I heard you should put some bread in there to run it around

By lovetalkinfood on February 9, 2011 07:15 PM

Do not take your Capresso burr grinder apart. I put the metal ring in upside down and nothing will dislodge it. Stupid I know especially having done it once correctly. My punishment is having to buy ground coffee

By jofortune1 on August 23, 2009 01:43 PM

I use a blade grinder. I always clean mine after each use . . . which is every day. I use a round pastry brush which has firmer bristles and there is no needed to clean further with a paper towel.

By DGHolsen on August 22, 2009 08:46 PM

For me the issue isn't so much the grounds, nor even the actual grinding performance of the grinder. It is more about the funky off tastes and smells you get from the stale residue (presumably in the oils). I travel a fair bit and only use the grinder once or twice per week. So it has the chance to sit and fester between grindings. It then starts to smell like old stale coffee - like the...+READ

For me the issue isn't so much the grounds, nor even the actual grinding performance of the grinder. It is more about the funky off tastes and smells you get from the stale residue (presumably in the oils). I travel a fair bit and only use the grinder once or twice per week. So it has the chance to sit and fester between grindings. It then starts to smell like old stale coffee - like the preground coffee gets after it has sat around for a bit.

I have tried rice - the idea of using the converted rice is a good one. It probably will do less damage than the hard stuff I had been using.

Thanks for the thoughts-COLLAPSE

By seabird20 on February 5, 2009 10:59 AM

I find that grinding rice in a grinder works very well. I haven't tried the stale bread trick myself though.

If you have a burr grinder, set it to super fine, and grind a couple of cups of rice through it. Then blow the dust off, give it a wipe, and it'll be clean.

By Berkana on January 27, 2009 12:25 AM

I always clean mine after every use. I use a makeup brush my wife picked up for me. Dust it off like home plate(but upside down over the trash) , and wipe it out wit ha dry paper towel.

I only grind coffee beans in it. Anything else gets ground in my magic bullet.

By raiders757 on January 15, 2009 03:00 PM

I've been inspired. I just ordered Grindz; I'll post what I think of it when it arrives and I can test it (probably be close to 2 weeks).

By Scott_R on April 15, 2008 08:42 PM

Just to add about cleaning burr grinders: a lot depends on the grinder itself. Some grinders are built with a rather large chute between the bottom of the burrs and the grounds hopper, and this chute is often square. Grinds and such get caught here, especially in the corners. Take out the grounds container and reach up there with a cotton swab.
Also, don't just run a tablespoon of rice through:...+READ

Just to add about cleaning burr grinders: a lot depends on the grinder itself. Some grinders are built with a rather large chute between the bottom of the burrs and the grounds hopper, and this chute is often square. Grinds and such get caught here, especially in the corners. Take out the grounds container and reach up there with a cotton swab.
Also, don't just run a tablespoon of rice through: keep running it through until it comes out white.
And important tip I almost forgot: use dry "minute" (pre-cooked then dried) rice. Unless you have a pretty heavy-duty grinder, regular rice is hard enough to potentially damage it.-COLLAPSE

By Scott_R on April 15, 2008 08:15 PM

^ I found your first comment quite useful, thanks.

By Maxmillion on April 15, 2008 07:25 PM

1) if you have a blade grinder, dump it and get a good burr grinder
2) if you have a burr grinder, the issue isn't the old grounds, it's the oily residue that eventually accumulates. I've disassembled some older but regularly used burr grinders that have had some pretty nasty sticky residue in them from years of grinding. A couple of times a year, I run rice (uncooked!!) through, then grind some...+READ

1) if you have a blade grinder, dump it and get a good burr grinder
2) if you have a burr grinder, the issue isn't the old grounds, it's the oily residue that eventually accumulates. I've disassembled some older but regularly used burr grinders that have had some pretty nasty sticky residue in them from years of grinding. A couple of times a year, I run rice (uncooked!!) through, then grind some crappy beans to clean out the rice residue.
Urnex makes a product, Grindz Grinder Cleaner, that I've heard good things about but never tried.-COLLAPSE

By Scott_R on April 15, 2008 04:26 PM

I think this is (mostly) silly and obsessive. Every time you grind coffee you are doing exactly the same thing. It is self-cleaning! There are no "stale" grindings in there if you grind beans on a regular basis.

The ONLY time I wipe mine out is if I have ground hazelnut flavored beans (or say, peanuts). I have another grinder for that, though.
It's not a bad idea; it's just that (with the...+READ

I think this is (mostly) silly and obsessive. Every time you grind coffee you are doing exactly the same thing. It is self-cleaning! There are no "stale" grindings in there if you grind beans on a regular basis.

The ONLY time I wipe mine out is if I have ground hazelnut flavored beans (or say, peanuts). I have another grinder for that, though.
It's not a bad idea; it's just that (with the type of common grinder you used in the video) the concept of having nasty, old, stale residue lurking in there is flawed-COLLAPSE

By Scargod on April 4, 2008 05:29 AM

It's important what setting your burr grinder is at. It should be on espresso grind, to get the rice to pick up all the excess beans. After the rice is completely pulverized, tap out the contents of the grinder and brush out any excess with a pastry brush. If you want to ensure the grinder is completely clean, repeat this process until the rice comes out with no brown coffee specks in it.

By kramos on March 12, 2008 11:04 AM

I second that query. I have no idea how to clean mine and it's high time I learned!

By Maxmillion on March 11, 2008 11:42 PM