Question about the right way to clean a grinder

I keep seeing people talk about cleaning their grinders with rice or bread, and it drives me up a wall. That is a great way to mess up your burrs and leave starch gunk everywhere. I learned this the hard way about a year ago when I tried the 'rice trick' on my Baratza Encore and ended up having to take the whole thing apart to clean out the paste it made. The only thing that should ever go through your grinder is coffee beans, period. For a real clean, you need to use a proper grinder cleaning pellet or just take it apart and brush it out. I do a full brush down every two weeks, and it makes a world of difference in the taste. Has anyone else had a bad experience with these weird cleaning methods?

3 comments

3 Comments

taylorhunt25d ago

Ever tried cleaning yours with those little brush pens for keyboards? Worked way better than I thought it would.

piperr5825d ago

Those things are shockingly good for getting into tight spaces. I used one on my game controller and it pulled out so much dust. Might have to grab a few more for around the house.

seanjohnson25d ago

Man, this is everywhere now. People hear one weird trick online and just run with it without thinking. Like using toothpaste to clean your phone screen or putting ice in your garbage disposal. It sounds clever but usually just makes a bigger mess. We've got to stop trusting every life hack video and go back to the simple, right way to do things.