How to Sharpen Coffee Grinder Burrs The Right Way

A blade grinder is a typical coffee grinder one could find in the house of a coffee lover. Over the years, your grinder might not even grind coffee as smoothly as it once did, and you may wonder how to sharpen coffee grinder blades.

Fortunately, the solution is pretty simple, so you won’t need to take the entire grinder to a specialist. These blades can be sharpened at home in a few easy steps.

If the blades still don’t operate smoothly after it, and you’ve owned your grinder for a few years, you might want to consider replacing it. You can choose from a variety of high-quality coffee grinders on the marketplace.

But if you’re not quite ready to say goodbye to your dependable grinder just yet, follow some steps to sharpen those blades so that you can continue grinding delicious coffee.

How are coffee grinder burrs sharpened?

Burrs have a more intricate structure than blades. As a result, removing them from the machine is challenging for manual sharpening.

Sadly, you have to change your burrs when they appear to be growing dull. Some manufacturers include a replacement burr with the equipment when you purchase. If not, you must find one to buy.

Nevertheless, if you use and maintain it properly, the burrs can typically last longer than a blade grinder. We suggest you only ground coffee in the coffee grinder and no other spices.

It will significantly aid in maintaining the burrs’ or blades’ initial level of sharpness. Don’t neglect that proper care and maintenance are also beneficial.

When to Sharpen the Blades of a Coffee Grinder

Drinking nasty coffee can be avoided by knowing when to sharpen your coffee blades. You might think something is wrong if your coffee starts tasting different even though you haven’t switched to new beans.

However, determining the exact cause of this change in taste is not always straightforward. There are various reasons why coffee does not taste as delicious as it should.

The reason could be the wrong grind size, an uneven grind, incorrect coffee measurements, incorrect temperature or water quality, or other factors.

To begin, simply check the blade edges. Please ensure that you turn off and disconnect the grinder first! When examining the blades, be careful since they can hurt you if they aren’t sharp. Touch the blades carefully to see if they are dull.

You will notice other dull blades indicators, such as coarser than expected grinds and clumps of remains in the chamber. Blade grinders often do not provide much control over the grind size desired. You will, however, have a notion of how finely the grinder typically grinds the beans.

How Can I Clean the Grinder Burrs?

• To make cleanup even more straightforward once you’re inside, empty the beans and run some Grindz through the machine. Take away the bean hopper.

• After depressing the grind adjustment lock, the upper burr carrier should be unscrewed entirely. Depending on the model of grinder you are functioning on, the direction will change.

Some grinders use tension springs and a fixing screw to maintain the grind adjustment collar instead of having an adjustment lock.

• There will be a burr within the grinding chamber connected to the motor shaft and one on the bottom of the burr carrier you just removed. (Two or three screws are used to secure each burr.)

The easiest step is to use a screwdriver to unscrew the screws holding the upper burr carrier’s burr to the burr and remove the old burr.

• The lower burr is connected to the motor shaft and will attempt to spin, making removal a little trickier. While loosening the burr attachment screws, hold the bottom burr carrier using a second screwdriver (or the adjustable screw on the fixing bolt).

By inserting a screwdriver through the chute or wedging something between two of the fins, you should take care to avoid scratching the surface of the grind chamber.

• Make sure to clean off all traces of coffee from the burrs’ mounting edges. Before installation, clean each adjustment thread on the top burr carrier. The whole burr area needs to be thoroughly cleaned right now.

If you’re using a vacuum, remove all the little pieces and springs before you start, and don’t empty them until the reassembly is finished.

• Install the fresh set of burrs after everything has been thoroughly cleaned. Alternately tighten each screw rather than tighten them all at once.

Once all the screws are evenly tightened, tighten each one a little at a time. This will guarantee that the burr is tightened evenly throughout to avoid any unevenness.

• By screwing it back in, the upper burr carrier is replaced. Just enough lubrication should be applied to your upper burr carrier’s clean threads to make them glossy. The grind chamber should not be contaminated by any extra lubrication.
• You must proceed with caution when reinstalling this part. You risk damaging the adjustment threads if you force the carrier into position (an expensive mistake).

The collar will drop into place and screw in much more quickly if you position the carrier and afterwards thread it backwards.

• You can switch the grinder back once the collar is in position and has been screwed in a few rounds. Screw the collar back down till you feel the burrs barely contacting when the bean hopper is off, and the power is on, then turn it back one-half turn.

You can switch the grinder back once the collar is in position and has been screwed in a few rounds.

Screw the collar back down till you feel the burrs barely contacting when the bean hopper is off, and the power is on, then turn it back one-half turn. From here, you may start “fine-tuning” your grind.

The upper carrier is probably out of alignment or cross-threaded if you notice that the grind is uneven or overly coarse, no matter how fine you go. Step 7 is repeated, and checking that the threads and carrier are correct may help fix the issue.

 Our Final Thoughts

Grinder maintenance is a crucial part of your home brewing adventure to have great-tasting coffee for as long as possible.

Remember to sharpen and clean your grinder frequently, and avoid getting any of the parts wet. Maintaining your grinder will stop dust and bean oil buildup from harming your machine.

You must look at some of the best beans to enjoy rich, fragrant coffee at home if your coffee is still not up to par.