Urnex Grindz Grinder Cleaner

Urnex Grindz Grinder Cleaner 430g — First and Best-Selling Grinder Cleaner Worldwide

You empty the hopper on your grinder, then brush the last beans out of the chamber. Then you open the Grindz tin and pour 35 grams into the hopper — small, yellowish tablets shaped like coffee beans. You start grinding. The tablets shatter, and you hear a different grinding sound than with beans — shorter, denser. Yellow particles trickle out of the chute, looking like crushed cracker crumbs. You repeat with a few beans to rinse it through — the first ones still come out yellowish, the second batch clean, dark brown. Done. Burrs and grinding chamber are free of coffee oils.

This is Grindz. The idea came out of a conversation between the owners of Urnex and Mahlkönig in Hamburg — developed by Urnex from 2003, in serial production from 2005 and patent-protected at the time, making it the world's first grinder cleaner ever. Pressed from grains, cereals and pharmaceutical binders into coffee-bean shapes. All-natural, food-safe, flavor-neutral. Urnex is especially strict when it comes to gluten content: according to manufacturer testing, Grindz comes in under 20 ppm — a tenth of the Codex Alimentarius limit of 200 ppm. A 430-gram tin is good for around 12 to 15 cleanings in a typical home espresso grinder. Made in the USA. We at Coffee Coaching Club are the importer of Urnex for Switzerland.

What Grindz Solves

When you grind, tiny amounts of coffee oil stick to the burrs and to the inner wall of the grinding chamber. Over weeks and months, these oils turn rancid — and rancid oil mixes into every new batch you grind. The result: a musty off-taste in freshly ground coffee, even when the beans themselves are freshly roasted.

Grindz works physically and chemically at the same time. As it grinds, the tablets break down and work into the same gaps and grooves where coffee oils have settled. The porous cereals absorb oil like a dry sponge. At the same time, they act mechanically — gently scrubbing coffee residue off the burr surfaces.

What Makes Grindz Special

No Disassembly Required

Grindz works without opening up the grinder. Into the hopper, start grinding, done. If you own a grinder like the Eureka Mignon Specialita, a Mahlkönig E64 WS or a Fiorenzato AllGround Sense Plus, you know that taking it apart is fiddly, and recalibrating afterward costs time. Grindz saves you that.

All-Natural and Flavor-Neutral

The ingredients are grains, cereals and pharmaceutical binders — all food-safe. After rinsing through with regular beans, there's no residual flavor in the ground coffee. Your next espresso tastes like your next espresso — no cracker note, no lingering cleaning-product taste. If you have medically diagnosed celiac disease, we recommend contacting the manufacturer directly first, despite the very low gluten level, just to be safe.

Developed With Mahlkönig

During development, Urnex tested Grindz together with Mahlkönig's technical team in Hamburg — for safety, effectiveness and burr compatibility across a wide range of grinder types.

Tested to 400 Kilograms

In a manufacturer endurance test, a K30 espresso grinder processed over 400 kilograms of coffee — cleaned every 15 kilos with Grindz, which works out to roughly 1,000 double shots. Result: no visible residue and no clogging after 400 kilos, and average particle size stayed stable up to 300 kilos. The small deviations in grind size and speed after that point came from normal burr wear, not from the cleaning itself. What that means for you: dosing stays more consistent shot to shot, because caked-on fines no longer clog the housing and chute.

How to Use It

1. Remove any remaining beans from the hopper
2. For espresso grinders: 1 capful (35–40 g) of Grindz into the hopper
3. For large shop grinders: 2 capfuls (70–80 g)
4. Set the grind size to "medium" (mid-range position for filter coffee)
5. Start the grinder and let everything run through
6. Wipe down the hopper, spout and doser with a brush or cloth
7. Flush through with double the amount of coffee beans — until no more yellowish powder appears in the grounds
8. Recalibrate the grind size back to your espresso setting (a small adjustment may be needed)

Recommended frequency according to the manufacturer: espresso grinders — most of the grinders in our range, whether in a home setup or behind the bar — once a week. Large shop and filter grinders, of the kind used in retail for bulk bean weight, only need it once a month. Urnex's alternative rule of thumb: every 15 kilos of coffee ground. For most home setups pulling one to two shots a day, that works out in practice to roughly every three to four weeks — in a high-throughput café, those 15 kilos are often reached within just a few days.

Important: When NOT to Use Grindz

Not for Super-Automatic Machines

Grindz isn't suitable for grinders built into super-automatic machines. Super-automatics have a brew chamber that brings the grounds into direct contact with water — and Grindz tends to swell when it meets larger amounts of water. That can clog the brew chamber. For super-automatics, there's a separate Urnex product: SuperGrindz, formulated specifically for integrated grinders with a brew chamber.

