Grindz — World's First Burr Grinder Coffee Mill Cleaner

I stumbled on this product the other day in a futile search for a device that might be superior to the old disposable wooden chopstick I use every day to clean out the residue of the morning's ground coffee from my trusty Braun coffee grinder (below).

The reason I happened to be looking is that the end of the chopstick finally broke off and now I'm down to my last one.

I've found that a disposable chopstick — the cylindrical–ended ones are best but the square ones will also work (though not as well) and don't have nearly as pleasant a "hand–feel" — is perfect for going at the grinder from two angles:

1) The dispensing chute on the side, where you can first clean out the external plastic–coated opening and its rubber housing, then repeatedly poke the chopstick really hard inside against the portion of the burr wheel that's open to the outside, causing it to rotate around just a bit, each time knocking loose some old coffee that then comes out when you knock the grinder with the heel of your hand, and

2) The top, where the beans sit and take a vibration–filled ride as they make their way down into the burr grinder proper; the chopstick gets into the outer cylinder and also fits nicely into the little center depression, letting you shake out even more old bean bits.

But the problem of the inner workings of the grinder — the burrs proper (top) — remains.

I tried opening the inner machinery of the grinder but it appears you need special tools and besides, I'm sure not gonna do that on a daily basis.

There are those who say what I do is already way over the top — but they've never tasted the exquisite coffee I brew.

Also, from time to time I take a can of compressed air,

the very same stuff I use every now and then to blow the bits and fluff and Dorito fragments out of the interstices of my computer keyboard, and give the grinder a few blasts from both directions.

But the grinder burr surface itself... what to do.

Reading the information on the FAQ page of the Grindz website I learned that many people use uncooked rice as a cleaning agent for their grinders, in an attempt to remove "tainted, stale coffee oils and odors."

The site states, "... rice carries the risk of locking up the motor of a grinder as it passes through and is turned into a fine powder. Using rice to clean your grinder also leaves a starchy residue on the inner mechanics of a grinder that is difficult to remove."

Grindz is a "proprietary formula of grains, cereals and pharmaceutical–grade binders in a coffee bean–shaped tablet."

You pour some into your grinder's bean compartment, set the machine to medium and grind the stuff up.

Then you run a load of coffee beans through to purge any Grindz residue and you're good to go (top).

The company recommends using it every 2–3 weeks but that's for large commercial grinders; people like me with home mills can probably clean the burrs every 2–3 months and still keep things fairly pristine.

Tell you what: I'm so excited about this stuff I'm gonna get a new grinder so that I don't have to wonder just how much gunk that nothing will ever remove is embedded in the one I'm presently using.

Nice price ($45.50) on the Braun here.

If you prefer the convenience of amazon it's $49.99.

The Grindz website (scroll down about halfway) states, "[It] is not going to magically remove years of coffee residue, but it will keep a clean grinder in top shape without disassembling the mill and scrubbing the burrs every time. If you have neglected your mill, forgive yourself and start by removing the burrs and cleaning it out with a brush."

As I noted above: no can do.

Grindz comes in a 16.9 oz. (480 g) container and costs $26.50 here.

The company recommends using one capful (about 40 g) per cleaning, which equates to 12 uses.

Used once every 2–3 months a container will last me 2–3 years.

Of course, the company notes that each jar is marked with a "best used by" date that suggests it be discarded after one year.

Since it's composed of grains and cereals and whatnot I suppose they have a point.

Re: my quest for a better daily poker for my machine: I think I'll take the easy way out and order Chinese takeout tonight and ask for a few extra sets of chopsticks.

Since one chopstick lasts me about two months before finally wearing away and breaking off, four sets should give me over a year's worth of happy crevice–cleaning.

Maybe that'll be my cue to order a fresh container of Grindz.