How To Remove Static Electricity From Coffee Grinder The Easy Way!

Last updated on October 27th, 2023 at 15:56

Some coffee grinders are shocking!, literally! This article is all about How To Remove Static Electricity From Coffee Grinder.

In the remainder of this article I’ll talk about why this happens, what to do about it and the super simple Ross Droplet Technique.

Let’s crack on and start talking about this static shock from coffee grinder problem!

How To Remove Static Electricity From Coffee Grinder – A Brilliant Coffee Grinder Static Hack!

The coffee that you make for yourself and your friends is of a much higher standard and quality when your coffee beans are freshly ground. An unfortunate problem in the coffee world is the Burr Coffee Grinder Static Electricity problem!

The main cause of the coffee grinders & static electricity is a frustration for all great baristas and coffee shop owners like myself. The little remnants of coffee grounds that get stuck to your grinder.

With frequent use, both at home and in your coffee shop, there is what is known as coffee grinder static cling. This makes your grinder and coffee making area filthy and look disgusting. This is not something you want to see in your kitchen at home or for an eagle-eyed health inspector to see.

Thankfully, there is a very simple 4-step solution.

Read: How to clean a cuisinart burr grinder

Step 1: Prepare Your Coffee Beans

1. Measure Your Beans As You Normally Would. Measure on a per-cup basis. For a busy coffee shop, measure your beans on a per-order basis and have your staff do the same.
2. Wet A Spoon Handle. A tiny spoon is good enough, smaller than a teaspoon. In my coffee shops in Asia I use a metal chopstick. Metal is a must; a small wooden chopstick or plastic spoon will not do the trick.
3. Stir Coffee beans With The Spoon Handle.

Grind your slightly wet coffee beans as you normally would.

You can try this technique with a metal fork. It is the water and the metal that work the magic here.

 Ross Droplet Technique Saying No To Grinder Static!

This technique we touched on earlier. It is simply adding a few droplets of water to your coffee beans and then adding them to your grinder.

Some people wet their finger, this is a huge no, no matter how clean your hands are. Your skin contains oils and may interfere with the flavoring of the coffee beans. Use droplets from a dropper or a quick spray or simply a wet spoon and stir.

Watch the video below for it demonstrated perfectly.

What Causes Static Shock From Coffee?

The cause of this is the static buildup and static charges have their base in electricity and electrical conductivity. When using your burr grinder, beans are ground against the metal burrs, and generate a tiny amount of static electricity.

It is nothing dangerous or serious, just annoying. It is unlikely that you will experience this with a ceramic grinder.

When you open your grind chamber you will notice a fine spray of static coffee dust. This is not a nice sight, looks messy and, besides you are potentially increasing your coffee costs by 1% to 2%.

Upon opening your coffee grind chamber you will have lost approximately 1% to 2% of the coffee due to it sticking to the sides of the chamber.

A metal grounds chamber on a metal or ceramic burr grinder is by far less likely to have static build up due to the electrical conductivity of metal and less likely to insulate the charge of the grounds.

Take my word for it: I am by profession, a former career, an electronics systems engineer.

Here Comes The Science…

The very reason that the static electricity occurs in the imbalance between the particle charges in your grinder and that of your coffee.

The charges, positive and negative, repel each other like the two poles of a magnet. The higher the moisture and humidity there is in the air, the greater the electrical conductivity is.

Due to this, you will get more static during the dryer months than the wetter ones. When you add the water, a tiny amount you are increasing the electrical conductivity inside your grinder which then has the effect of dissipating the static charge.

Hand Grinder Static Shock

The static electricity problem of coffee bean grinders is independent of your grinder being an electric or manual hand grinder, conical burr grinder, a blade grinder or even your grind settings or grind size.

The manual grinders still cause a problem between charged particles; it is of no significance that it is manual. It is a conductivity and charged particles’ problem. As above, a tiny bit of water will solve the problem.

