Our Guide To Sharpening Coffee Grinder Burrs & Blades

If you are a coffee lover then you most likely have coffee equipment at home to grind your beans, blade grinder and burr grinders however get blunt over time which can ruin the quality of your grind. 

Luckily, to sharpen coffee grinders blades well you don’t need to be expertise in coffee grinding and you can simply use uncooked rice, a kitchen knife sharpener or grinder pellets to sharpen your grinder. 

To help you sharpen your grinder blades we’ve made a small guide below which will take you through when to sharpen your coffee grinder blades, the actual sharpening process and how to sharpen burr coffee grinders. 

When Should I Sharpen My Coffee Grinder Blades? 

Before we get into the process of sharpening grinder blades, you should know when to do this to keep on top of your grinder and avoid dull blades. 

Typically you can feel when your grinder has dull blades, but should always be careful when doing this, you can also normally see if the grind from your model is bigger than normal or struggling to grind taking much longer than usual. 

These are all indicators that your blades need to be sharpened, and the more you make coffee ground the more they will need to be sharpened. 

Our Best Three Methods For Sharpening Coffee Grinder Blades 

As we mentioned above, all coffee grinder blades can be sharpened through manual sharpening and don’t have to be taken to a sharpening store. 

We’ve listed our top three methods for sharpening your coffee grinder blades down below. 

Sharpen With Rice 

One way to sharpen your coffee grinder blades is by using raw rice, simply put 1/4 cup of rice in your grinder to fill up to the hopper then grind until the rice becomes powder, the harshness of the rice is what will sharpen the blades.

Sharpen With a Knife Sharpener

Another way to sharpen the blades on your coffee grinder is by using a sharpening stone for a knife grinder, make sure you are wearing a pair of gloves then rub the edge radius of the blades all over the sharpening stone. 

Sharpen With Grinder Pellets 

Grinder pellets can be used in a similar way to sharpen the blades of your coffee grinder, just put them in the same way as your rice and grind until they become a fine powder. 

How To Sharpen Coffee Grinder Burrs?

Burrs are a lot more complicated to sharpen than coffee grinder blades, unfortunately, when they get dull you will just have to replace the burrs in your coffee maker rather than sharpen them, although you can try the methods above as a last resort.

The good news about coffee grinder burrs however is if you take care of them properly and clean them then they will make ground coffee for a long time before becoming dull, so they are worth the investment in the longer run.

Tips For Sharpening Your Coffee Grinder Burrs

Sharpening your coffee grinder burrs is pretty easy but you must make sure you follow some important safety tips and tricks to the job properly. 

• Put the blade over the sharpening stone – Always put the blade over the sharpening stone instead of the sharpening stone over the blade, this makes the heat and friction build up more powerful.
• Wear gloves – Your coffee blades and burrs once sharpened will get pretty sharp, wear some protective gloves while doing it just in case.
• Slide the blade away from the body – When sharpening try to slide the blade away from your body rather than towards you for safety.
• Buy new ones – There will be a time where you can’t keep sharpening your blades and you will just need to invest in new ones, these can easily be purchased cheaply online. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Sharpening Coffee Grinder Burrs

Why is it important to keep your coffee grinder burrs sharp? 

It’s important to keep your grinder and burrs sharp as this makes your homemade coffee ground consistent and taste better.

Is coffee grinder burrs hard to sharpen? 

Burrs are a little more complicated to sharpen than blades as you have to disassemble them.

How often should I be sharpening my blades?

Sharpen your blades and burrs anytime they start to grind inconsistently or feel rough, the more you grind the more often this will be, at some point over a period they may need replacing entirely.

Final Words 

To conclude, sharpening your coffee grinder burrs and blades is simple as long as you have some rice on hand or a manual sharpener, do take more care when sharpening coffee grinder burrs as you need to ensure you are putting them back together properly after, always wear gloves for protection too as burrs and blades can get pretty sharp.