Seattle Coffee Gear: Blog

Ask The Experts: How Should I Clean My Grinder?

Your grinder may have a few nasty habits it's not too proud of: Namely, it's clingy and has difficulty getting rid of things. While we appreciate the packrat sentiment, it's important that you motivate your grinder to regularly clean up its act -- and since it's an inanimate object, you'll have to take the lead.

Depending on how much you grind, you'll want to remove excess grounds from the burrs on a regular basis -- home grinders should do this monthly, while cafe grinders will need to do it weekly. If it's easy for you to pop out the burrs on your grinder, do so and thoroughly brush the burrs free of any built up coffee grounds. If you can't easily get at the burrs, you can use a product such as Grindz, which is a hard, starchy product designed to clear out the oils and lodged particles from the burrs.

We have heard that some people use raw rice or wheat to achieve the same results as Grindz, which is a wheat-based food-friendly product. However, we haven't tried this out and don't know how successful or safe it is for your burrs.

In addition to the maintenance on the burrs, we also recommend wiping out the hopper regularly to cut down on oily build up that could become rancid over time.

Crew Review: Grinder Buying Guide

In the market for a new grinder? One refrain that resounds amongst espresso enthusiasts is that, if they had it to do all over again, they would have invested in a great grinder to begin with. Next to temperature, the fineness and consistency of the ground is one of the most important elements of excellent espresso.

We had Gail talk us through the different burr grinders that are available at Seattle Coffee Gear -- you can watch the three part video here.

Part 1: Introduction to grinders and reviews of the Capresso Infinity and Baratza series -- including the Maestro, Maestro Plus and Virtuoso


Part 2: More information on grinders plus reviews of the Rancilio Rocky Doser/Doserless and the new Baratza Vario


Part 3: Final installment discusses the high end consumer grinders available such as the Compak, Macap and Mazzer

Green Machine

We're all more conscientious these days about our environmental footprint -- what we do every day and how that impacts the world around us -- and our pocketbook. What started as a random inquiry every now and again eventually developed into a dull roar...people wanted to trade in their machines on new ones, and they wanted to find a way to keep their fully intact machine out of a landfill.

So we developed our Trade-in and Recycling Program to fill this need: Basically, we'll take a look at your current espresso machine or grinder and determine if has any resale value. If it does, we'll give you a store credit, then we'll clean up your old machine and find a new home for it. If the machine isn't worth refurbishing, however, we will break it down into all of its components, reuse any parts that are still good and then recycle most of the rest.

If you're interested in the program, just contact us and let us know the make, model, age and condition of your machine. We'll get back to you with a rough estimate and tell you how to deliver your machine to us. From there, we'll give it a final assessment and let you know the exact amount of your credit -- then you can choose a new, upgraded model!

The Great Grind Off: Burr vs. Blade

Home espresso enthusiasts often say that if they could change one thing about the early days of their espresso equipment purchases, they would have invested in a better grinder. While there are a multitude of factors that play a part in a high quality shot extraction, the impact of the coffee ground itself cannot be overstated.

The two types of grinders on the market are Burr or Blade -- so what are the differences between these two types of grinders and how do they work?

New! Baratza PortaHolder

Grab a few extra seconds in the morning with the Baratza PortaHolder attachment, made for Baratza Maestro, Maestro Plus or Virtuoso grinders.

Insert the PortaHolder into the grounds bin slot and you'll be able to rest your portafilter there, set the grind time and step away while your espresso is freshly ground. We love this new modification to the Baratza grinders and think you will, too.

Tech Tip: Grindhouse

Regular maintenance of all your espresso or coffee related apparatus is essential to extending their longevity in your home or office. We talk a lot about how to keep your espresso machine healthy, but grinders need a little love, too!

One easy way to do this is, once a week, adjust your grinder to the coarsest setting possible, then run it for a few minutes to flush out any fine grinds that may be stuck around the blades, etc. This regular maintenance will decrease the likelihood of clogs and ensure evenness in grind. We recommend doing this on all stand-alone grinders and also if you have an espresso machine or coffee maker that features an internal grinder.