Grinders

Why does my grinder retain coffee?

Retention is grounds stuck in the burr chamber and exit path, held there by static and by dead space in the grinder's design. Use RDT, a few drops of water on the beans before grinding, plus a bellows puff, and most grinders drop to well under a gram.

Why does my grinder clump and throw static everywhere?

Grinding generates a static charge that makes fine particles stick together and cling to everything. A drop or two of water on the beans before grinding, known as RDT, removes almost all of it.

Is upgrading my grinder actually worth it?

It is worth it if your current grinder cannot hold a setting, cannot go fine enough, or has visibly worn burrs. It is mostly not worth it if you already own a competent 54 to 64 mm burr set and you are chasing a spec sheet.

Flat or conical burrs: which should I buy?

Flat burrs lean toward clarity and flavor separation, conical burrs lean toward body and forgiveness. Pick flat if you drink light-roast straight shots or filter, conical if you drink milk drinks and medium to dark roasts.

When should I replace my grinder burrs?

Replace burrs when performance degrades, not on a calendar. The signs are a grind that suddenly needs to be much finer for the same shot time, visibly mixed dust and boulders, more heat and noise, and a loss of sweetness you cannot dial back.

How do I know if my grinder burrs are aligned?

Run the marker test: colour the flat face of one burr, run the grinder briefly with no beans at a setting where the burrs just touch, and see where the marker is removed. Even removal all the way around means aligned, removal on one side means misaligned.