If you're not sure: check with the manufacturer or with us before using it on a grinder from the CCC range. Grindz works fine on classic hopper and single-dose grinders like the Eureka Mignon Specialita, Mahlkönig X64 SD or Fiorenzato AllGround Sense Plus.

At a Glance

Who Benefits From Grindz

We see two profiles in the showroom:

Home Setups With an Espresso Grinder

If you own a hopper grinder like the Eureka Mignon Specialita from our Eureka Collection, a single-dose grinder like the Mahlkönig X64 SD from our Mahlkönig Collection, or a grind-by-weight grinder like the Fiorenzato AllGround Sense Plus from our Fiorenzato Collection, you'll benefit from regular Grindz use. The improvement in taste is noticeable right away.

Specialty Cafés and Professional Bars

A Eureka Atom Specialty 65, a Mahlkönig E80 Supreme, a Mahlkönig EK43 S or a Fiorenzato F64 EVO Sense PRO processes enough espresso in daily volume that a corresponding amount of coffee oil builds up on the burrs. Weekly Grindz cleaning is standard in professional settings — and not just for the taste: caked-on fines in the housing are one of the most common causes of inconsistent dosing shot to shot, and having a technician disassemble a grinder takes far longer than the five to ten minutes a Grindz cleaning itself needs. For a barista operation on a tight schedule, that's an argument in its own right, not just an aroma detail.

Multi-Bean Setups

If you switch between different beans — say, running Cozy Chocolate through your espresso grinder and also a fruity bean like Wild Peach — Grindz lets you "switch" between flavor profiles without residue from the previous bean ending up in the next one.

Recommended Pairings

For the espresso machine: Urnex Cafiza 566g (the industry standard) or the plant-based alternative, Urnex BioCaf 500g. For the milk system: Urnex BioCaf Alkaline Milk Cleaner 1L. Grinders from the CCC range are in our Coffee Grinders Collection, or by brand directly in the Eureka, Mahlkönig or Fiorenzato Collection. For more on grinder care overall, read our article Cleaning Your Coffee Grinder: Why Burr Care Determines Aroma.

Ordering, Delivery and Advice

You can order Grindz online at Coffee Coaching Club, or pick it up at our showroom in Zürich Oerlikon or Bern. Delivery across Switzerland and to Liechtenstein takes 2–4 business days. As the importer of Urnex for Switzerland, we're your contact for all grinder-care questions: office@coffeecoachingclub.ch.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Grindz actually work?

As you grind, the coffee-bean-shaped tablets break down and work into the same gaps and grooves where coffee oils settle. The porous cereals absorb oil like a dry sponge and mechanically scrub residue off the burrs.

Which grinders can Grindz clean?

All classic espresso and filter grinders — hopper grinders, single-dose grinders, grind-by-weight grinders, professional café grinders. Examples from the CCC range: Eureka Mignon, Eureka Atom, Mahlkönig X64 SD, Mahlkönig E64 WS, Mahlkönig E80 Supreme, Mahlkönig EK43, Fiorenzato AllGround Sense Plus, Fiorenzato F64 EVO Sense PRO. NOT suitable for super-automatic machines with an integrated grinder and brew chamber.

Is Urnex Grindz really gluten-free?

Urnex has tested the finished product, and according to the manufacturer it comes in under 20 ppm gluten — a tenth of the Codex Alimentarius limit of 200 ppm. If you have medically diagnosed celiac disease, we recommend contacting the manufacturer directly before using it.

How often should Grindz be used to clean your grinder?

The manufacturer generally recommends once a week for espresso grinders, and once a month for large shop and filter grinders. Alternative rule of thumb: every 15 kilos of coffee ground. For most home setups, that works out in practice to roughly every three to four weeks — more often in a high-throughput café.

After using Grindz, do I need to recalibrate the grind size?

A small adjustment may be needed, because grinding residue has come loose and the burr gap shifts very slightly. Rule of thumb: dial in the first 2–3 shots after using Grindz, and the grinder will be back to reproducible results.

What's the difference between Grindz and SuperGrindz?

SuperGrindz is the version for integrated grinders in super-automatic machines with a brew chamber. The formula is designed not to swell on contact with water. Classic grinders without a brew chamber need the standard Grindz.

How long does a 430g Grindz tin last?

With weekly use at 35–40 g, around 10–12 weeks. With more occasional, monthly home use, a good year. With weekly café use at 70–80 g per cleaning, correspondingly shorter.

Can I see Urnex Grindz in person before buying?

Yes. Both showrooms carry the full Urnex range on site: Bern at Gerberngasse 44 and Zürich Oerlikon at Hagenholzstrasse 50b.