Erin Doman on October 7, 2015 0 Comments If you are one of the many coffee drinkers that enjoys grinding your own beans, you are probably also one of the many people wondering how to properly and completely clean your coffee grinder. Did you know that keeping your coffee grinder clean can actually change the quality of your favorite morning beverage? There are a few different tips and tricks you can try to clean your coffee grinder. Before you start putting all of the time and effort into cleaning your grinder, you should understand why the practice makes such a difference. The Importance of Cleaning Your Coffee Grinder There’s something you already know about this brew that you may not really think about: coffee is organic. In other words, your beverage is derived from living matter. Like other organic products, it is perishable and degrades when it is exposed to air and heat. What does this mean for the residue left in your coffee grinder? The longer the ground coffee is left inside the grinder, the more heat and oxygen it is exposed to, and the more heat and oxygen it is exposed to, the more the ground coffee is going to degrade. The degrading of these ground up beans means that your drink will taste worse than it would if it were freshly ground. If you leave the grounds in the coffee grinder, you will never be truly certain that you are getting freshly ground beans because the majority of grinders recirculate their contents. That means that if you really want freshly ground beans, you have to at least occasionally clean out your coffee grinder. Not only will regular cleaning of your grinder keep your java fresh tasting, but it will also ensure that you get grounds in your target particle size. Most grinders can be set to fine or coarse sizes. If you do not clean it out, there will be more and more particles smaller than you want. The problem with super-fine particles is that they are more susceptible to oxygen and heat. That means that they will degrade faster. Over time you will have a crust of fine grounds in hard-to-reach parts of your grinder that will leave your cup of morning coffee tasting sour. Cleaning your coffee grinder is important because it will ensure that you get a wonderful tasting cup of coffee each time you need one. Now that you know why it’s important, it’s time to learn the how-to. Cleaning the Coffee Grinder Different parties suggest different cleaning schedules. When it comes down to it, it is up to you to decide how often you want to or are able to clean your coffee grinder. It also depends on how often you use your grinder in general. Some suggest cleaning the grinder after each use while others suggest doing it once a week. Find what works for you, and stick to your schedule. Cleaning the grinder regularly will make the process consistently easy. There are a few different cleaning methods that you may be looking for. If you want to get rid of some of those small particles stuck way down in the coffee grinder as quickly as possible you can try these easy cleaning methods: Rice: Take a handful of uncooked instant rice, and run put it in the grinder. Run the grinder for about a minute, or until the rice looks like dust. The rice will remove trapped grounds and help get rid of bad odors. Dump the rice. You want to repeat this process until the rice comes out clean and white. Salt: Run some kosher salt through your grinder. The salt absorbs the oils and odors without making any of its own. Like with the rice, you may have to run salt through a couple of times to really dislodge all of caked on particles. Bread: If you don’t have rice and don’t want to use salt, you can also try cleaning your grinder with stale, white bread. This works similarly to salt and rice, but with this method you are not necessarily using food that is still edible. Again, you may want to run bread through a couple of times to really work the bad stuff out. Oatmeal: Some suggest that you can also use oatmeal to the same end. Sugar: Sugar can also be used similarly, but this is one of the methods that can really help with bad odor more so than leftover particles. No matter which of these methods you try, make sure to wipe the coffee grinder down once you’re done. You should use a dry paper towel to initially wipe it down, then use a damp paper towel and then a dry one once more. You may even want to purchase a grinder brush, which you wash easily in the dishwasher. Step-by-Step: Deep Cleaning Your Grinder If you’re looking to do a really deep clean, you can try following these steps: Grind whatever is left in the grinder. Put extra coffee into a sealed bag. Turn off the power and remove plug from outlet. Remove the hopper, hopper lid, grind chamber and grind chamber lid. These components can be washed by hand with hot, soapy water. Make sure they are dried thoroughly before being put back into use. Use a toothbrush or similar brush to get hard to reach places after you have removed the hopper. Remove the burr grinder. Use the brush or a damp cloth to remove grounds. Use compressed air to dislodge pesky particles over a garbage can. Wipe any areas you can reach with a damp cloth. Replace burr grinder. Make sure to rotate it until it is fully inserted, otherwise the hopper will not reattach properly. Wipe down the body of the grinder with your damp cloth. Using this cleaning method along with the other methods will help ensure that you have the best tasting cup of coffee every single morning. Maintaining Cleanliness Keeping your coffee grinder clean can be a big undertaking. However, it is a necessary and important process. By keeping your grinder clean, you will be able to ensure a better brew, which means you’ll always be able to start your mornings off right. Don’t let the quality of your coffee suffer due to a dirty coffee grinder. Clean your grinder thoroughly and regularly to ensure that you get the best brew in town. It will decrease the chances of brewing a sour cup of coffee in the morning. It’s also just a healthier and cleaner way to drink your morning cup of coffee.
