Dirty Little Grinder: Cleaning Your Eureka Mignon Specialita Espresso Grinder
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- čas přidán 28. 06. 2024
- #coffee #espresso
From dirty little machine to sparkling clean! See how to thoroughly clean your Eureka Mignon Specialita Espresso grinder. Probably the most thorough grinder cleaning you'll see.
Quick interruption: If you want to improve your espressos (and espresso based drinks) I've found keeping track of your extractions is the best way. So I created an espresso journal to do just that. Get your espresso journal on Amazon here:
US www.amazon.com/Espresso-Journ...
UK www.amazon.co.uk/Espresso-Jou...
(Of course you can get it outside of those countries too just go to one of those links and change your country).
After owning the Eureka Mignon Specialita for well over a year I've learned (the hard and long way) how to get it so clean it looks and works almost as new again.
I'll take you through each stage of the clean, step-by-step:
00:00 The Eureka Mignon Grinder
02:15 Tip to flush out grinds from your grinder
03:15 Removing the top of the grinder
05:03 Removing the top burr
07:11 Removing the bottom burr
09:13 Cleaning inside the grinder
12:28 Cleaning the burrs
15:14 Cleaning the top plate & hopper holder
16:06 Cleaning the coffee chute
20:00 Putting the grinder back together
22:30 Putting the burrs back in
24:05 Cleaning the hopper
26:38 Finishing touches
27:05 What's next?
You can see my unboxing of the Eureka Mignon Specialita Grinder here
• Eureka Mignon Speciali...
And if you like espresso and milk-based coffees, watch my coffee tastings where I prepare and taste coffees from small batch roasters using beans from around the world • Coffee Tasting #2: A C...
Interested to know more about the Specialita? Let me know.
Let me know in the comments if you have any questions or suggestions for videos you'd like me to make. - Jak na to + styl
Since this video was posted I have had a few comments worried about misalignment of burrs. If you are concerned about this do not remove the burrs. Leave them in place and clean with a good brush and vacuum up the grounds in the burr chamber.
I personally did not experience issues with this but clearly you are removing pieces that manufacturers have put in place. So remove at your own risk!
Also, if you would like to make tastier espresso, have you tried tracking your extractions? I just created an espresso journal which will help you do that. Track, make notes and improve every extraction. Check it out here
US: www.amazon.com/Espresso-Journal-Track-Extractions-Barista/dp/B0CRF5GMB7/
UK: www.amazon.co.uk/Espresso-Journal-Track-Extractions-Barista/dp/B0CRF5GMB7/
Wish I had thought about / seen this before I took the burrs out on my Oro Mignon Stark, because now I think it needs alignment 😅 Thanks for the great vid!
@@Shadowguy456234 Same. I'm now getting terrible grinds, my 'wet puck' is powder and I can hear the burrs touching. My machine seems ruined. Not sure what to do with it now, as I live in a remote place and shipping it anywhere will be a fortune.
I'm sorry you're having an issue. I'm not an engineer but here's what you can do...
If you're hearing the burrs touching there are one or two issues:
1. The burrs haven't been pushed down level into their seating. Usually this will be the bottom burr. It's quite stiff and tight so it's easy to think you've put it in ok but it might not be level. Make sure you've pushed it in and it's properly seated.
2. You probably know this but if the burrs are touching you'll need to adjust the grind to a coarser setting.
It could be one or both of those.
If you're still having issues and you think it's down to alignment as opposed to how it's put back together, there are videos guiding you on realignment at home.
@@coffeewithalex4379 I haven't had a chance to watch it yet but saw a vid about aligning with silver foil, so I'll tackle it tomorrow. Even with a metallic sound it's grinding so course that my pucks are still powder.
Great detail on this grinder. Thank you so much for taking the time to create this video.
Hi Dwight - Thank you for your comment! So glad you found it useful.
If you have any suggestions for other videos you'd like to see me post, let me know.
I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to make this video. The Eureka manual doesn't say anything about cleaning the burrs once a week, which contradicts what the customer service says. I couldn't take the lower burr out, luckily I found your video. Thanks!
Sorry, did I say to clean the burrs once a week? It depends on your usage. I'm doing mine every couple of months as my usage is very light - a few times a day at most. Yes there is so much left out of the manual about cleaning the grinder so I thought this video would really help and I'm glad you thought so 😊
Let me know if you've any ideas for other videos I can make. Thank you for your kind comment.
@@coffeewithalex4379 no, you didn't :) That's what Eureka's customer service is telling people. And indeed, cleaning the grinder once a week seems a lot so thanks for sharing your experience
Oh really? I had another look in the manual and can see it says to clean out the hopper "at least once a week". I don't disagree with that. Cleaning it out every time you change beans or once a week, whichever is sooner.
Also in this part of the manual it mentions a dosing unit: "A neglected coffee grinder with dosing unit may have a negative impact on coffee dispensing as well as on the accuracy of dose and grinding". This is true but the Specialita doesn't have a dosing unit as far as I'm aware.
But yes, cleaning the burrs once a week if you're a light home user seems rather a lot! You'll get to know how often you need to do it. I definitely left it too long initially. I couldn't figure out why my espresso shots were suddenly so inconsistent - 30 seconds one time and 20 seconds another time with no change in grind size. And I didn't remove the bottom burrs first time around.
Lesson learnt!
Hope you have fun making delicious coffee with yours.
@@coffeewithalex4379 right, however both when I contacted customer service and in their official video on how to clean and replace the burrs they recommend doing this once a week
Hmm well I wouldn't want to go against Eureka's recommendations. Maybe they're talking to a specific audience like heavier users or worst case scenarios.
Or even to cover those who use very dark roasted beans which are SIGNIFICANTLY more oily.
Once you start to look inside frequently, you'll know what's appropriate for you.
just finished cleaning and started enjoying my coffee again. nice. Thanks again!
Brilliant! Thank you for letting me know Jean-Philippe.
Very helpful! Appreciate your effort to put this one together 🙌🏼
Thank you so much 🙏
First search for steps on this and I found your video... glad I did. Perfectly explained - Thanks Alex!
Sorry for the delay David - just wanted to say thank you very much for your comment.
Woke up and my grinder was seizing. Straight to CZcams and found this excellent video. A thousand thanks from Japan !
Thank you so much Jason! I hope your grinder is flowing nicely now.
