Posted Wed Oct 15, 2003, 7:01am Subject: Re: Cleaning up after Mazzer Mini
galaxy300 Said:
--- the Mazzer is a commercial grinder - the doser chamber is hard to clean up after grinding (especially for someone like me who does one or two shots at a time), and my counter is a mess. I'm not worried about the counter as much, but I would like to find a solution for keeping my doser clean.
Hi Dalton... Our grinder is a Mazzer Super Jolly, and the messes described sound like the messes here (SJ is big brother to the Mini)
Our grinding average is 5 or 6 doubles per day and probably an extra 10 a week for guests, meetings etc. For a while the mess got a bit overwhelming, so it was time to develop a grinder ritual.
What goes on at our house... Outside of putting the same velcro extenders on the bottom of the sweep arms that we put on our Rocky, a small saucer (espresso cup saucer actually) sits under the PF forks.
Since the small plate is cleaned after every session, it is ok to recycle any grounds that land there during a session. Getting better at knowing at which pull of the grinder the grounds start 'flinging' left instead of drifting right...and with the lid off the doser, learning when the big glob of grounds will land so the PF is moved a bit more to the left of center to catch most grounds without them falling on the plate or counter.
Shark! Shark! Our Shark vacuum is used daily on the grinder, doser and area. Grounds plug the filter something fierce if they get the least bit damp - and a Shark vacuum doesn't know that it is not a wet/dry vac and will suck up droplets from counters, thereby sealing all dust particles to the filter where they will dry like cement!
But I digress...every day a thorough vacuum even down in the doser cavities of the Mazzer and the top feed area (oh yeah...our hopper lives in the cupboard and a Reg Barber knockoff sits on the beans in the mouth of the feed ring while we grind), and the counter around the unit.
Espresso grounds are something like the rice was that guests threw at our wedding - we kept finding it for 2 weeks after the honeymoon and didn't know how it had migrated to where it was discovered.
After the drastic mods to our Rocky, we are trying to use this one as stock as possible (did get rid of that chute protector in the doser within 5 minutes of ownership)...and the brain has been mulling a simple extender to one side of the bottom dispenser hole to keep the grounds from being flung so far off center.
Larry's rules for mods; A)-must be simple, B)-must be durable, C)-must be reversible.
Posted Wed Oct 15, 2003, 7:51am Subject: Re: Cleaning up after Mazzer Mini
ljguitar Said:
Shark! Shark! Our Shark vacuum is used daily on the grinder, doser and area.
I have been thinking about getting one of these little vacuums, but haven't decided if I really want to spend the money. And besides, my kitchen is already so cramped, one more addition - even a very small one - and I wonder if I'll have anywhere to put it. Once I find a room for all of my recording equipment, then I can move my computer, then I can put the espresso setup on the bartop table where it belongs, and then I can start thinking about getting another small home appliance. ; )
ljguitar Said:
(oh yeah...our hopper lives in the cupboard and a Reg Barber knockoff sits on the beans in the mouth of the feed ring while we grind)
Mine too!
ljguitar Said:
Larry's rules for mods; A)-must be simple, B)-must be durable, C)-must be reversible.
Agreed. I think Rob's solution might work best for me, so I'm going to give it a try. It's one of those things that's so brilliantly simple, it's really easy to overlook. And here I was thinking I'd need to take off my doser!
Well, sounds like you may not need it but just in case, here's your shopping list:
PVC to NPT adapter (2" inner diameter)
2" flat washer
8mm nut
2" hole cover (for desks / countertops)
7oz kid's cup
And not shown below:
1" brush w/wooden handle
1" angle bracket w/small machine screw
Sticky-back velcro or ordinary electrical tape
Total cost is around $4 and I bought everything (except the kid's cup) at Ace Hardware. It's a lot easier to find stuff there than Home Depot when you need a bunch of onesy-twosy items like this. I chose the washer and hole cover setup for when I want to switch from single shot to multiple shots. Just remove the cup and grind 3-4 shots, i.e., it pretty much works like before.
Posted Wed Oct 15, 2003, 6:47pm Subject: Re: Cleaning up after Mazzer Mini
And here's the brush assembly, same as Andy's. I found it was a tight fit with a 1" brush, but I didn't see any 3/4" brushes (1/2" is too small). It's at a slight angle to compensate. This picture shows the doser without the adjustable sweep vane in place. I folded over strips of electrical tape halfway lengthwise and attached them to every other vane, extending them about 1/8" inch.
Posted Wed Oct 15, 2003, 6:51pm Subject: Re: Cleaning up after Mazzer Mini
Now the PVC adapter piece, washer, 8mm nut, and cover are in place. Since there is a small raised bevel on the top of the sweep vane, I had to trim a little from the inner edge of the hole in the PVC adapter with a utility knife. With the washer and nut in place, it sits nicely on-center and doesn't budge.
NB: I would have reused the stock nut, but it was too tall to allow the 2" hole cover to fit.
Posted Wed Oct 15, 2003, 6:53pm Subject: Re: Cleaning up after Mazzer Mini
The finished modification. A few grounds might stick to the cup so I remove it and toss it in the dishwasher once a week, then choose another. This also give me the chance to pick a color based on my mood. :-)
Posted Wed Oct 15, 2003, 7:14pm Subject: Re: Cleaning up after Mazzer Mini
galaxy300 Said:
--- I have been thinking about getting one of these little vacuums, but haven't decided if I really want to spend the money. And besides, my kitchen is already so cramped, one more addition - even a very small one - and I wonder if I'll have anywhere to put it. --- Once I find a room for all of my recording equipment, then I can move my computer, then I can put the espresso setup on the bartop table where it belongs, and then I can start thinking about getting another small home appliance.
Hi Dalton... Boy...choices...recording equipment or espresso cleaning aids. Actually, the shark fits in very tiny space in our hall closet at the ready. We just toss it in the rag basket (after taking the long extension off).
Off topic...everyone else disregard... I have a small production studio in the basement. What kind of recording equipment do you have and what kind of recording are you doing?
(feel free to e-mail me at LarryGetsHisMail'at'bresnan.net)
hey Dan, thanks for posting this part list. i've been planning to do this mod for some time now but hadnt figured out exactly what i needed. one question on this mod, do you have difficulties cleanning out the "plug" (i.e., the grinds that are left in the chute)? toto
Yep -- thanks very much, Dan. This information is incredibly helpful. I'll definitely archive this one away in case I need it in the future.
rbh1515 Said:
The 1/3 cup is a measuring cup that is wide (about 54mm wide) and shallow. It has a long handle and is very easily placed into the doser of the MM. Should I post a picture. Rob
By the way, Rob -- if you still have a picture available of your setup, I'd love to see it. I tried with a couple of the measuring cups I have and couldn't quite get them to fit. I think I'm going to have to take out at least some of my doser mechanism to fit something in there.
Thanks to everyone who posted for this really informative thread.
No, I use a metal-handled short brush ("acid brush") that I bought at Home Depot for less than $2 a half-dozen. Brush out the first part of the "plug" then turn on the grinder for a second to eject the remainder. If you're feeling extra finicky, brush the chute a second time. Start to finish, about 20 seconds (obviously I've removed the finger guard).
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