Clean your grinder!!!

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boldstep

Clean your grinder!!!

Post by boldstep »

I've been wondering for a while why my shots have not been tasting as good as they once had; i've been regularly doing back flushes, changing the filters, verifying temps with a temp meter, etc. This morning after getting to the point where I was about to throw up my hands, I decided to clean the grinder as a last hope (although I didn't think it would make a big difference with taste, just maybe shot consistency due to the grind). I've never thoroughly cleaned it over the past 1.5 years so this morning I spent 1 hour scraping, wiping and vacuuming the macap doseless. The amazing thing is that the shot taste has dramatically improved! Now it tastes like it once did!! I highly recommend anyone who is experiencing the same thing, to clean their grinder - it does wonders!! Now I am :grin:
MDL
Barista
Posts: 329
Joined: Sat Apr 07, 2007 11:29 am
Location: San Diego

Re: Clean your grinder!!!

Post by MDL »

Yes, old, rancid oils do accumulate and influence the taste. I routinely run a cap of Grindz through my grinder every quarter and it seems to keep things in pretty good shape. I have heard that some folks use minute rice to clean their grinders, but I have never tried it.
Mark
JohnB

Re: Clean your grinder!!!

Post by JohnB »

It must have been pretty ripe after 1.5 years! I give my grinders a thorough cleaning at least once a month. Much easier to break down the Mazzers then my old M4. If you do that spring mod I posted it takes most of the work out of removing the Macap upper burr assy.
michael
God Shot
Posts: 214
Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2008 9:30 am

Re: Clean your grinder!!!

Post by michael »

are there any detailed postings about taking apart, cleaning and getting a mazzer mini e back together 8)
JohnB

Re: Clean your grinder!!!

Post by JohnB »

You could search on H-B & look at some of the rebuild threads. Looking at the pics on the CC site your Mini E is the same as my SJs & Major as far as removing the hopper/burr assys.

Mark your normal espresso setting on the collar with a Sharpie. Take out the screw that locks the hopper in place, remove hopper, remove the stop screw in the chrome adjustment collar & completely unscrew the adj. collar by turning clockwise/lift out. Lift the raised throat/upper burr assy off the springs & you now have access to both burrs. Using a brush & a vacuum you can suck out most if not all of the old grinds or if you are feeling really ambitious you can remove the 3 screws that hold each burr in place & clean under there. Be careful not to vacuum up the support springs as they just sit in the holes. After vacuuming I wipe the surfaces clean of all old oils using a cloth soaked with rubbing alcohol followed by a wet towel wipe & then wipe dry.

Since there is usually some coffee contamination of the grease on the threaded areas I clean those also & regrease(lightly) using the Lubri Film Plus food grade grease that CC supplys. Lots of food service sites sell this at a better price then CC but 1 tube will last a lifetime.

When reinstalling the upper burr assy make sure the hopper screw hole is facing towards the front or side so you can easily access the screw. Set the adjustment collar back on & slowly turn it counter clockwise until you feel it drop into the threads & then screw it back down slowly. Stop immediately if there is much resistance, back out & try again as you don't want to cross thread either piece. It should go in easily, just use common sense & you won't have any problems. You can either screw the collar down slowly with the grinder off until it comes to a stop (burr contact), back off half a turn, turn on the grinder, zero the burrs & return to your normal espresso setting or screw the collar down most of the way, turn on the grinder & continue until you zero the burrs, then reset to original marking. Reinstall the stop screw in the adj. ring & then replace the hopper & retaining screw.
michael
God Shot
Posts: 214
Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2008 9:30 am

Re: Clean your grinder!!!

Post by michael »

very helpful; just one foolish question

what exactly do you mean by zero the burrs and how do you do it 8)
JohnB

Re: Clean your grinder!!!

Post by JohnB »

michael wrote:very helpful; just one foolish question what exactly do you mean by zero the burrs and how do you do it 8)
Finding & marking your zero point should have been the first thing you did after plugging in your new grinder as it allows you to figure out a good starting point for your espresso grinding. Typically on the flat burr Mazzers your espresso grinding range will be 10-14 notches up from the zero point of your grinder.

Finding the zero point is easy: With the grinder running with no beans in the hopper or throat turn the adjuster ring counter clockwise (finer) until you hear the loud ticking noise of initial burr contact. As soon as you hear that sound turn the adjuster ring clockwise just far enough that the ticking stops. That is your zero point, mark it with a Sharpie on the ring. This will also come in handy when replacing the upper burr assy after a thorough cleaning. As your new burrs wear in(season) your zero point & espresso grinding setting will change so I always check it after a cleaning & correct the marking if different. Only the flat upper portion of each burr will contact so you aren't going to damage the burrs by zeroing but remember that you want to be moving the adjuster ring very slowly & back off quickly once you hear the ticking sound.
michael
God Shot
Posts: 214
Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2008 9:30 am

Re: Clean your grinder!!!

Post by michael »

never did that when i first got the mazzer mini e grinder; just tried to grind the espresso between the two set marks on the adjustment collar, which of course turned out not to work, and eventually found the correct range on the grinder for most beans; i currently grind outside of the two points on the sticker affixed by mazzer on the collar

what is the purpose of the stop screw on the collar?

does it matter if you nver zero the burrs?
JohnB

Re: Clean your grinder!!!

Post by JohnB »

michael wrote:never did that when i first got the mazzer mini e grinder; just tried to grind the espresso between the two set marks on the adjustment collar, which of course turned out not to work, and eventually found the correct range on the grinder for most beans; i currently grind outside of the two points on the sticker affixed by mazzer on the collar

what is the purpose of the stop screw on the collar?

does it matter if you nver zero the burrs?

The screw is there to "stop" the collar from unscrewing by itself while the grinder is running. Of course the Mazzer threads are so tight the only way this could happen is if you've damaged the threads & they've gotten sloppy. I don't use the screws on either of my Majors as the handle is "required" to budge the adjustment collar.

If you don't zero the burrs at least once within 24 months of first running the grinder an internal timer will cut off the power supply. :twisted:
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