Well done!! Instructions, video quality, tone of voice ... 👌
Hi Marco - Thank you so much! Let me know if you have any suggestions for videos you'd like to see me make.
And thanks for subscribing!
Thank you for the detailed video! I thought I had been cleaning my grinder well but man was I wrong. Greatly appreciate it!
Thank you so much William! I'm glad you found it useful. Let me know if you have ideas for other videos you'd like to see me make.
Perfect instructions for getting our Eureka Mignon as good as new again :)
Thank you Simone! Enjoy your newly cleaned grinder and of course the coffee 😀
It's quite helpful. Thanks Alex!
Thanks a lot for making this video. It was really helpful to help me clean my Specialita grinder.
Thank you so much Itzik. I'm glad you found it helpful. And I hope you're enjoying your grinder.
Let me know if there's any other videos you'd like me to make.
Excellent service tips. Mine is about two months old, so maybe later. Thank you for posting.
Thank you G Man!
Fantastic video; thanks for the thorough explanation!
I'm glad you found it useful. Thank you for watching!
Awesome vid thank you ! Got the Eureka Filtro arriving tomorrow and need to swap the burrs inside with the espresso versions so this was super useful. That is one squeaky clean Eureka ! Much appreciated 👍
Great, thank you! I'm glad you found it useful. Let me know what other coffee related videos you'd like to see
Thank you for this tutorial. 👍🏻 i like your shirt! Playing cards and coffee match soo well!😃👍🏻
😃 Thank you - I'll have to try and find another interesting one for the next video!
Followed this step by step on my Perfetto. Excellent guidance!!
Brilliant! I'm so glad you found it useful Ed. And your grinder thanks you too 😄
Thanks very much for the extensive video. I had grinded too much coffee and I guess due to the amount of heat, everything got stuck. Everything is clean again now :-)
Thank you for watching Nathan. Means a lot to get your feedback.
I'm glad everything is clean now. Feels good doesn't it!
If there's any videos you'd want to see on my channel, let me know.
Bloody brilliant mate! When I saw it was 28 minutes long I almost didn't give it watch. Glad I did. The bit about how to remove the the lower burr was gold. Mine actually came out fairly easy after a little finessing around the edges first like you showed. I have a compressor with a needle valve air blaster so after I got 'er all ripped apart into the garage I went to really blow out under the lower burr plate. Pretty sure I got every last damn spec of coffee out of there! Keep up the good work. Cheers -- A happy yank. 😁
P.S. For folks who think this is too, long the "L" key (fast forward 10 seconds) is your friend. 😉
Thank you so much! Gosh yes you would need to do this outside/in the garage if you're using an air compressor. Coffee everywhere otherwise! But greate to get in those hard to get places.
P.S. Good tip about the 'L' key - I didn't know that!
Great video. Very thorough - thank you.
Thank you Stuart - I appreciate that. And thank for subscribing. What other coffee related videos would you like to see from me?
Thank you for sharing this video. Very helpful!
Thank you for watching!
Your vid is a grinder saver!!!! Thank you so much!
Glad it helped Pan!
Well done! Thanks a lot Alex.
Thank you Harald!
Thank you, Alex! It's great!
Thank you!
Thank you! Such a helpful video
You're so welcome Natalia. I'm glad you liked it 😀
Thank you so much. Very good explanations in a nice and friendly way.
😊 Thank you
Thanks, very useful and comprehensive. Saved me lots of time :)
So glad to hear that Nicolas!
Wow, this is a very detailed video. I didn't get this far in cleaning my grinder. I'll need to give it another go!
Thank you - I appreciate you. Hope your next grinder clean goes well and gives you even better tasting coffee.
By the way if you need help with tracking and improving your espresso, I just created an espresso journal which will help you track, make notes and improve every extraction. You can get it here www.amazon.com/Espresso-Journal-Track-Extractions-Barista/dp/B0CRF5GMB7/
Great video Alex, Greatly appreciate it! 👍👍
Thank you Manuel 🙏 And thank you for subscribing.
Great video! It was very clear and really helped me.
thanks.
Thank you James! I'm so glad it helped you.
Hi, Alex. Followed your great procedure step-by-step today, disassembling, cleaning, then reassembling my little red Specialita, and I'm very happy with the result! I bought this grinder ages ago when it first became available here in Seattle. I tried to do your steps a couple years ago, but couldn't get the lower burr out. Today, it popped out after just a few seconds of gentle prodding with a screwdriver...yay! The clump crusher was a little fiddly, but everything else was easy--and kinda fun. I've been thinking of getting a new grinder lately. But now, Little Red looks brand new, so I've lost all interest in the new Mahlkönig I was eyeing. I've always loved the build quality and style of this grinder, and now I love it even more! Mine looks just like the one in your video, except the sides are chrome. Thanks so much for putting this video together!
Thank you Steve! Hope you're going well over there in Seattle - great place for coffee?
Like you, I loved Eureka. But recently I wanted an upgrade. Watch my latest video to see more ;-)
Thank you for commenting!
Thanks for this very useful video!
Thank you so much! So glad you found it useful.
Let me know if there's any other videos you'd like to see
thank you for this tutorial! it helps me a lot!
Thank you for watching Muhamad and I'm really glad it helped you.
Thank you for posting this, I just tore down my Silenzio after about a month and a half of usage. Looked like a pretty similar build up of grounds to yours. Magnets were my friend in this project...
Yeah, I've now decided on more frequent cleaning to avoid a build up.
Thanks for watching!
Hi Alex. Firstly, thank you for taking the time to provide such a detailed video of the cleaning cycle. I have just purchased a Specialita and I did so based partly on the claim by a number of reviewers that this was a low retention grinder and suitable for single dosing, with flat burrs, with commercial 55mm burrs vs 50 on my present grinder, timing options and company name. I eliminated a competitor the Baratza 270wi due to its noise, reliability and complexity and my perceived value for money in its price, although it’s straight through design was what initially attracted me to the product.. My move has been from a Rancilio Rocky, a similar grinder I have had for years and relatively ‘bulletproof’ machine. I was therefore stunned at the retained coffee you uncovered in the Eureka (seems even more than the Rocky) and based on that I would estimate the need for a monthly cleaning cycle at least in this grinder. The fiddly anti static/non dumping fingers look like an item that may need extra care as well and need replacement over time. I definitely think my purchase was a step up in functionality and efficiency but like many items you find yourself saying, why didn’t the makers find a better solution than this. In particular, (and I think this company Eureka had a hand in the Rocky because it is very similar) if the grinder needs regular cleaning why haven’t the design engineers come up with a more simple/efficient cleaning process. Thanks again for your videos, you can add a fan to your viewing base. Michael
Hi Michael - Thank you so much for your comment. Well the Specialita isn't sold as a single dose grinder at all. But so many people, including me, are trying to use it as for single dosing.
