How to Clean Manual Coffee Burr Grinder To Ensure You Get The Best Grinds

Is your freshly made coffee’s flavour compromised by rancid oils and used coffee grounds? The answer likely depends on how recently you cleaned your coffee grinder. Brewers and cups aren’t the only items that require cleaning. Coffee grinders also require frequent, thorough cleaning.

Coffee beans leave oils and tiny particles on the burrs as they are processed. Due to the accumulation of stale particles and rancid oils on fresh coffee beans, these deposits can adversely affect subsequent brews.

If you open up the burrs and notice a thin coating of dirt, your coffee is probably not the calibre you expect. If there is a thick coating of mud, likely, you haven’t been there recently. Fortunately, there is a simple solution: clean the burrs.

Fortunately, cleaning a coffee grinder is more accessible than most people imagine. A quick cleanup once a week goes a long way toward maintaining the health of your grinder. This guide is for you if you wish to learn how to clean a manual coffee grinder.

Why do coffee grinders need to be cleaned?

Manual burrs will eventually accumulate little coffee grounds and natural coffee oils, necessitating cleaning. Your coffee may taste different if you let these tiny particles and oils get.

Even freshly roasted beans taste muddy and stale when old coffee gets trapped in the grinder, giving your coffee a harsh, burned flavour.

Though your coffee doesn’t taste as tasty and incredible as it used to, even when you haven’t changed beans, it is a vital sign that your grinder must be cleaned. You’ll realize that it’s time for a good cleaning when this begins to occur.

Check Also: Best Burr Coffee Grinder For Your Home Cafe

Learn How to Clean Manual Coffee Burr Grinder

In general, hand grinders are more straightforward to clean. They are easier to disassemble for access to the inside since they have fewer moving components. For the inner burr, you might require a screwdriver to access the burr set.

Taking Apart Your Grinder

Start by disassembling the grinder. Do this on a smooth, uncluttered surface. To make the components visible and prevent them from being lost, lay a white cloth under the grinder.

Start by removing the handle, hopper lid, and ground catcher from the burr. The primary shell and the burr structure are all that are left. Unwind the adjustment knob and set it aside before removing the inner burr. A centrepiece on the inner burr may also be pushed in and taken out.

Pull out the spring, plastic washer, metal washer, and rod from the other side. Your hand grinder has now been completely dismantled. You may now thoroughly clean everything.

Clean your burrs

Use a soft brush to clean the burrs thoroughly. Here, you want to go carefully to inspect every nook and corner thoroughly. The result should be burrs so clean they might pass for brand-new.

Steel burrs should not be cleaned with water. Even if you believe you can dry them thoroughly, there is a considerable risk that you won’t, and they will rust. If you spend enough time with a brush, you won’t need to use any water.

Check Also: How Often to Replace Burrs on Coffee Grinder

Make the grinding chamber clean.

Burr cleaning is substantially more complex than cleaning the grinding chamber. You might even be able to put your grinding chamber in the dishwasher if it is made of plastic.

The best option is to clean the interior of the cylinder with a clean rag or a cotton towel. Cleaning the chamber to eliminate oil buildup is a good idea, even if no grounds are visible.

Make the grind catcher clean.

Don’t forget to clean your grinder’s detachable cup if it has one for collecting the grinds. They may be washed with soap and water or placed in the dishwasher because they are often made of one solid piece of plastic or glass.

Assembling the grinder again

After finishing everything, put the grinder back together by re-inserting the metal rod through the top. Next, insert the spring, metal washer, and plastic washer.

Once you’ve inserted the centrepiece, move the burr up the rod and into the outer burr. Turn the adjustment knob till the burrs are entirely closed by placing it on the rod’s thread. As expected, you may remove the burrs, count the clicks, and adjust your brewer’s settings.

Check Also: How Does a Burr Grinder Work

How to Make the Perfect Cup of Coffee?

The ingredients for a perfect cup of coffee are numerous. In addition to keeping your ground coffee and coffee beans in the proper storage conditions, you should also regularly keep your coffee maker and grinder clean.

Check Also: How to Sharpen Coffee Grinder Burrs

Our Final Thoughts

To make consistently great cups of coffee, you must clean your grinder frequently. It’s not as terrifying as it initially looks, and with experience, you can do it quickly.

To ensure you’re getting the most out of your grinder, read your owner’s handbook before you clean it for the first time and pay attention to the tips in this article.

We hope you’ve found this information to be useful and that it has inspired you to continue performing routine grinder maintenance! A little work goes a long way, and maintaining the health of your grinder will pay you in the long term.