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Anyone with coffee grinder repair/disassembly experience?

Hey everyone. My beloved 20+ year old, static free, Starbucks Barista burr grinder kinda died on me yesterday. I think it’s fully jammed with grinds, but not sure. The motor still works, but the beans will not drop through the spinning burrs. They just sit there on top, unground, as the burrs spin and spin. It basically went from 3 perfectly brewed cups 2 mornings ago, to this, yesterday. No in between. Just like a light switch. Worked. And then it didn’t.

Here are a few pics.

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I can’t seem to get it disassembled from the inside top, and given that it has seen daily use since 2000, I’m afraid of finessing anything for fear of snapping what might be pretty brittle plastic. And obviously non-replaceable parts.

I called a local repair shop. $89 to look at it. $110 an hour to repair it. He will probably end up breaking it. Plus he was a pretty rude dude.

Do any of you guys have any ideas?

If not, I’m either going to buy a new Baratza Encore for $199, or spend a bit more for the newly released Fellow Ode Gen 2 grinder.

If I give up on trying to disassemble and clean my 20+ year old Starbucks grinder, I will likely get the Gen 2 Ode (and the newly released Fellow Stagg EKG Pro Studio kettle). Life is short. I drink coffee every day.

This is for AeroPress and Chemex brewed coffee only. I don’t need espresso fine grind for the grinder.

Anyone have any suggestions how to disassemble my existing grinder so I can try cleaning it? If not, any comments, good or bad, on the Fellow Ode Gen 2 grinder and the Stagg EKG Pro Studio kettle (the latter of which I don’t need, but whatever)?

Thanks!!!
 
TLDR: just get an encore while they are on sale so you will be able to get parts in the future.

I suspect something plastic might have finally broken. I am pretty sure I could get inside, but also couldn’t guarantee that I wouldn’t break it. I wonder what parts availability is like?
 
I found this article…


…and spent 5 hours disassembling and deep cleaning it.

I bought that at Christmas 2000 and used it every day until now. There is not a single thing wrong with it, except that it was jammed with super compacted coffee, which is now all cleaned out.

It’s literally back to new.

@APBinNCA As for the Encore, I agree it’s good bang for the buck. I have bought my GF 2 of them in the last 4 years (after the plastic ring on the first one blew up - there were no replacement rings available at the time). The problem is that the Encores have a limited shelf life, and they are jammed with static electricity which makes a mess. Both are 100% known issues. My 22 year old Starbucks burr grinder is built like a tank and has a zero static issue.

I’m at my GF’s now. Here’s a pic of my 22 year old Starbucks on the left (see how clean it is now? 😉), and the Encore I bought her last Christmas.
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I’m not going to wait another 22 years before I do a deep clean again…😝
 
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As an aside, I see that gen 2 of the Fellow Ode just landed. They solved the static electricity problem with it, and replaced the burrs with ones much more capable of fine grinds.

I looked closely at it, and almost bought it. But I found that article above that helped explain how my relic is to be disassembled.

I also looked really closely at some high end manual grinders. Even more expensive than the Fellow Ode!

😳😬🤨

That may be the route I go when my beloved Starbucks finally passes on to the next life.

For now though, it’s still performing like a champ.

Man - they do NOT make these like they used to. 22 years of daily use and it’s first tear down today. And now, presumably, ready for another 22 years.

I do like those manual grinders though…

 
As an aside, I see that gen 2 of the Fellow Ode just landed. They solved the static electricity problem with it, and replaced the burrs with ones much more capable of fine grinds.

I looked closely at it, and almost bought it. But I found that article above that helped explain how my relic is to be disassembled.

I also looked really closely at some high end manual grinders. Even more expensive than the Fellow Ode!

😳😬🤨

That may be the route I go when my beloved Starbucks finally passes on to the next life.

For now though, it’s still performing like a champ.

Man - they do NOT make these like they used to. 22 years of daily use and it’s first tear down today. And now, presumably, ready for another 22 years.

I do like those manual grinders though…

I have a top level hand grinder that I got as a dedicated espresso grinder, love hand grinding except when I don't! Which is usually also when I don't feel like dealing with espresso. I actually nearly bought that huge manual grinder, can't remember, it was like a kitchen art piece. It only does drip grind.