You're right, it does need regular cleaning. Also you need to watch out for coffee 'boulders' that can built up behind the clump crusher. I recently tried removing the clump crusher. That got very messy - grounds flew everywhere and static was a real problem. So, in my opinion, the clump crusher does a good job. You just have to look inside the grinder when you notice your grinds are getting a little more clumpy or your shots are tasting worse.
I think we should remember that this is a fantastic grinder for the price and what it was built for (not single dosing).
All the features you mentioned about what you like on this grinder is probably why we're all trying to single dose with it. "Love this grinder, if only it was built for single dosing" ...
Well it looks like Eureka have listened because they're actually bringing out a grinder based on the Specialita that is purely built for single dosing.
- It's tilted forward for less retention
- It has a single dosing hopper
- I believe the hopper also has a built in bellows
- It'll even come with a single dosing cup!
I'm assuming the clump crusher remains and everything else will be the same as the Specialita so it'll be interesting to see if those retention issues are reduced.
I've been testing bellows recently and there is definitely less retention. But I found popcorning to be the problem. I may have found a solution but I'm testing it at the moment.
So all in all Eureka are listening and building something that people want.
Thanks for watching! And I really appreciate you contributing here.
I bought it used, used it for (checking eMail now) what would have been 2 YEARS (!!!) this May, cleaned it just now for the first time... And I often fine grind up to 200 GRAMS in a single sitting for cold brew. I also didn't clean the grinder when I bought it, so for all I know, there where already grounds in there...
I double weighed my espresso doses from time to time and they were always close, so cleaning this once per month is insanity to me... Even if you drink TONS of coffee, anything less than 6 months would be overkill for me personally... I'll likely set a yearly reminder, myself...
Thanks for the effort man
This was super helpful
Thanks for watching Daniel! I'm glad it was helpful.
Thanks for making such a detailed video! It will be really helpful to reference when it comes time to clean my grinder. I just ordered a black Specialita from Espresso Coffee Shop today, fingers crossed it arrives soon. I also made sure to like and subscribe too😉
Hi Leah - I'm so glad you found it useful. I cleaned mine again today :-)
Exciting! Have you got it yet?
Thank you so much for liking and subscribing. Let me know if you have ideas for future videos you'd like me to make.
Thanks, this helped a lot.
You're welcome. Im glad it helped!
Thanks a lot! Greetz from PL
Thanks Pawel
Thanks for the video!
Thanks for watching and subscribing!
Thank you very much for the detailed video. My grinder looks nice and clean now. Also the grind consistency is way better than before the cleaning.
Thank you for watching. I'm so pleased you found it useful and have a sparkling clean grinder now. AND your grind consistency is better? That's fantastic to hear.
Thanks so much for commenting and for watching. Let me know what others videos you'd like me to post.
Thanks for the video, that was very helpful! I just successfully (at least, i think :D) cleaned my Eureka after having it for a few months. One thing startled me a little - I completely removed the screw that is supposed to hold the hopper in place, and if you do that, a little nut will fall out when you remove the rubber piece. So, just an advice to anyone cleaning it for the first time, don't unscrew the hopper screw completely, or if you do, be prepared to collect the nut, so you don't have to frantically search the kitchen counter like me ;)
I've never completely removed that screw. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you! I have done cleaning first time using your instruction! It's working after I have assembled it and no parts stay outside ;)
Great to hear it cleaned up well. Thank you for watching!
Excellent! Thanks
Glad you liked it!
Thanks for the video, my grinder was totally stuck and did not run anymore, now it does😀.
I'm so glad it helped you J T
Thanks a lot Alex for this video. I followed your video and cleaned my Eureka with no drama :) I used a toothpick to clear out any coffee residues in the screw holes and that worked pretty well for me. I also used a small Allen key to lift up the bottom burrs and it was super easy. Might be worth a shot if you had trouble getting the bottom burrs out with a screwdriver.
Thanks JZ. I'm glad you got it all cleaned up with no drama :) Toothpick is a good idea.
Thanks for watching and subscribing! New videos coming soon. What would you like to see?
@@coffeewithalex4379 Hi Alex, I would be more than happy to watch anything coffee! If I had to name one it would be coffee tasting like what you did in the past. I've always had trouble picking up individual flavours from a coffee, maybe my taste buds just aren't that great haha.
@@JZ_42 it'sreally food to know that because I didn't the tasting videos went down well! Base on your feedback, I may do more. Especially since I've just bought something that'll need me to taste more coffee (I'm being mysterious on purpose here - new videos coming soon!). It's great to hear you like the tasting videos. I'm still very much learning about picking up and describing flavours, as you can probably tell!
Thank you! You have inspired me to disassemble mine for a deep clean. I normally only remove the top burr plate.
Hi Lauren - How did cleaning your Specialita go? Yes, if you haven't removed the bottom burr, I think you'll find it's worth doing.
@@coffeewithalex4379 Hi - thanks. I have now cleaned it this way for each new bag of coffee. And removing the rubber piece and chute for washing too. Very messy affair. Just hope the wires don't eventually sever. Still afraid to remove the bottom burr but shoot air under it. Will try it sometime! But now I cannot ever leave all those grounds hanging out for too long. Better tasting shots.
Hi Lauren - That's great to hear! There are a lot of comments saying it's too involved so it's good to hear you say you'd rather have it clean for better tasting shots. That's what it's about.
It is a messy affair as you say. Definitely take care with those wires. They can break off where they are soldered. I try to kind of hook this front part to the left at a little angle. It's hard to describe but it stops the strain on those wires. Otherwise you might be able to use something else to stop it hanging - maybe an elastic band could help?
Don't be too afraid to remove the bottom burr (if this is the actual burr with the 3 screws *not* the bit underneath the bottom burr) - it's definitely worth doing to stop build up and cause problems dialling in.
