Congrats! That new Baratza coffee grinder is unpacked and set up. The fun part is grinding and tasting fresh coffee on demand. But there are a couple more things to get the most out of your new coffee grinder. If you take care of your new grinder, it can stay with you for life, but most importantly, on your coffee journey.
Use Your Grinder
First and foremost, this machine is built for grinding coffee. So do that! Specifically, make sure you only grind coffee and not other things. Spices, grains, peppercorns and the like are not structurally similar to coffee. They are much harder, denser, and higher in moisture sometimes. All of these are conditions that can damage the machine. Just grind whole bean, roasted coffee and you’re already on a great path to a long relationship with this grinder.
Some important tips to keep in mind while you’re at it: be sure to run the machine while adjusting the grind size. At least if coffee is in the unit. This will help keep your parts from taking on the undue strain, which improves their longevity. Also, be careful not to over-fill the grounds catch bin. If coffee backs up into the machine, it will clog and you might run into trouble!
Clean Your Grinder
We recommend giving the machine a simple cleaning every 4-6 weeks. Use the included brush or any dry and stiff-bristled tool you have handy, to clean off the coffee residue from the burrs and grind chamber. This is a great way to ensure fresh coffee, and to keep your grind quality in top shape! Built-up coffee and coffee residue can lead to stale flavors and less precisely milled coffee particles!
For more thorough cleaning, consider third-party cleaning tablets. Grinder pellets, as they are often called, are typically made of compressed grain and will pulverize much like a coffee bean. While passing through a machine, they scour residual coffee oils and really scrub the burrset. It’s a great way to do a deep cleaning on a grinder, though you’ll want to run a little coffee through it before your next brew – the grain left behind is safe to drink but not very tasty!
Maintain Your Grinder
One day, even after lots of great service, your grinder might break down. It’s a fact of life that machines break. What sets us apart is what comes next. Rather than being done with this grinder after one part fails, remember that at Baratza, we believe in Don’t Dump It! Fix it! We believe in the right to repair the things we own. So contact our support team and we will take care of you and help with your grinder.
All of the parts in your machine are available from us directly, and can be installed with common tools using our instructions! Even if you’re only a little bit handy, you can fix your own grinder. If you aren’t that handy – or you just don’t feel like repairing it yourself – you can send your grinder to our ace technicians for full servicing!
This is the beginning of something wonderful…
If you follow our tips, keep your grinder clean, and fix it when disaster strikes, you can keep this grinder with you for a long, long time. Wherever you go in your coffee journey, you’ll find this grinder right by your side!
