You can grind beans to make the best coffee at home with a good coffee grinder. Cleaning your coffee grinder can assist it to last for a long time and work well.
How Does a Grinder Work?
A coffee grinder is a device that breaks up entire coffee beans into shorter pieces. Many people who like coffee grind their beans home to make the freshest, strongest cup of coffee possible.
A coffee grinder can grind beans into different textures, from coarse to fine. This makes it perfect for making different kinds of coffee at home.
Two Types of Grinders
There are two main types of grinders for coffee beans, which are:
Blade grinder:
Like a blender, a blade grinder has two or three blades turned by a small motor. When the blades spin quickly, they break down the coffee beans.
A blade grinder can be used to grind more than just coffee beans. When you use a blade grinder to grind the coffee, the grounds may not be the same size.
Burr grinder:
A burr mill or burr grinder is only used to grind coffee beans. Burr grinders have a place to store the coffee beans on top, called a “bean hopper,” and a place to grind the beans on the bottom.
Beans are crushed between two rotating burrs: one in the middle and one on the outside. Burr grinders make coffee grounds that are all the same size.
Why Do You Require Me to Clean a Grinder?
It’s important to clean your coffee grinder often to ensure it keeps working well and makes your coffee taste better.
Oils
Coffee beans release oils when ground. Over time, the coffee oils will build up in the grinder and go bad, giving off a strange smell. The old oil will change how the coffee grounds and brewed coffee taste.
Coffee builds up
Old coffee grounds and dust collect in the coffee grinder, changing the coffee grounds’ flavors and the coffee made from them. When you utilize a blade grinder to grind spices, the leftover spices will stick to the blades and make your coffee taste different.
Performance
The blade will also get worn down by old oils and coffee bits that build up in the grinder. This will change how well and how long your grinder works.
How to Clean a Blade Grinder
According to the kind of coffee grinder, there are different ways to clean it. To clean a blade grinder, do the following:
- Fill the grinder with rice. Filling a blade grinder with uncooked rice until the blades are covered is the easiest way to clean it.
- Run the rice in the grinder. For about a minute, run the rice through the grinder. The rice will soak up the oils and remove any extra coffee grounds.
- Repeat the process. Pour more rice in and do this repeatedly until the grinder is clean.
- Wipe down the grinder. Unplug the grinder and wipe the inside with a damp cloth or paper towel. Make sure to clean every crack.
How to Clean up a Burr Grinder
The process of cleaning a burr coffee grinder can be hard work. To complete the process more comfortably, track these steps:
- Clean the hopper. After unplugging the grinder, please take out the bean hopper and empty it of any coffee beans. Utilize soapy water to wash the hopper.
- Take out all of the parts. Take out and wash with soapy water any plastic or rubber parts that can be taken out of the grinder, such as the grinding chamber.
- Get rid of the inside burr. You might require a screwdriver for such a step. Remove the inner burr.
- Scrub with a brush. Use a stiff brush, like a toothbrush, to remove coffee grounds stuck in the burrs. You may utilize a toothpick to get into tight spots.
- Wipe down the burrs. Use a damp towel to clean off the burrs.
- Clean the coffee chute. Clean the hole where the coffee beans go from the bean hopper to the grinder. For this, a cotton swab is a good tool.
- Let it dry. If you don’t want the burr grinder to rust, wait until all its parts are dry before putting them back together.
4 Cleaning Tips for Grinder Machines
Keep the following in mind when you clean a coffee grinder:
- Clean your coffee grinder frequently
If you use a blade grinder daily, you can clean it once weekly. You can wash a burr grinder once per month if you wipe it down with a cloth after each use. This makes it much easier to do a deep clean once a month.
- Use cleaning tablets
You don’t have to take apart your burr grinder to clean it. Instead, you can run special cleaning tablets through it.
- Avoid rice in burr grinders
You shouldn’t use rice to wash a burr grinder like you can with a blade grinder. The rice can hurt the burrs.
- Avoid water
You can clean the grinders with a damp cloth, but don’t run water over them, or they will rust. You may also utilize a dry microfiber cloth to pick up any coffee particles or oils on the cup.
Conclusion
People want to know how to clean grinders because they are becoming increasingly popular. There are many tools and ways to clean grinders. Look at the steps below to see how easy it is to clean a grinder.
To clean a grinder, take it apart, soak it in isopropyl alcohol for a min, and let it dry in the air. These easy steps will ensure their clean grinder stays in good shape for the year.