Someone suggesting using a wooden cocktail stick if you're worried about scratching it. I've found the best way is to remove the 3 screws, then get a skewer in and gently lever it in each of the 3 holes to loosen it. Then, when you feel like it's loosened, get another skewer and go in from the side underneath the actual burr. Try to get the skewer underneath the burr while levering in one of the screw holes. Be firm but not too heavy handed.
The longer it's been there without being moved, the stiffer it'll be. But it should come loose. And you might be surprised at what's underneath *and* around the sides of the burr.
Of course, don't do anything you're uncomfortable with. If you think you'll damage or break it best to leave it or get some local help if possible.
Thank you Lauren so much for coming back and letting me (and any comment readers) know how it went.
Let me know if there's any videos you would like to see on this channel.
Thank you so much! Just removed jam in my Mignon! :)
Always happy to help remove a jam my friend 👍
Thanks for your tips =) I think it will help next time, I never tried to remove the bottom part and front part with the numeric stuff ^^
Thank you! And I'm sure your grinder will thank you too 😉
Thanks for watching.
Thank you again for great video!!! Despite my Mignon Specialita is only 5 months old I just cleaned it out. Took 1:15 mins but thanks to your video it made it easy!
That's great to hear DJ! Was that its first clean? Thanks for letting me know that you liked the video and it made cleaning easy.
What do you think of the Specialita?
@@AlexK-ww7yw Purchased Specialita bundled with Rocket R58 Cinquantotto and I am just loving it. Consistent grind and no complain for me yet. Thank you!
Great! It's a lovely grinder for the money isn't it. Enjoy that setup. Let me know if there are any other coffee videos you'd like to see me make
@@coffeewithalex4379 If time permits, would LOVE to see how to Maintenance | Tune Up E61 head. Thank again for GREAT video!
Thanks, I'm preparing a video about replacing the seal and shower head.
Thanks so much sir! I started using Mignon Zero today for the first time. I set the grind level to 1 and after fist 20 grams or so the grinder stopped dispensing grounds. I was shocked to find brand new grinder malfunctioning on first day. I followed your instructions and found the powdered coffee grounds were clogged at the chute. After cleaning it all up my grinder is back to normal! I made two observations - 1. I set the grind level too fine for espresso. Which caused two issues - a. It clogged the grinder completely. b. With whatever grounds that I got after first grind, the espresso was too bitter. 2. Before opening grinder, my Zero point was exactly at 0. But after disassembly and reassembly, my Zero point shifted to 9. But I don't care if it does. I made second espresso shot with coarser grind setting and that made perfect espresso. I truly appreciate your help! Cheers.
Sorry for the delay! I just wanted to say thank you for saying thank you :-) And also thank you for sharing your observations, I know they'll be useful for others.
Lesson learned: When getting a brand new grinder and you want to make espresso, open up the grind setting to a little coarser.
Someone told me to put on the grinder and make turn the grind adjustment finer until you hear a very very very slight metal on metal sound (this is the sound of the burrs almost touching). Then make it a little coarser. Now you can try this setting for espresso and you might not be far off. You may not want to do this if you're worried it will damage your burrs.
Thanks again!
Very interesting to know you can clean the hoper with the steamer! I would never have though about it, as I thought it would splash water everywhere on the chrome all around. I was instead applying dish soap with hot water then I'd rinse it so the soap removes the coffee oils.
You can definitely wash the way you're doing it too. The steam and heat is just another way to clean it and should do a good job on the oils too.
Good video, also love the t shirt!
Thanks Dan 😊
Thank you!
Thank you for watching!
Brilliant.
Thank you Omar! Let me know if there are other videos you'd like to see me make
Thank you very much!!!
You're welcome! Thank you for watching Alexandros
I put this off over a year, but was surprised how easy it was to do, and that the build-up was not much worse after two years' use.
I put it off for a long time too! For me though, I wanted to clean after that. I found if I left it too long between cleans I would notice it affect the taste of the coffee.
Great video! A magnet works great for getting the bottom burr out. The flat head bolts on burrs were softer than anticipated, I needed to be very careful; I need to find a flat head driver that fits better. The clump crusher bolt was the most tricky, I won’t remove it next time.
Magnet! That's a great idea, thank you.
The clump crusher is definitely tricky and it's more delicate than I thought it would be. The good thing is they can be replaced pretty easily, if you need to.
Thank you so much for watching and for suggesting a magnet to help get the bottom burr out.
Let me know if you have any specific suggestions for new videos.
@@coffeewithalex4379 a high quality screwdriver that won’t break the bank is a Vessel 900 P.2x100. It was perfect for removing the large screws. Warning, this screwdriver is well thought-out and you might ending buying a lot more tools from Vessel!
Thanks and uh oh, don't start me on a buying spree !
Useful video Alex..I did mine today but struggled a little with removing the chute/display part but otherwise it was pretty easy. Just make sure you have a flat bladed screwdriver the same width as the screw heads and voila. I did cheat by blowing mine out with the air line in my workshop and I also made sure the burrs didn't collide by gently turning the nut with my fingers rather that just operating from the mains.
Thank you! Ah you're lucky to have a workshop 😀
Great informative video. I haven’t actually broken down my silenzio for almost 2 years since I’ve had it. I bet there’s a lot of built of stale grinds and oils inside😅. I do have a single dose bellows and hopper at least and have vacuumed through the top, but the burrs are probably quite dirty by now. Can’t wait to try this on Saturday and see how much better my espresso tastes afterwards
Thank you! Yes I'm certain you'll get bette tasting espresso after the clean. By the way, it's quicker and easier to leave the burrs in place rather than removing them and cleaning them. Some people have said they've had issues from doing that. I didn't experience them but to be safe you might want to leave them. You can still do a dry clean without unscrewing them.
I'm excited for you!
Thanks!
Welcome!
Thanks for the video! I had no idea how to clean it after it literally seized up on me! - I cleaned it in the meantime, and while I didn't weigh the old grounds, there were AT LEAST enough to make 4 single espresso!!! The chute was STUFFED SOLID! Was so compacted it didn't even fall out until I literally DUG it out!
