Re: Cleaning your grinder?
After putting through some Grindz, the resultant ground particles looked like an even mix of old ground coffee and this white Grindz stuff.
I proceeded to grind some fresh beans and the first handful of beans into the hopper did push out more of the white Grindz particles out, but I was able to sweep more out of the chute with my brush.
Which goes to show that even if Im "purging" my grind chute of old coffee grind with fresh coffee grind, there will *still* be old grind sitting there, i.e. its not a first come first served basis for the way the grind comes out of the chute.
Anyway, after another handful of beans, the grind looked acceptably Grindz free.
So the product seems to work, as the smell is gone, but a true test would be to inspect the burrs. But I dont have the time to do that.
Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
Cleaning your grinder?
Collapse
X
-
Re: Cleaning your grinder?
It will be easy to distinguish the cleaning agent from the grind, as it is a different colour.
Ill grind some beans this morning and see whether the cleaning stuff remains in the grind after the first lot of beans have come through.
More info shortly.
- Flag
Leave a comment:
-
Re: Cleaning your grinder?
Me too Mal.Originally posted by Mal link=1175149027/15#24 date=1178635367In my case, Ive got plenty of time to do these sorts of things and I prefer to do it myself anyway..... Horses for courses,
Mal.
When I do service my grinder I find far more old grinds in places other than the burrs.... in fact the burrs are pretty clean.... most of the junk is around the grinding chamber, on the burr carrier (and under the bottom burr).
Now I doubt that any cleaning agent will remove that.... my biggest worry would be it would swap some of the stale coffee with the removal agent..... which would then mix with the fresh coffee you were grinding latter..... so you really need to strip the grinder to clean out the cleaning agent
Either that or grind a kilo or two of beans to waste to get rid of it.
Seems a bit pointless to me. :-/
I just think an occasional strip and clean of the grinder is more effective.... and better value for money as well.
- Flag
Leave a comment:
-
Re: Cleaning your grinder?
Guess you have to balance it against the time it would take you to dismantle the grinder, clean and reassemble. In my case, Ive got plenty of time to do these sorts of things and I prefer to do it myself anyway..... Horses for courses,Originally posted by tempestv8 link=1175149027/15#23 date=1178612152Its a real bummer how expensive this product is - 480 grams of Grindz for around $60.
Mal.
- Flag
Leave a comment:
-
Re: Cleaning your grinder?
Got my bottle of Grindz and followed the instructions by placing a capful of the "beans" into the hopper and set the grind level to medium (what is a "medium grind" I dont actually know).
It ground out all the bits of coffee grind from the burrs, but theres no way I can tell how effectively its worked without dismantling the grinder. And since I do not have the time nor the inclination to do this at this point in time, I left it.
I did do a "sniff" test after I swept out all the Grindz grinds (which had coffee particles in it) and both the hopper and the doser now smelt a lot better.
The rancid smell which came across to my olfactory nerves as something "acidic" has been replaced by a more muted smell, which seems more "sour" and definitely a lot closer to the smell of ground coffee.
So I think the Grindz product seems to be working as advertised.
Its a real bummer how expensive this product is - 480 grams of Grindz for around $60.
- Flag
Leave a comment:
-
Re: Cleaning your grinder?
I would hazard a guess and say the odours come from everything but the burrs. With constant use, they pretty much clean themselves. But surrounding areas not subject to as much friction may collect residual grounds and oils.
-Robusto
- Flag
Leave a comment:
-
Re: Cleaning your grinder?
Well I wouldnt do it.... soaking PFs in cleaner starts to attack the brass over time.. They will attack metal if left soaking..... and the burrs have sharp cutting edges which would be the first to be attacked.Originally posted by rice link=1175149027/15#20 date=1178071814re soaking burrs in cleaner:
I wonder if soaking the burrs in espresso cleaner for long periods of time could cause pitting to the metal surface and then the onset of rust? Anyone got any opinions?
I dont put quality carving knives etc in a dishwasher as the detergent will dull the edge - but hand wash them..... and I do the same with coffee burs (when required)... and because rice is much harder than coffee I wouldnt use that in the grinder either - I want to keep the edges on the burrs.
- Flag
Leave a comment:
-
Re: Cleaning your grinder?
Hiya reubster,Originally posted by reubster link=1175149027/15#16 date=1177977998Ive just picked up a 4 year old grinder, and it too smells a little rancid...
Im really interested to hear how well GRINDZ works.
Rice, can you elaborate anymore?
This may be a dumb question, but if I removed my burrs, can I just clean them with correcto [or another espresso detergent]?
