How to clean a burr grinder

1. Grind the grinder empty, then unplug it

Run the grinder with no beans in it until nothing more comes out. Baratza says to grind through any remaining coffee first. Fellow suggests running the Ode for 10 seconds empty to clear the burrs and chute. Then unplug it. Every electric grinder manual we checked asks you to unplug before taking anything apart.

2. Remove the hopper and the upper burr

Take off the hopper, then lift out the removable burr. Baratza's routine for its grinders is to remove the hopper and upper burr, and on its Sette series the lower burr too. The details vary a lot:

• Baratza Encore: turn the hopper fully counterclockwise to the triangle near setting 40, lift it off. Make sure the grind adjustment ring is turned fully counterclockwise, then lift the ring burr straight up by its tabs. Don't lose the hopper gasket. See how to clean a Baratza Encore.
• Fellow Ode Gen 2: snap off the faceplate, remove four screws and pull out the dial and auger. See how to clean a Fellow Ode.
• Hand grinders: remove the crank and unscrew the adjustment dial. See how to clean a hand grinder.

Don't unscrew anything your manual tells you to leave alone. The Encore's wingnut is marked "do not remove." On a Comandante, don't touch the three screws that hold the burr in place.

3. Brush the burrs, chamber and chute

Brush every surface of both burrs, then the inside of the grind chamber and the exit chute. Work the bristles into the grooves between the burr teeth, where old grounds pack in. Lift out the loose grounds as you go, so they don't fall back into the burrs.

For a chute packed with coffee, Baratza suggests pushing it out with the handle of your cleaning brush or an unfolded paperclip. Comandante adds that compressed air or a camera lens blower clears coffee dust from corners a brush can't reach.

4. Wash the plastic parts, never the burrs

Wash the hopper, lid and grounds bin by hand in warm soapy water, then dry them fully. Baratza's Encore manual says to hand wash these parts and keep them out of the dishwasher. Fellow says to wipe the Ode's catch with a soft cloth and warm soapy water, and not to put any part of the grinder in the dishwasher. Wipe the grinder body with a damp cloth. Never put the body itself in water.

Keep the burrs dry. Use a dry cloth on oily burrs instead of a wet one.

5. Reassemble and test

Put the burr back in, then the hopper, in the reverse order you took them out. Make sure the burr sits fully down before the hopper goes on. The Encore won't start unless the hopper is locked in place.

Plug it in and run it empty for a few seconds. It should spin quietly and at an even speed. Baratza's manual adds a rule for adjusting the grind afterwards: only change the setting while the grinder is running or completely empty of beans.

6. Run cleaning tablets when oil builds up

Grind a dose of cleaning tablets, then grind coffee to flush them out. Urnex's instructions for Grindz are one 35 g packet on a medium setting, then about 70 g of coffee, or until no yellow specks remain. Fellow's Ode manual uses the tablet maker's dose but adds its own settings: grind the tablets at setting 11, then about 30 g of coffee. Where your grinder's manual gives its own numbers, as Fellow's does for the Ode, follow those. Baratza's Encore manual instead tells you to follow the tablet maker's directions.

Baratza calls tablets highly recommended if you grind mostly dark roast. Its Encore manual warns that oil left to build up can clog the grinder and damage it.

How often should you clean a burr grinder?

The manufacturers don't agree, so start with your grinder's own number.

Clean sooner if you brew oily dark roasts, or if grounds stop flowing into the bin. Old grounds left in the chamber are also part of grind retention, so a clean grinder holds back less.

Can you clean a grinder with rice?

No. Baratza's Encore manual says not to grind any substance other than grinder cleaning tablets to clean the inside. Fellow's Ode manual says to put nothing in the grinder but coffee beans and grinder cleaner. If cleaning doesn't fix a grinder that's grinding slowly or unevenly, the burrs may be worn. See how to replace grinder burrs.