Bonus tip: If your dishwasher has a low temp option, just bung it all in there... (minus the base/electronics, of course). The 45° of the dishwater is way less than the 60°+ of the tap and less work! ;-)
Thank you for commenting! Wow - you had a LOT stuck in the chute. I hope the grinder's going well for you now. I had to periodically check how it was doing to ensure it wasn't getting a little clogged and affecting my shots - both in terms of inconsistent extraction times and flavour.
@@coffeewithalex4379 Still going strong! - I had a check just NOW, looked up the chute with light from mobile phone:
I can see lots of grounds again already! Good call! - My plan:
I will turn it on, give it a quick suck with the vacuum through the chute, check for clumps, suck again, see how that holds up. (Maybe 1 real cleaning for every 2 "mini" cleanings?)
I was eventually finding I needed to clear the chute out every couple of weeks to a month. Nice idea about the mini clean! Careful not to damage the clump crusher at the top of the chute. It's pretty delicate. I replaced it once or twice. Not because it broke but to see if it would improve the effectiveness of it.
Excellent video. With items like the burrs it would be a good idea to use a dry marker to to mark the burr and its position within the machine as there are 3 possible positions where it could go on reassembly. This ensures that it goes back together with the components in the orientation they were originally in.
The video owner really needs to add this to the video, I followed the video but now my dial seems completely misaligned.
I did write a pinned comment about this concern, although I didn't experience any issues having not done this.
Thanks for the tip! FYI I didn't experience any issues not doing this.
Thanks for the video Alex, it's very helpful. Hope you will finally upload review of those cleaning pills ; )
Thanks Andrey. It's ready to be edited! Thanks for watching.
Thank you! I'd recommend to take the clear spout part out completely first, before getting the lower burr out - you can slightly lever it out that way without too much force!
I agree with you! And now actually I'm mostly keeping the burrs in place, cleaning them without removing them.
@@coffeewithalex4379 Hey Alex! Could you elaborate on how you are cleaning without removing the burrs?
Amazing vid, thank you! My Specialita looks like new :)
Excellent - glad to hear it :) Let me know if there are any other videos you'd like to see me make
@@coffeewithalex4379 well, now that Specialita is clean, my Gaggia New Classic will probably need some attention too :) but I heard it's much more complex, need some chemistry etc
Ah yes. Well I use filtered mineral water to fill my machine - never tap water because too much limescale would build up with the water I have here.
Definitely keep that group head clean by backflushing regularly (weekly if using it lightly). I use Puly Caff.
Also, after steaming milk, flush the steam wand and wipe the tip clean.
I use Urnex Rinza Milk System Cleaner to clean out every so often.
Would it be useful to put this advice in a video? Or several videos?
@@coffeewithalex4379 Yeah I always put Brita-filtered water in and flush the steam wand everytime. As for the cleaning fluids it all depends on what's actually available in a given country but I guess most of it is the same, just different brands. I'm wondering whether I should get inside of the Gaggia and clean something there every few months, I've had it for almost half a year and I want to make sure it doesn't die too soon haha. Cheers!
Sounds like you're looking after it well. I've not used the Gaggia but yes you could descale to keep it working. Should be pretty straightforward for a single boiler. I'm sure there are some instructions on YT for that. Usually it's a sachet or you dilute some cleaning fluid in the water tanks and run it through, leave it for 30mins or so then flush out.
Hi alex i just bought one
I can't wait to play with it
Sorry I missed this. Have you got it yet?
@@coffeewithalex4379 yes i got it yesterday
Fantastic video. Thank you! During this process, I have come across a small nut that I have had leftover. I can't work out where it has come from. Any ideas? The grinder is operating with no issues.
Hi Ben - Maybe it was from the hopper where you can use a screw to keep it in place. Or perhaps it's the one at the back of the grinder that hold the top plate in place?
Great!
Thank you!
Helpfull
Thank you!
Great Video! Tank you very much!! One question: Is there a danger for the blades to misalign, when you put it all back together, so you get an uneven grind?
Hi Felix! No you should be fine. Even better the Specialita is built so that after you've cleaned the burrs and you put it back together, it should be at the same grind size as before.
Hi Alex, great video! I'm considering this grinder and i want to use it for mainly espresso but also some other grind sizes too, I know the Perfetto would be a better suited model as the adjustment knob lists the different grind types on it but then i lose the micro adjustments for fine tuning my espresso.
Anyway, can you tell me if you can reach a stopping point with the adjustment knob fully open to its widest grind setting or will that just end up causing the knob to unscrew from the casing?
I know you can find the stopping point at the finest setting but that entails making the burrs touch momentarily which isn't ideal so i'm hoping it stops wide open then i can note down the number of full turns back down to reach my previous setting.
Cheers
Hi David - So sorry for the late reply. Did you buy a grinder in the meantime?
I only do espresso as the moment, so I haven't tested to see how far you can go with the coarsest setting. Or whether it stops.
Cleaning process takes time for this grinder. I think I'll get a Ceado.
😀 I went into detail on each part of the cleaning process. With most grinders you'll have to do exactly the same things: flush the chamber, clean the hopper, take it apart, remove and clean the burrs, clean the chute, put it all back together and clean the outside.
So this is what they called the ACE system 18:35 ? very sophisticated Lol
😄.. well even more expensive grinders can have a similar method to break up clumps
Thanks for making this thorough video Alex! How often do you think I should be doing this if only using it once a day?
Monthly is good. Also, if you're noticing you're not enjoying your coffee as much as you were check your grinder.
I have cleaned my specailita twice now and have not had any issues. It was far easier to remove the burrs the second time both the screws and the lower burr was much easier to loosen and remove. When I replaced the burrs I cleaned the upper and lower carrier and polished with a microfiber cloth. When I went to retighten I tightened first till the screws all touched and then I tighetenend each screw a quarter turn till I did all and then another quarter turn all around. This ensures that the burrs are all uniformly tightened and helps keep alignment. My grind setting was only off slightly when I went. To pull a shot.
Great tip Allan - thank you. After a while, I stopped removing the burrs themselves. I think there was only coffee grounds underneath them initially because I didn't clean the grinder soon enough after getting it that it built up much more than it should have. So if you know you're cleaning it regularly, you can just leave the burrs in place and dry clean them with cotton buds, a brush and a vacuum.
@@coffeewithalex4379 both times I removed the burs I removed impacted fines from the bottom and the alignment of the machine changed slightly and I got better more consistent grinds. I would suggest to remove both and bottom burs on each clean.