Would the strength of the solution be the same as for a back-flush clean?
Grindz sounds like it would be perfect for your situation with a skanky smelling grinder. I find it to do a great job with stripping coffee oils from the burr teeth.
For other areas, I used a strong solution of cafetto to water (1:10) and some cotton buds and toothpicks.
Espresso machine cleaners need a bucketload of rinsing with clean water to remove thoroughly.
re soaking burrs in cleaner:
I wonder if soaking the burrs in espresso cleaner for long periods of time could cause pitting to the metal surface and then the onset of rust? Anyone got any opinions?
- Flag
Leave a comment:
-
Re: Cleaning your grinder?
anyone in Perth interested in splitting (in twos or threes) a 12 dose tub of Grindz?
the big tub works out to $5.50 per clean (including postage).
PM me...
L
- Flag
Leave a comment:
-
Re: Cleaning your grinder?
The grinder was clean when I bought it and it didnt smell then.
Its definitely not melted wiring, or machine oil, but the smell of stale coffee. Maybe my tolerance is lower than most? I noticed that the last batch of beans that I put in it were *very* oily. Probably slightly on the stale side, Im guessing.
I did think that 3 weeks is too short a time frame to require grinding, but when I take a whiff from the hopper or the doser, its not that pleasant "just roasted" smell, but a smell of stale old coffee beans, kinda hard to describe. In a way it smells "acidic" if that makes any sense.
Anyway, Ill know once I get some Grindz and run some through the machine whether or not it is because of the old grinds or something else.
Lawrance
- Flag
Leave a comment:
-
Re: Cleaning your grinder?
reubster....
Firstly rice makes a horrible mess and will just replace one form of "gunk" with another - which you then must remove......
When I removed the burrs I just used walm water with some detergent (and a scrubbing brush), gave them a good rinse and dried them well. Backflushing detergent should be OK but Ive never tied it (or found it necessary).
After 4 years there would be grounds trapped under the bottom burr and in all sorts of other places if it hasnt been vacuumed out or a click clack lid used to "blow" out the loose grinds from time to time. You might also find the hopper interior, the burr carriers etc are coated with coffee oil (especially if it has been used with over roasted "commercial" coffee beans)... and all these will produce the rancid smell.
Once cleaned a grinder shouldnt develop a rancid smell.... certainly not in 3 weeks.
- Flag
Leave a comment:
-
Re: Cleaning your grinder?
Ive just picked up a 4 year old grinder, and it too smells a little rancid, I suspect it has not been well maintained.
After some basic cleaning [I have yet to remove burrs] and a lot of grinding with fresh coffee, it smells a lot better but Ill need to do a full pull apart and clean before Im happy.
In my case the rancid smell could not be mistaken for electrical/burnout, it was definately an organic/compost like odour.
Im really interested to hear how well GRINDZ works.
Rice, can you elaborate anymore?
Tempestv8, please let us know how you go.
This may be a dumb question, but if I removed my burrs, can I just clean them with correcto [or another espresso detergent]?
Would the strength of the solution be the same as for a back-flush clean?
- Flag
Leave a comment:
-
Re: Cleaning your grinder?
Mmmm either that or the motor is about to depart this earthOriginally posted by Dennis link=1175149027/0#14 date=1177941272Im presuming your grinder was new 3 weeks ago and not 2nd hand. If the machine is fairly new, maybe the rancid smell might be something like a machine lubricant that is heating up when the machine is running?
overheated insulation smells quite bad as well....
But no way should there be a "rancid" smell after just three weeks..... my La Cimbali runs months between cleans other than brushing out any loose grinds and wiping any oil from the hopper...... and no rancid smell thats for sure!
- Flag
Leave a comment:
-
Re: Cleaning your grinder?
Im presuming your grinder was new 3 weeks ago and not 2nd hand. If the machine is fairly new, maybe the rancid smell might be something like a machine lubricant that is heating up when the machine is running?Originally posted by tempestv8 link=1175149027/0#11 date=1177932307Ive noticed that theres a really rancid sort of smell coming from the grinder, which I suspect is old coffee oils. :-X
...Ive only used my grinder for 3 weeks and it smells, so I think Ill be cleaning it on a fairly regular basis, i.e. maybe once every month. Ill report back once Ive tried the product. 8-)
- Flag
Leave a comment:
-
Re: Cleaning your grinder?
3 weeks?
Doesnt sound right.
Even if it wasnt cleaned out often, the older grinds should be pushed through by the fresh grinds and Im assuming you are grinding daily.
- Flag
Leave a comment:

Leave a comment: