Nettaiya Senior Member Joined: 21 Aug 2012 Posts: 9 Location: WashDC Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Sun Sep 23, 2012, 1:23pm Subject: Do old oily beans clog even the best grinders?
I was helping my friend break in his new Compak K8, because we read on the forums that new burrs need a bit of seasoning. We bought 4lbs the cheapest beans from Costco (even though labeled as "medium" roast they were really dark and oily). These were roasted about two months ago.
The chute kept clogging but would push the grinds out. After maybe only 1/2 a pound the grinder just stopped grinding. Opening the burr set revealed that the coffee had completely cased over the notches in the burrs, basically caked in and making it a smooth surface unable to grind beans.
We had to take a flat head screw driver and toothpicks and very carefully poke out all the coffee that was caked into the burrs. We ran some grindz through and tried again, but it seized up again with the same results.
The grinder works fine with fresh roasted blends meant for espresso. Is this normal? Maybe its impossible to break in a grinder with charbucks style roasted beans?
chex Senior Member Joined: 27 Mar 2008 Posts: 50 Location: Lemoore CA Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Q M Silvano, Gaggia Espresso Grinder: 2xMazzer SJs, box, KA... Vac Pot: Still need; but i haz ibrik! Drip: pourovers, presses,... Roaster: Behmor, stovetop...
Posted Mon Sep 24, 2012, 1:12am Subject: Re: Do old oily beans clog even the best grinders?
omg that story reminds me of what my friend and i did back when i first got into coffee. Jon was a Starbucks employee back then (back in the days of La Marzocco Lineas and Mazzer grinders), and he picked up a Saeco burr grinder with his employee discount, as well as a 5LB bag of the infamous crap they call espresso blend. Yeah he wanted to season the burrs on his grinder; and i believe it gave up the ghost right after the first hopper full! I still remember his call to Saeco tech support, "Yeah, I only ground what I was going to use, nothing more..." :D Ahhh memories.... I'm sure your friend's Compak is ok, but yeah, i wouldn't advise using coffee that bad with it. Ugh, it just reminded me; the second mazzer i got from wayne is at my gf's place along with my gaggia. I'm horrified to look at the burrs. :/
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