I actually don't have this grinder now Allan but I'm glad the video helped. If you'd like to see what I replaced it with you can see it in the unboxing here czcams.com/video/5T-OGTZoIQM/video.html
Used your video today to do my first clean on my Specialita after a couple of months of use. Really helpful video so thank you.
Question, I noticed there was some coffee under the bottom burr plate. I noticed you didn’t get down that far, And neither did I but I am wondering if you ever need to or have take that gold nut off and clean underneath?
I noticed the picture from where ever you sent your machine showed under that bottom burr with the nut removed?
Any thoughts on this?
Many thanks.
Hi Sami - That's right, I didn't remove the gold nut. I was told by the shop I bought it from that this should only be done by someone who knows how to calibrate the machine. So unless you know exactly what you're doing, probably best leave it alone. But you can try to keep the area underneath it clean:
1. If you clean regularly it'll stop build up and so you'll get less coffee grounds in this area.
2. I've used a thick straw with a flattened end attached to the end of a micro attachment to the hoover.
3. Another commenter here, 'Joe M', suggested using compressed air in this area to blow out the grounds. I haven't tried this but it might work if you don't blow it all to the back and cause a build up.
Thanks for subscribing - what other videos would you like to see here?
Thanks Alex, perfectly brilliant review on cleaning. I was just about to get one of that today and happy to come across to your review of cleaning with quite a hassle. I pretty much assume such grinders require this process I would say each every 3-4 days, otherwise I really don't understand what good it is to have aged small quantities of ground in your Puck everytime. I now you would say it possible to purge with 1-2 secs of running and dumping but whatever you do you would have aged and moist and not good coffee grounds. Maybe I should still stick to my hand grinder for a while more. Cheers.
Hi Ömer - Thank you for your kind words. If you get a similar grinder to the Specialita then I would also assume that you're going to have to do this kind of cleaning. Personally I'd say you wouldn't need to do it every 3-4 days unless you're using it to grind a lot of coffee - more than for one person. That's just my opinion. You'd have to test it out to see if it makes the difference you think it would.
To keep it as cleaning as possible in between 'deep cleans' (burrs, chamber, chute), use some kind of bellows to blow as much of the retained grinds after you've finished making coffee. Even if that's several times a day.
I have never used a hand grinder so I can't compare. You might be right to stick with it. Incidentally, which do you have?
What I do know is that I have been looking for other grinders and I haven't yet found one I'd replace this with in this price range. I know there's the Niche Zero which many people love. And I may yet get one but at the moment it's not for me. For my next grinder I'm looking for a big step up that is designed for single dosing but that does mean a big increase in budget.
Thanks for watching and commenting - I appreciate it.
@@coffeewithalex4379 Hi Alex, when it is in your mind you can avoid, so I already ordered one Mignon XL. On cleaning my remark was for every electrical grinder not particularly for Specialita which remains of coffee ground might detoriate the taste. And I thought exactly the same you recommended to use Bellows 2/3 times a day to avoid or decrease accumulation. For hand grinder I am using 1ZPRESSO Jx Pro which I am extremely satisfied and highly recommend if you are looking for any. But to use a hand grinder is a personal choice, and keep in mind it is really something physical. That is why I am also having an electric grinder. I might reply again if you are interested in differences but my guess is hand grinder (1zpresso jx pro) results to be more favourable, just my feelings. Best regards.
I can definitely see why you'd use a hand grinder, Ömer. How are you getting on with the Mignon XL? Any difference in the taste you're gettting? I assume you're brewing espresso.
@@coffeewithalex4379 Yes indeed I am brewing only espresso and I would definetely and highly recommend Mignon XL for any espresso ethusiast. It is very reliable, fast and extremely quite. Yes, there is a distinct taste difference vs my hand grinder. Hand grinder brewed espresso has consistently more clarity and distinguishable complexity of flavours to my taste. But nevertheless due to its super convinence I’ve already switched to Mignon on daily basis. Wishing you good days…
Thank you for making this video.. very very helpful!
I followed your instructions and my coffee extraction is now too fast even when the grinder is at its finest setting (I can hear the burrs touching). Any idea why that could happen?
Hi Jishi - Thank you for your kind comment!
If you have it at it's finest setting and it's extracting too fast, I can't imagine it would be the grinder.
Have you checked if everything was put back in the right place and tightened properly? For example is the bottom burr sitting nice and flush to the burr holder? Are all screws tightened firmly? That sort of thing.
How many shots did you try afterwards? I'm asking because there may have been channeling which shows as extracting too fast.
When was the coffee roasted?
How is the coffee kept (sealed container so no air can get in)?
Bottom line is that I don't think the grinder would extract too fast after a clean if it's at it's finest setting. So we probably need to look elsewhere:
- coffee quality and age
- coffee storage
- puck preparation - was there channelling?
- is the grinder really at it's finest? You said you can hear the burrs touching so I guess the answer is yes here.
Does this help Jishi?
Thanks for this great video! This is my first flat burr grinder(2nd hand). Its clean now, but if i will have to clean it: the burrs(both top and bottom) can be removed simply? Shouldnt i have to mark the current position(before remove them) like a conical grinder?(e.g. my iberital grinder can be cleaned if the burrs position marked correctly and after cleaning, the burrs positions must match the marked position)
(Sorry if its a dumb question but this is the first flat burr grinder in my life )
Hi Ádám - Thank you so much for your kind words. Glad you like the video.
Yes you can remove top and bottom burr (although as you see in the video, the bottom one is a little tricky). Even better, the Specialita is built so that after you've cleaned the burrs and you put it back together, it should be at the same grind size as you had it before you took it apart! No need to mark the position. Pretty handy, right? :)
Cheers for this awesome video!
I have a soecialita as well, but noticed that the lower burr is wiggeling a tiny bit while grinding. Is this normal due to rotatory forces?😅
No no it shouldn't be! Maybe it's not sitting flush in the burr seat?
thank you Alex, that was brillant. Im gonna hit that subscribe button .... what the hell, have a like too.
Ah thank you so much Andy! Welcome as a subscriber!
What coffee videos do you like to watch? And what do you like to brew? I'm 100% espresso-based at the moment - so I like espresso (had an amazing Guatemalen today), but also small coffees like a flat white and cortado.
