Extend the life of your coffee grinder by replacing the grinding stones

Grinding stones

You can't make coffee without a grinder, you can't enjoy coffee without a good grinder. The grinder is the first step to good coffee, its main task is to grind the coffee so that all the particles are the same.

To achieve a tasty cup of coffee, you not only need to choose the coffee and the grinder carefully, but also take good care of the grinder.

Grinding stones and coffee beans can cause damage to coffee grinders and make your coffee stop tasting as good as it did in the beginning.

How do we know when it's time to replace dull grinding stones?

If you're asking yourself this question, the time to replace your grinding stones has probably already come.

While the manufacturers of coffee grinders like to claim that their blades can grind hundreds to thousands of kilograms of coffee, grinding stones wear out quickly with use and replacement is often necessary.

If you feel that the quality of your coffee has been declining for some time, you probably need to replace the grinding stones. Uneven grinding of coffee by a dull grinder leads to unbalanced coffee that doesn't taste very good.

Replacing the grinding stones will make your coffeemuch more flavorful and you will enjoy your cup a little more again, noticing an increase in the flavor and balance of your coffee.

How to change the stones on a Timemore hand grinder?

Replacing old stones with new ones on an electric grinder.

Grinding stones in terms of shape

Grinders are divided according to the shape of the grinding system and the way they process the coffee beans, into grinders with flat grinding stones and grinders with conical grinding stones.

Flat grinding stones

Flat grinding stones havethree types of cutting surfaces. First the beans are crushed, then the large coffee particles are ground and finally the coffee particles are "cut" to the desired size.

They grind the coffee more evenly so that its aroma is better released.
lower ground coffee production
slower grinding
lower durability - approximately 350 kg of coffee

Conical grinding stones

Compared to flat grinding stones, they process the beans by crushing and not by cutting. The lower grinding stone rotates and the beans are sent to a row of teeth thatgrind the beans to the desired coarseness.

lower speed to grind the grains
more tolerant coarseness setting
slower wear
enough life to grind up to 750 kg of coffee
produce a slightly less even grind

Grinding stones in terms of size

Grinding stones can also be distinguished by size or the material they are made of. The size of the grinding stones depends on the type of grinder.

Smaller grinding stones are common in smaller and cheaper types of grinders that are suitable for home use.

Larger grinding stones can handle the heavier load of operation without negatively affecting the grind and coffee inside the grinder.

Lifetime of grinding stones

Some wear over time is quite normal. Nothing lasts forever. However, we have a few ways to prevent grinding stones from wearing out quickly

How to extend the life of grinding stones?

Don't grind non-coffee items. A coffee grinderis designed to grind coffee only. Keep an eye out for unroasted coffee beans and small stones, and do not use it to grind other foods that could make mischief with your grinder.
Use the grinder standing up. Another quick way to ruined grinding stones is grinding coffee at an angle, which puts pressure on the grinding shaft, causing uneven wear on the grinding tips.
Take care of the grinding stones and keep them clean.Clean them occasionally so that micro-sediment does not build up and cause poor results.

A grinding stone from a long untreated mill.

We know how easy it is to put off replacing the grinding stones in a coffee grinder. But when the time comes, don't put off replacing them. You'll love the resulting coffee with new grinding stones.