How to Clean a Coffee Grinder (Burr or Blade, 10 Minutes)

Dark roast coffee leaves a visible sheen of oil on every bean. That oil scrapes off on the burrs and builds up inside the grinder over weeks. If you brew dark roast, clean monthly. For light roast, clean when funky flavors start showing up in your cup - if a previous batch tasted stale, that flavor lingers until you brush it out.

Grab the small cleaning brush that came with your grinder. If you've lost it, any soft-bristled brush works - a clean paint brush, an old toothbrush, or a dedicated grinder brush from Amazon for a few bucks.

Grab a bowl. Tilt the grinder over the bowl and pour out all the whole beans in the hopper. Then turn the grinder on for a few seconds - any beans stuck between the burrs grind through and drop into the catch bin, so you start with everything empty.

Unplug the grinder from the wall before you take anything apart. The burrs are sharp and the motor doesn't know you're cleaning it.

Slide the grounds bin out. Unscrew the bean hopper counterclockwise. On most conical burr grinders, you turn it until the grind setting indicator passes the highest number, then the hopper lifts straight off. Lift out the rubber gasket underneath.

Finally, lift the removable ring burr out by grabbing the two tabs on top - one of them is usually marked red. Set the burr aside on a dry towel. Now you can see the fixed cone burr at the bottom of the grinder.

The hopper, lid, and grounds bin are plastic. Wash them by hand in warm soapy water with a sponge. Most are dishwasher-safe on the top rack if you'd rather, but hand-washing is faster.

The rubber gasket also gets warm soapy water - just be gentle. It's thin and it tears if you scrub it. Massage it with your fingers, rinse, and air dry or pat dry with a microfiber cloth before putting it back.

Never put the burrs in water. They're high-carbon steel - durable, but they'll rust within hours if moisture gets in. Use the cleaning brush dry and work coffee grounds out of the fine teeth from both sides.

Hold the burr over the sink or a piece of paper to catch the flakes of old coffee that come out. Keep brushing until the teeth are free of caked-on grounds and the burr looks like new metal again. Don't rush - the fine teeth trap the most oil and that's the part that's been making your coffee taste off.

The cone burr stays attached to the grinder body - you can't lift it out without tools. Brush it dry, working up and down the cone first, then around it in a circle to get into the grooves.

Turn the grinder upside down over the sink or a sheet of paper and tap the body to knock loose grounds free. Finish by pushing the brush up through the chute from the bottom (the opening where ground coffee exits into the bin). That's where oil and fines accumulate worst, and a clogged chute is what makes a grinder feel slow.

Put the ring burr back into the grinder. The red tab on the burr lines up with the red mark inside the grinder body, usually near the 30 grind setting on a Baratza. Other brands have similar alignment marks - look for a colored dot, arrow, or notch inside the burr housing.

The burr won't snap or click into place. It settles in and feels right when it's lined up correctly. Once seated, it shouldn't rotate more than a few degrees in either direction. If it spins freely, lift it out and try again.

Place the rubber gasket on top of the ring burr. Two notches on the gasket line up with the red and white tabs underneath - it only sits down a couple of millimeters, that's normal.

Set the bean hopper on next. The hopper has two tabs on the bottom, one tall and skinny, one short and wide. The tall skinny one (often with a silver line) lines up near the 40 grind mark. Press down gently and rotate clockwise to lock it in. Slide the grounds bin back into position, plug the grinder back into the wall, and you're done. Pour your beans back in and grind a small test batch to flush any loose particles from the chute.