The Fellow Ode, I got the notification as soon as the new version dropped and could have landed a sizeable discount, but I waffled about it like I did when I almost bought the first version with the SSP burs. The thing still stopping me is the question of whether the motor is really up to the task of a full size bur set long term?

So I know exactly how you feel about wanting to keep what you are used and uncertain about whether the replacement would shape up. I have a Virtuoso that I thought was old, but you get the new Oldest Grinder In Service on this board award!

I din't know about the Encore static problem, I wonder if I should have been recommending these as much as I do? I thought they were a budget case with Virtuoso innards, but it sounds like the drivetrain might be different.
 
I have a top level hand grinder that I got as a dedicated espresso grinder, love hand grinding except when I don't! Which is usually also when I don't feel like dealing with espresso. I actually nearly bought that huge manual grinder, can't remember, it was like a kitchen art piece. It only does drip grind.

The Fellow Ode, I got the notification as soon as the new version dropped and could have landed a sizeable discount, but I waffled about it like I did when I almost bought the first version with the SSP burs. The thing still stopping me is the question of whether the motor is really up to the task of a full size bur set long term?

So I know exactly how you feel about wanting to keep what you are used and uncertain about whether the replacement would shape up. I have a Virtuoso that I thought was old, but you get the new Oldest Grinder In Service on this board award!

I din't know about the Encore static problem, I wonder if I should have been recommending these as much as I do? I thought they were a budget case with Virtuoso innards, but it sounds like the drivetrain might be different.
I love the Encores. Like I said, I have bought my GF 2 of them. I recommend them to every coffee noob I know.

Here’s what Baratza had to say about the static issue:


“…When you encounter static, we encourage you to wait 15-30 seconds after the grind has completed to allow the charge to bleed away, then tap the side of the bin and all the grounds should fall into the bin…”

James Hoffman got past the static issue with the gen 1 Ode by sprinkling water on the beans. The gen 2 Ode solved the static riddle.

I have no idea why, but my relic has never had a static problem. In fact, it’s never had any problems at all, apart from its owner neglecting it.
 
Glad you were able to fix your grinder and keep it cranking for 20 more years! I’m shocked it was able to go that long without cleanings, truly is a tank. I’ve had the same Encore for 10+ years and I only experience static with courser grinds, but not with finer grinds, kinda weird.
 
Glad you were able to fix your grinder and keep it cranking for 20 more years! I’m shocked it was able to go that long without cleanings, truly is a tank. I’ve had the same Encore for 10+ years and I only experience static with courser grinds, but not with finer grinds, kinda weird.
Sadly it died again. This time for good. I took the opportunity to totally up my coffee game:

1. Varia VS3 grinder
2. Fellow Stagg Pro Studio kettle
3. Flair Pro2 manual espresso machine
4. Timemore Black Mirror Nano scale/timer
5. V60 dripper/decanter set
6. Aeroccino 4
7. Kinto double walled glassware

Good thing I’m off work until Jan 3. I have lots of rabbit holes to go down over the next while…
 
Regrettably, the scale does not fit within the frame of the Pro2. Omg. Back to the store today to upgrade to the Flair 58LE. I’m going to do my best to avoid swapping the Timemore for the Acaia Lunar. I hope this madness ends soon.
 
Regrettably, the scale does not fit within the frame of the Pro2. Omg. Back to the store today to upgrade to the Flair 58LE. I’m going to do my best to avoid swapping the Timemore for the Acaia Lunar. I hope this madness ends soon.
Jeez, you really are going all in. You should have just got your scale from Varia as it's clearly a copy of the Lunar. I have the 58 and the Lunar, but wow that's quite a jump up! I was actually looking seriously at those Varia scales, even as a second scale(I have too many already).
 
Jeez, you really are going all in. You should have just got your scale from Varia as it's clearly a copy of the Lunar. I have the 58 and the Lunar, but wow that's quite a jump up! I was actually looking seriously at those Varia scales, even as a second scale(I have too many already).
That Varia scale looks pretty sweet but, unfortunately, it’s too wide for the 58.
 
That Varia scale looks pretty sweet but, unfortunately, it’s too wide for the 58.
I measured my drip tray and that nano is even bigger than the Varia... sorry, but it's looking like you are going to have a hard time finding a small enough scale. I know there are some actual knock off Lunars and the Timemore would work fine for pour over.
 
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