However, this is not the best solution, as the metal parts of a manual or electric grinder of any variety simply does not like contact with water and will eventually lead to rusting problems.

Furthermore,

your coffee does not like contact with water in the sense that it starts the process of breaking down the beans and their flavor. This water technique is only to be used very moderately and immediately before making a cup of Joe with the exact amount of beans needed.

Ode Grinder Static Problem And Solution

This rather brilliant grinder is certainly one of the best on the market for grind quality, size and functionality. However, the Ode Grinder generates a huge amount of static electricity, meaning it can be both messy and inefficient as a lot of beans stick to the sides.

Thankfully, the solution is simple.

Do No Static Burr Grinder Exist?

Yes,

there are many non-static burr coffee grinders as there are solutions to the coffee clumping and getting bits of coffee grounds everywhere. I have either been incredibly lucky and never experienced this problem or I have great staff who are working their magic and ensuring my machines are in tip-top shape and ensuring I don’t have this problem.

I have used a variety of different burr style coffee grinders and a range of different grinds from finer grinds to much coarser grinds and medium grind coffee.

Frequently Asked Questions About How To Remove Static Electric From Coffee Grinder

How Do I Reduce Baratza Encore Static?

When you get static in your grinder, you can wait 15 to 30 seconds after you have finished grinding to allow the charge to dissipate. Then tap the side of the hopper, the grinds should then fall to the coffee grinds bin.

Does RDT Damage Grinder?

No, the RDT (Ross Droplet Technique) does not damage your grinder, be it an electric grinder or a hand grinder, as you are only using a tiny amount of water.

How Do You Stop Static Cling In Ground Coffee From The Coffee Grinder?

The simplest and easiest way of preventing static build up is to use a chopstick, run it under the tap to wet it and then stir the coffee grounds that you are going to use. This has the same effect as the Ross Droplet Technique and, is, for some, better than using a spray bottle. 

Why Is Your Coffee Grinder Static?

The static electricity is caused when your coffee beans pass through the burr or blade grinding mechanism and collect an electrical charge. The electrical charge causes your ground coffee to jump out of your grinder and stick like glue to the sides of the container that collects the ground coffee. 

What Causes Static In Coffee Grinders?

The most common cause of static electricity, the static charge is due to the friction caused when the coffee beans are passing through the burrs or blades of your grinder. Think of the static you create when you rub a party balloon on your head and create static electricity, the process is the same just with your beans and your grinder.

It is the charge imbalance that creates the static.

How Do You Reduce Static Electricity In Your Coffee Grinder?

By far the easiest, simplest and most convenient way of reducing static is to line your coffee chamber when your grinds fall into with foil.

It is a simple preventative technique and is worth a try. Depending on your grinder and metal work skills, you can make a metal box to fit snugly inside your coffee chamber.

How Do I Remove Static From My Coffee Grinder?

You can remove static by adding a tiny bit of water to make the environment in your coffee grinder a little more conductive. This will allow the static charge to flow and dissipate.

Why Is There So Much Static In My Coffee Grinder?

The reason there is a lot of static build up in your coffee grinder is due to the friction as your coffee beans pass through your grinder. The charge imbalance causes the static.

Frappé-ing It All Up – How To Remove Static Electric From Coffee Grinder

Now you know exactly how to remove static electricity from coffee grinder with the ease and simplicity of adding just a few droplets of water or stirring with a wet spoon.

There are a few other very effective techniques that you can try, including adding a small metal lid to the bottom of the grinder chamber where you collect the ground coffee to steaming your beans for 20 to 30 seconds.

The most permanent I came across was the use of a copper wire, which is taking things a little too extreme. The most passive solution – the use of a humidifier ensuring you have a level of humidity that does not produce a static charge in your grinder.

Do you have your own fabulous tricks or techniques for getting rid of the annoying static problem from coffee grinders?

Join our online coffee community on Facebook/Meta and share your “no-static secrets” with us all. We’d love to hear them!