Wow very thorough cleaning process. Do have to do this everytime you change beans? Or only once in a while?
Thank you Danny! Yes this is a thorough clean. The frequency for this kind of clean depends on your usage. If it's home, light usage then I'd say once a month. But you can always open it up to see the burrs and chamber to see if it's needed.
If you use darker roasts you may find you need to do it more frequently.
I've actually started doing a "quick, dry clean" in between thorough ones. I don't remove the burrs in and don't wash anything, I just use a brush and vacuum.
Hope that helps!
Thanks for the video! I don’t understand why the Specialita manual does not mention cleaning at all.
Yes it is unusual it's not included in the manual as it would prolong the usable life of the machine and give you better tasting coffee too!
Thank you so much for the detailed video. But this is reason why I switched to using a hand grinder.
Can't help feeling this is all a bit unnecessary. This machine is designed to grind coffee, and will obviously have some ground-up coffee in it. I suspect the manufactures were aware of this. I also find myself looking over at my old Smart Grinder Pro, which (unlike my Bambino) has lasted around 3 years, still works - and I've never, ever, cleaned it. Tbh, if I really need to do all this with my Eureka then i'll be selling it and going back to the Breville...
The reason for cleaning isn't just about cleaning out anything that's left in there. It's for the benefit of the coffee you're putting through. Can you imagine all the old stale oils from your coffee tainting your lovely, fresh new coffee? If that doesn't bother you then this might not be necessary for you.
Which hand grinder do you use Benjamin?
@@coffeewithalex4379btw. I was not referring to the cleaning but the amount of coffee wasted in the grinder. I use an 1zpresso k-plus. It's supposed to be an all rounder but it's more skewed towards pour overs. Mainly I drink 1-2 cups a day (single dosing) so I actually switched over to a manual to reduce wastage and also for a quieter operation.
Sorry Benjamin - I was replying to another comment in this thread about the cleaning. Interesting that you use a hand grinder. I'm interested in trying one but there are 2 things that hold me back:
1 is speed - if it takes my grinder 14 seconds, how long would it take me?
2 is quality - often people speak about the larger the burr size the better (to a point obviously).
Anyway, thanks for watching!
Very good video. I followed this after my machine stopped grinding but unfortunately it haven't been able to get it grinding again. I think the motor is kaput; a bit disapponting after 3 years use with regular cleaning.
Thanks Paul. Such a pity it's kaput - that is disappointing, especially if you've been cleaning it out regularly (I'd understand it stopping working if you hadn't).
It might be worth getting in touch with Eureka just to say you've only used it for 3 years. You never know they may even suggest a way you can get it working again.
Hi Alex. Just stumbled onto your videos by chance. Very entertaining. I'm a bit perplexed by your comment that you are thinking of upgrading your Elektronika since I have been toying with the idea of buying the Technika Profi Pid. What features would you consider desirable in a new machine and what maker would you be likely to opt for?
Hi Mal,
Thanks! Well, after having the Elektronika for around 18 months it's really helped me make better coffee. So now I want to experiment even more! I'd like to try flow profiling - like on the Della Corte Mina. But that I may never be able to buy that kind of machine at the current price.
I'd also like the higher stream pressure that ECM offer now (up to 2 bar I think). Of course the Elektronika doesn't have PID so that would be something I'd have on a new machine too.
So to sum up: More tech, higher end machine! But I'll be sticking with it for a while.
Thanks for watching. Let me know what you decided on.
Hi Alex, great vid, i have a question. When taking the grinder apart, do you have to pay attention to the alignment of the burrs? Thanks.👍
Hi - it is supposed to keep the grind setting. But, in my experience, it doesn't always. To ensure it is you might want to mark the burrs with a marker so you know where they sat and which was which (top or bottom). I've done that recently.
Thank you for subscribing! Let me know what other videos you'd like to see.
Hi Alex, I've been single dosing my beans with the specialita to help keep beans fresher by storing them in a vacuum sealed container instead of leaving them in the hopper. However I have found that dialling in can be inconsistent when changing grind size whilst single dosing. Whats your experience with SD? Should I keep the hopper filled up instead?
Hi Ricky, sorry for the delay replying. I'm also using a vacuum sealed container now too (a Ceramic Airscape container). I used to keep the beans in the sealed bags they came in rather than in the hopper.
As I'm sure you ignore there a lot of factors that could cause inconsistency of dialing in. Consistency is one of the things I've been working on too recently. I've definitely picked up a few things - maybe I should make a video on that?
I think you're smart to keep most of your beans in an airtight container. The Specialita isn't built for true single dosing so there will be some unwanted wastage. If I'm dosing out around 18g then I do put up to 25g in the Specialita. There's still a little popcorning towards the end but I've found it works for me.
After the final coffee I grind out any left over beans and blow through the chamber with the bellows I showed in the video.
When dialling in I follow the same steps - grind, purge, bellows, adjust grind, grind a few grams through after changing the grind size, then grind the new lot. Like you, I found dialing in tricky and seemingly inconsistent.
Does that help?
Good video. I’ve had mine for only a few days. It seems to work well, but I’m concerned that maybe I should have bought a higher end model, don’t know why specifically. This looks like a lot of work to keep it clean, I never realized how much work it is to maintain. You did a great job on the video.
Thanks TJ! While it looks a lot of work, I wanted to be thorough. Once you get used to doing it, it doesn't need to take too long. It is important to keep clean though. It's the same for any grinder.
What higher end grinder would you want instead and why?
Thanks for watching. Let me know if you have suggestions for other videos I should make.
Thank God ! Thank you so much for making such a super clear and detailed video.
I don't think Puly's Grind or Grindz would clean nearly as good as this - I'm now just dreading doing it but I will have your video playing on the table next to me,
that way I know I'll be doing it properly !
Hi Paul - You're right. Grindz wouldn't clean it this well (I tested and filmed it but have yet to edit the video). Grindz is not going to clean all those crevices. Plus you really need to get behind that clump crusher. A lot of coffee grounds can build up there. I've found 'coffee boulders' behind there, which does become a problem. So you need to clear that out.
I removed the clump crusher to see if this helps but it's worse - coffee goes everywhere.
