is where you spend more than a couple of minutes and go through the cleaning process we have mentioned above.

And you need to go for a deep cleaning once every month. You can extend it up to two months if you are a light user.

Also, if you feel any alteration in your coffee taste or if your grinder is not working properly, go for a thorough clean before you start lamenting about how sorry you are for your bad luck.

Usually, the grinder will be back in action at full speed after it gets a thorough cleaning.

How To Use Coffee Grinder Cleaning Tablets And Which Is The Best Coffee Grinder Cleaning Tablet?

We also have a detailed article on how to clean a coffee maker with vinegar, in case if you want to check that out.

Coffee Grinder Cleaning Tablet

Arguably, Urenex Grindz burr grinder cleaner is among the bests you can find in the market right now.

Using coffee grinder cleaning tablets is a lifesaver and can help you when you are in a hurry.

They are quite great for pulling out the oil that builds over time in the corners that you can’t easily reach.

Cleaning tablets provide an easy cleaning solution without having to pull apart the entire machine.

Grindz Burr Grinder Cleaner

If you want to buy Urnex Grindz professional coffee grinder cleaning tablets, Just click the below button or on the photo

Simply run the burr grinder to remove extra grounded coffee and then turn it off so that you can wipe away as much oil as you can without using too much of your elbow grease.

Next, you put the recommended amount of cleaning tablets into the hopper and run the machine again.

Before you make your next batch of coffee, simply run some coffee beans to season the burrs and remove the cleaning tablet residue.

This simple yet effective cleaning ritual will ensure a longer and better life for your precious machine.

Can You Clean A Burr Coffee Grinder With Rice?

(How To Clean Coffee Grinder With Rice?)

How To Clean Coffee Grinder With Rice

It is doable and a lot of people do it, however, it is certainly not recommended.

Some rice grains are hard and not suitable for burr coffee grinders; using them can eventually damage your burr grinding machine.

Besides that, some companies are unwilling to provide warranty support if you use rice to clean your burr coffee grinder. I hope that gives you a strong signal to go against it.

The process of cleaning with rice is pretty simple. It removes the extra work of disassembling your burr grinder.

One simply has to put ½ cup of dry rice and grind them until the result is white rice powder without any coffee powder in them. Repeat the process until the end result is satisfactory.

This way, the rice pulls out the oils and other coffee residues.

Just grind some extra coffee to season the burrs before you use it next time.

Let’s Watch a Video Review: Clean Your Burr Coffee Grinder With Rice

How To Clean Manual Burr Grinder?

How To Clean A Manual Coffee Grinder

A lot of people might ask “How do you clean a manual burr coffee grinder?” since it might seem to have a different process than cleaning an electric burr coffee grinder.

It is not a whole lot of different. The core idea stays the same. Use dry cloth and cotton swab to wipe of excess oil and residue.

It’s quite easy to pull apart a manual burr coffee grinder piece by piece. Take off the hopper and the rubber seal first. Clean them thoroughly.

Then unscrew the nut structure and a spring would come out. Be careful not to lose any small parts.

Carefully reassemble after cleaning and voila, you are done.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can I Grind Cocoa Beans In A Coffee Grinder?


Simply put – you shouldn’t. Because burr grinders are designed for coffee beans only.

Besides that, cocoa beans have oily components that can build up and affect the performance of your grinder and the taste of your coffee.

Can I Grind Spices, Grains, Or Seeds In A Burr Grinder?


Absolutely not. Grinding something else in your grinder can ruin the burrs and damage the machine altogether.

Spices, seeds, or grains have different hardness, texture, and taste. You simply can’t use a coffee grinder for spices or anything of that sort.

Grinding anything else other than coffee beans in your burr coffee grinder runs the risk of running the whole machine, and ruining the taste of your coffee is guaranteed.

How Long Does A Burr Coffee Grinder Last?


It depends on a lot of different things and cannot be answered accurately.

A rough estimate is about 5 to 7 years, given that you have maintained it properly and it is a good machine from a good brand.

Conclusion

With proper care comes proper service.

We hope that now you are totally ready to clean your coffee grinder without any excuse.

Now you know it and you gotta do it.

Learning how to clean a burr grinder wasn’t definitely that hard. It’s a no brainer – regularly clean and do proper maintenance to get great coffee and make the machine last longer.  So, keeping your coffee grinder clean would get your coffee a character for you to relish.

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