Threw $85 down the drain on a fancy burr grinder that could not handle light roast beans.

Motor jammed three times in two weeks and now it sits in my garage gathering dust while I go back to my old blade grinder that I hate, anyone else had a grinder choke on Ethiopian beans?

2 comments

2 Comments

garcia.tyler12d ago

Woah, slow down. You tossed $85 on a grinder and are already calling it a total loss? In my experience, that's a pretty common price range for entry-level burr grinders, and they really can struggle with light roasts because those beans are just harder and denser. Your mileage may vary, but I'd say take this with a grain of salt - maybe try giving it a thorough cleaning and adjusting the burrs if yours has that option, because a lot of times the motor jamming is just from static and bean fragments building up inside, not the grinder being a total dud. It might be worth one more shot before it's officially a garage ornament.

the_simon12d ago

Yeah, "garage ornament" is a good way to put it... but that cleaning advice is spot on. I had a similar cheap grinder that would just stop dead on light roasts until I took the whole thing apart and found a tiny, rock hard piece of bean jammed in the burr mechanism. A full disassembly and a good brush out every few weeks made a huge difference, even if it's a pain. Plus, if it's already dead, you've got nothing to lose by trying to tinker with the burr adjustment ring or even just tapping it a few times while it's running. Sometimes it's not a dud, it's just clogged with fine dust that hardens up like concrete in there.