I know how you feel about dreading it. Clear some time and get in there :-) If you haven't done it for a while, your coffee will taste better after doing it. You'll find you'll want to do it more often because you'll taste it or notice the timing of your shots aren't as consistent as they were. You may also notice more clumping than usual in your grinds. That's a sign to check inside and see if it need a clean - not just the burrs but take off the front to check behind the clump crusher.
Thank you so much for watching Paul - really appreciate it. Anything you want to see next?
@@coffeewithalex4379 Many thanks for your comprehensive reply. I have actually saved your video to a separate usb flash drive which I keep with all the coffee accessories so that I can have it playing like yesterday when I cleaned the grinder - It was an invaluable video to have stopping and starting and rewinding as I took on the "dreaded" cleaning process - I would have absolutely messed stuff up if I had not had your video playing alongside ! What the hell are Eureka doing ? No video, no support - no nothing.....typical corporate culture - no one does nothing - unprofessional, disgraceful ! (anyways thank goodness you did their job for them).
The clump crusher and shoot are the main sources of starting to clog up and get quite "layered" and gundgy so for me cleaning will always involve taking off the shoot and crusher. I removed the bottom burr from the front, underside of the removed shoot / clump crusher area with a single flat head screwdriver......it lifts the borrow burr off in one go.....but obviously the shoot has got to come off to do this.
The grinder works subtly better - more even, more precise grinding etc, etc.
Once again thank you sooooo much for making such a great video !
No problem at all Paul. I made it especially for someone like yourself, so I'm really glad it's helped.
Definitely either side of the clump crusher is where I find most of the build up. Recently I've been cleaning this or checking it every 2 weeks. It might be because I'm using bellows to clear out after each dose. I believe this may cause some additional clogging. Just my observations.
Thanks again for watching and engagin Paul!
Thank you for this video!! I purchased a new Mignon Specialita recently and have been using it for about 6 weeks. I’ve been largely using it to grind my beans fine, at setting 1 or 1.5, and it has been working well up until this week.
Earlier this week I changed the setting to 5 to get a coarse grind for my French press, which worked. Today, I tried to set the grinder back to 1.5, however the grounds continue to be very coarse.
Given this is a new grinder, I assume the burrs done need to be cleaned, but I’m new to using burr grinders and am not sure how to fix it. Would you be able to provide any guidance on this?
From the sounds of it, I'd say you just need to put a few more beans through as some of the coarser grounds may still be coming through.
By the way if you need help with tracking and improving your espresso, I just created an espresso journal which will help you track, make notes and improve every extraction. You can get it here www.amazon.com/Espresso-Journal-Track-Extractions-Barista/dp/B0CRF5GMB7/
Hello! Thank you very much for the video, the process is very well understood. I
had to open the upper burr since the grinder had blocked and it did not make coffee. I simply cleaned upper part and replaced the three screws.
When grinding I saw that point 0 had changed from 5 to 4, do you know if that is normal or have I done something wrong?
Thank you!
No problem, thanks for watching.
Yes it can change. As long as everything else is working as normal, you're good.
Next time, to minimise this, leave the burrs in place and just do a 'dry clean' of them and the chamber/chute using brushes and a vacuum.
By the way, if you like exploring different coffees, you may be interested in a way to help you get the tastiest espressos from them. I just published an Espresso Journal that helps you track, make notes and improve every extraction. Check it out here www.amazon.com/Espresso-Journal-Track-Extractions-Barista/dp/B0CRF5GMB7/ or UK people here www.amazon.co.uk/Espresso-Journal-Track-Extractions-Barista/dp/B0CRF5GMB7/
@@coffeewithalex4379 Thank you very much for the answer and the recommendations.
Good stuff. Very thorough. Where did you get your bellows from?
Hi Justin - Thanks! I got the bellows from Amazon here www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01D0I21CI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1. It's availability is a bit erratic though.
Thank you for this. After a whole month of use after purchasing the Specialita it stopped working. It seemed that it was stuck and a safty device was being triggered to avoid breaking the motor. Found your video and started cleaning only to find that the small gap under the bottom plate which holds the bottom burr was so stuffed with grounds that it prevented the engine from spinning….
Wow - really? That's good to know. So did it work after you removed the grounds and cleaned it up?
@@coffeewithalex4379 yes. After cleaning it has been working for a month now without problems. Never would have guessed that you actually have to clean it so often.
That's great to hear! You dont' have to do a deep clean like this every time. I may make a video showing a faster, shorter, interim clean.
Would you suggest an alignment for this grinder? I will replace my burrs since they are chipped a bit and quite old and i was thinking if i need to do any alignment with aluminium foil shim. Thank you !
Hi Sergiu - I don't think you'll need to do any alignment. As far as I'm aware, you simply replace the burrs. Unless I've misunderstood you? If in doubt, do contact Eureka - I've found them quite responsive on Facebook Messenger.
Thank you so much for watching! Let me know what other videos you'd like to see here.
Not sure if anyone has mentioned this, but I think you can remove the bottom burr easily but removing the chute first, then prying the burr out from the side where the chute was.
Definitely! Although, if it's kept clean you don't necessarily need to remove the bottom burr and some comments here say you shouldn't as it affects alignment. I didn't notice this but I just want to say that for anyone reading.
Great video, I have the same EUREKA grinder! Maybe, you could put the parts in the dish washer, no?
Thank you! I haven't tried putting any of the parts in the dishwasher. I imagine they would age quicker going through the dishwasher as similar items do.
Thanks. I live in the US and I snagged the same Milti you're using once Bissell licensed to sell gtech stuff here 😁
Hope you're enjoying it!
@@coffeewithalex4379 it's decent, wish I'd understood vacuums a little better and went for something with more airflow and even a little better filtration but it's amazing with the little brush roll attachment. I clean my neighbor ladies rugs for her birthday and somehow the agitation worked better on the cat hair than her upright Dyson Ball and that was one of the purple Pet Editions, with clean filters and only about 4-5 years old. We were shocked. Made me proud of that little vacuum when it didn't leave behind a single cat hair and her vacuum basically gave up on what was left haha
Yeah - I'm now using something with a bit more power (a Shark vacuum) and using a car cleaning kit attachment that has some really small accessories to get right into the hard to get places.
The wireless ones seem to have less suction so this new one I got is plug in.
Superb video! And this could work also for (almost) every mignon series, since their base is the same, right?
Thank you Ambrosius. I think the range of Mignon grinders are very similar, so yes you probably could use it for them too.