What to do when a coffee grinder gets stuck? Can you wash a coffee grinder with water? How to disassemble grinder burrs? How to clean and maintain an Ek43?

Why Grinder Maintenance Matters

Beans aside, the grinder plays a crucial role in brewing a good cup. How uniform the grounds are, and whether the grinder produces excessive fine powder, largely decide how the coffee performs in the cup.

We can't overlook the machine's inherent quality, but cleaning and maintenance matter just as much. Without regular cleaning, even the best grinder will break down sooner or later.

The Hidden Problem: Coffee Retention

From the outside the machine may look fine, but once we open it up we find coffee powder tucked into every corner. As everyone knows, grinders experience what's called "coffee retention": you load 15 grams of beans, and only 14.x grams come out.

Several factors cause this. First, the burr area has a certain amount of space where powder stays after grinding, whether from incomplete discharge or from inertia. Second, static electricity generated during grinding makes powder cling to nearby objects, whether other coffee particles or the corners of the grinder, and the problem gets worse in dry weather. On top of that, the lipids released from beans during roasting, especially in darker roasts, leave traces on the burrs during grinding, which not only creates odors but makes powder stick to surfaces.

If these issues aren't cleaned up promptly, they affect not just the extraction and performance of the grounds that follow but also pose a risk to the health of the burrs. So we need to care about grinder cleaning and maintenance to reduce the impact of residual powder and buildup.

Maintenance Before Grinding

Before grinding beans, there are two things to keep in mind. First, with electric grinders, start the machine before adding beans. Every machine needs time to spin up, grinders included: the burrs take roughly 0.5-1 seconds to reach stable rotation from a standstill. If we pre-load beans into the burr chamber, they become an obstacle during startup and increase resistance.

This may not cause immediate trouble, but over time, especially with small household grinders, it can dull the burrs or cause the machine to fail. So start the grinder first, then add beans. The second point is "purging." Before grinding the beans we actually intend to use, we typically grind a few beans of the same variety first to dislodge any powder trapped in the crevices and prevent flavor contamination.

Purging only clears foreign particles from the burr gaps, though. Dead corners inside the grinder and the oils that stick to the burrs during grinding won't come out that way. So we need to do a deep clean periodically to remove residual powder and oils from inside the machine, which extends the grinder's lifespan.

Deep Cleaning Methods

There are two approaches to deep cleaning: a simple version for beginners or anyone uneasy about disassembly, and a disassembly version for those confident with their hands. The simple version is exactly what it sounds like. Without taking the grinder apart, we only need specialized grinder cleaning tablets, which we grind in the machine. It works for all electric and manual grinders.

As they grind, the tablets directly remove residual oils and coffee powder, so there's no need for the trouble of disassembly. The recommended dose is about 40g per session, adjusted to your grinder model. One thing to note: after cleaning, the tablets leave some residue in the grinder, just like coffee powder does. So after grinding the cleaning tablets, we need to run coffee beans through for a purge, roughly twice the amount of the tablets and preferably split into 2-3 batches.

Since that takes a fair amount of coffee, FrontStreet Coffee suggests keeping some older beans or less appealing medium-light roasts on hand for the job. Dark roast beans aren't recommended, since the point is to clean up the stains a dark roast leaves behind. Once the burrs are clean, use an air blower, ideally a grinder-specific one, and brushes to remove the powder layer from the surface and interior of the machine.

Cleaning tablets often only reach the burr area, though, so those comfortable with hands-on work can disassemble the grinder after a tablet clean for a deeper pass at the dead corners, or simply disassemble it to clean. Disassembly isn't especially hard, but reassembly can be tricky if you end up with leftover parts. The process is broadly similar across brands. FrontStreet Coffee will demonstrate with the Ek43.

First, unplug the power cord for safety.

Then unscrew the screws in front of or above the burrs to remove them.

Remove all components and use brushes, cleaning cloths and other tools to clean the parts, the burrs and the surrounding area.

Many people wonder whether burrs can be washed with water. It's possible, but not recommended. Most burrs are made of stainless steel and resist rust, but they aren't completely immune, so if they can't be dried promptly, washing with water isn't advisable. Once they are fully dry, we can reassemble the burrs. Remember to follow the original assembly order to avoid leftover hardware.

How Often to Clean

That covers the general cleaning and maintenance routine for a coffee grinder. It isn't too difficult. With low usage, we can stretch the interval to about once a month. With frequent use, cleaning every two weeks or so should be enough.

- END -

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

A well-maintained grinder is only worth it if the beans are worth grinding, and FrontStreet Yirgacheffe Sun-dried Red Cherry is a rewarding starting point. One of the sweeter classics among light roasts, it comes from the famous Yirgacheffe region and was among the first to be processed as whole-ripe-cherry natural. Medium-light roasted, it smells of ripe fruit on the nose, opens with a clear fermented and berry character, and as it cools gives citrus acidity, a creamy smoothness and a ripe-grape juice finish.

For a sweeter, more layered cup, FrontStreet Strawberry Candy Geisha blends washed Panamanian Geisha with honey-processed Costa Rican coffee at a medium roast, showing caramel, raisin, dried fruit and a heady rose aroma. If you prefer something bright and juicy, FrontStreet Queen Estate Yellow Bourbon is a versatile pick that works in pour-over, French press, moka pot and espresso machine, with nut, cream, cane sugar and soft fruit acidity from its natural process.