If you have invested in a premium home espresso setup, you already know that the grinder is the most important piece of equipment on your counter. You can buy the most expensive, freshly roasted coffee beans in the world, but if your grinder is dirty, your morning coffee is going to taste bitter and stale.
As coffee beans are crushed, natural oils and fine grounds get permanently trapped inside the mechanical burrs and the exit chute. This trapped coffee goes stale overnight and mixes with your fresh beans the next morning. It is time to step up your barista game and learn how to deep clean your grinder the right way.
The Golden Rule: Never Use Water
It is incredibly tempting to take the burrs out of your coffee grinder and wash them in the sink. Do not do this. The burrs in high-end coffee grinders are made from hardened carbon steel. If they come into contact with water, they will begin to rust almost instantly, completely ruining the sharpness of the blades and forcing you to buy expensive replacements.
Using a household vacuum cleaner is also problematic. The plastic nozzles are too bulky to fit inside the small hoppers, and you risk accidentally sucking up small, vital screws or springs from the machine.
Achieve "Zero Retention" in 3 Steps
In the coffee world, having no leftover grounds in your machine is called "zero retention." To achieve this safely, professional baristas use highly concentrated, dry air. Here is how to use the AirBlast Pro to detail your coffee station without taking the whole machine apart.
Step 1: Empty the Hopper
Close the gate on your bean hopper and remove it from the grinder. Turn the grinder on for a few seconds to let it grind any remaining beans that are currently sitting in the chamber.
Step 2: Blast the Burrs
Unplug the grinder from the wall. Take your AirBlast Pro with the precision nozzle and point it directly down into the grinding chamber where the burrs are located. Give it a few short, controlled bursts. The 110,000 RPM airflow will violently dislodge the compacted, oily coffee dust from the steel teeth, pushing it down the chute.
Step 3: Clear the Chute
Finally, point the duster up into the exit chute (where the coffee normally falls into your portafilter). A massive cloud of hidden, stale coffee dust will blow out. Wipe down the exterior of the machine with a dry microfiber cloth, and you are done.
Taste the Difference
By keeping a cordless electric duster next to your coffee station, you can quickly purge your grinder every time you switch bean roasts or finish a bag. Stop letting stale grounds ruin your expensive espresso, and start extracting the perfect shot every single morning.
