- Particularly for home machines, do not let the same beans sit in the bean hopper for several hours or even worse, overnight. Besides adversely affecting the bean taste, bean oil will coat the inside of your hopper and burrs. Oil-covered burrs are dull and will not grind properly.
- For commercial shops, disassemble the bean hopper, adjustment ring, and top burr at least weekly. Wipe the bean oil from the bean hopper (do not use a scratch pad as it will permanently damage the hopper), and clean the burrs and the area surrounding the bottom burr.
- Clean the burrs before grinding a different type of bean. Don’t forget to remove the previous bean grinds from the coffee chute (the area underneath the burrs to where the grounds emerge) and closer. It’s hard to evaluate a new roast if the grounds contain remnants of the previous bean.
- When cleaning your burrs, lightly run your thumb against the sharpened edges. If the burrs are sharp, they should grab your thumb; as the burrs dull, they will feel smoother.
- Always replace burrs in pairs.
- Look at your coffee grinds periodically. If the burrs are sharp, the grinds will be the same size. Dull burrs tend to smash the coffee grounds; ensure the grinds don’t smell burnt.
- If you use flavored beans, the flavor oils tend to remain in the grinder long after the bean is gone. A thorough grinder cleaning is the only way to prevent your expensive light roast from tasting a lot like your daughter’s hazelnut-flavored bean.
- For the best flavor, use your coffee within 10 minutes of grinding.