| |
Main
Date: 11 Dec 2006 12:59:08
From: Ken Fox
Subject: Grinder Burr Replacement; Visual Cues?
|
Yesterday I replaced the burrs in my 11 year old Cimbali Cadet grinder,
which saw about 7 years of daily service but is now a spare and hasn't been
used in several years. I have several sets of spare burrs and since I'd
never replaced any in these Cimbali grinders, I wanted to "practice" first
on a grinder I wasn't relying on. It turned out to be a very easy and
simple job.
When I removed the burrs I cleaned them (and the grinder's innerds) up
nicely and then examined the old burrs with a magnifier, comparing them to a
set of new, replacement burrs I have. Not surprisingly, the old burrs
looked a bit ratty and dinged up, but to the naked eye none of this was
visible, and running my finger over the blades feels more or less like the
new ones.
I went ahead and replaced the burrs, but I'm not sure it was really
necessary.
In commercial service, a grinder like this is going to go through hundreds
of pounds of coffee in a year or two and it would presumably be pretty
obvious when results started to become uneven and deteriorate. In home
usage, however, a commercial grinder is not going to get enough beans going
through it to show a change over the course of a month or two, rather the
low volume user would see a very gradual deterioration over (probably)
years, and that sort of slow change is the hardest to notice.
Are there any clues on visual inspection of planar grinder burrs that would
tell you that the burrs are shot, that they should be replaced?
ken
|
|
| |
Date: 11 Dec 2006 21:52:12
From: Espressopithecus (Java Man)
Subject: Re: Grinder Burr Replacement; Visual Cues?
|
In article <4u5rk6F16ht0dU1@mid.individual.net >,
morceaudemerdeThisMerdeGoes@hotmail.com says...
>
> Are there any clues on visual inspection of planar grinder burrs that would
> tell you that the burrs are shot, that they should be replaced?
>
Caveat here -- I'm no expert.
I use the same sharpness test for grinder burrs that I use on skate
blades and ski edges. (It's tactile, not visual.)
Press the flat of your thumbnail gently against a cutting edge of the
burr, and drag the burr along the length of the nail to peel a shaving
off the nail. Does it peel a continuous shaving off with light
pressure? If so, your burrs are still sharp. If not, replace.
Works for me.
Cheers,
Rick
|
| |
Date: 12 Dec 2006 13:31:42
From: bernie
Subject: Re: Grinder Burr Replacement; Visual Cues?
|
Ken Fox wrote:
>
> Are there any clues on visual inspection of planar grinder burrs that would
> tell you that the burrs are shot, that they should be replaced?
>
> ken
>
>
I believe I can tell more by the "pop" or "zing" in the brewed coffee
than by visual inspection. Maybe I'm delusional. Also, as I'm grinding
coffee in our Ditting if I sense warmth in the grinds its time for me to
pull the burrs. We keep two sets in reserve and ship 'em to Ditting for
resharpening up to three times.
Bernie
|
|
