This post contains affiliate links. Read the full disclosure here.
Contents
Can You Put Water In Coffee Grinder? No, you should not put water in your coffee grinder for any reason, whether it’s manual (not requiring electrical power) or not.
There are numerous reasons which I’ll get into in a minute, from general health reasons to safety concerns. Go through them all and ponder if all the ramifications are worth the experiment.
Reasons why it’s not advisable to put water in your coffee grinder
Below are outlined a few reasons why you should never put water in your coffee grinder—
Rust
We all know what “rust” is, however, not everyone knows the main cause of rust, well? Can you take a guess for the main cause of rust?? Water.
Yes, water is the key reason why most metals rust. When you put water in your coffee grinder, you’d find that after a while the metallic components of the coffee grinder i.e the blades will begin to rust, does not matter if they’re stainless steel or not.
To avoid the rusting process, even if you’re convinced it can’t rust, I’m sure you purchased the coffee grinder for an exorbitant fee, it wouldn’t make sense to waste all that money on an experiment, will it? Anyway, it’s your money, so as you please.
Dull the blades
Over time, when you put water in your coffee grinder, it will gradually begin to make the blades of the coffee grinder dull, whether as a side effect of the blades rusting or unrelated.
The bottom line is that the blades will become dull, when this happens, it will significantly affect the functionality of the device and it will take longer to grind coffee, it may even cause it to overheat because of the extra work the motor will have to put in to get the job done.
Although the blades are replaceable in most coffee grinders, it’s best to avoid this scenario completely so you don’t spend unnecessary money on what was easily avoidable.
Clog
Coffee grinders are made strictly for dry ingredients, therefore, when you put in water while grinding for any reason, it will cause the device to clog.
Coffee beans usually have oils in them, no matter how dry they are, when it’s dry, the coffee beans can pass through easily, however, when you add water— since oil and water don’t really mix, it will form an incohesive paste which will not pass through the feed no matter how hard to try to push it through. It’s a coffee grinder, not a meat grinder buddy.
Always grind only dry stuff in your grinder which are small enough to fit and brittle enough to get broken down, and never ever add water to it.
Mold formation
Bacteria thrive in cold and damp environments, you know what’s cold and damp? A wet coffee grinder. When these bacteria begin to thrive and multiply, they gradually morph into mould, when mould formation starts, it affects everything about the device, from the functionality to the shelf life.
Mould can also cause stomach upsets and other health complications when consumed, the best way to avoid this scenario would be to not put water in your coffee grinder, especially, while you’re using it. Eat healthy, stay hygienic always.
Electric shock
You know what’s a great conductor of electricity? Water. Putting water in your coffee grinder while it’s plugged in can lead to electrocution, no matter how much you think the exterior of the device has been insulated to prevent it.
When you apply a catalyst (which is exactly what the water you put in will act as) in the coffee grinder, all bets are out the window.
Personally, I’m terrified of electricity and the thought of this makes me cringe, avoid getting shocked in your own house with a device you paid money for, don’t put water in your coffee grinder.
May cause damage
When the water seeps through the crevices into the circuit board of the coffee grinder, it will cause it to spark when the electrical components react with the water which will inevitably cause damage, sometimes irreparable.
Coffee grinders are not water-resistant, therefore, don’t expect that you can put water without any type of side effect, even electronic devices which state they are water-resistant have a limit to the amount of water they can take.
Unless you want to purchase a new coffee grinder weekly, avoid putting water in your device.
Ruin coffee taste
Most of the side effects of putting water in your coffee grinder outlined above will inevitably change the taste of your coffee beans, no matter the quality of the said beans.
For example, mould formation will change the taste because when there is bacteria in your coffee, although hot water may kill them off, your coffee beans will not taste the same after you’ve used a mould-infested coffee grinder to grind your coffee beans.
This is not ideal if you’re making coffee for customers or if you spent a lot of money getting sole high-quality coffee beans only to have them ruined by your coffee grinder in the end.
Texture
If you put water in your coffee grinder and it touches your coffee beans, it will affect the texture when you grind it, because it won’t be as brittle as it needs to be to properly grind.
When the texture of your coffee beans is affected, it will lead to a cascading effect of negative results, from the device getting clogged to the blades becoming dull, to the overall taste of the coffee when you brew it.
If you’re not sold on any of the reasons which you should not be putting water in your coffee grinder, then you can go for it and find out first hand.
Trending Searches
What do I do if I accidentally spill water on my coffee grinder?
If you’re using your coffee grinder and you accidentally spill water on it, the best move would be to grind what’s in the feed and unplug it, then use a dry piece of cloth to gently wipe it until all the water is gone off the surface of your coffee grinder. That way you avoid possible electric shock or damaging your device.
Can I wash my coffee grinder?
If the manufacturer states that you can wash it, then you should go for it. Most coffee grinders come with a user manual and instructions on how to open the device, you should go through it cover to cover to work out the intricacies of the “dos and don’ts” in order not to damage the grinding device.
As much as ignorance is bliss, spending money on repairs hurts, and when you wash a coffee grinder that is not made to be soaked in water, you end up having to spend money on repairs or a new device. Neither seems ideal to me.
FAQs
How often should I clean my coffee grinder?
I would say, daily? As soon as you’re done using your coffee grinder to grind your spices or whatever you need, there’s no point leaving it to put like that when it can begin to harbour bacteria and mould. Clean it immediately.
Also, when you don’t, it can potentially ruin the taste of any food item or coffee beans you grind in the future, it doesn’t even matter if it’s the exact same spice, since oxidation has occurred, the taste will be affected.
Should I leave my coffee grinder plugged in after use?
No, you should not, always unplug your coffee grinder when you’re done using it, not just for safety reasons but also to save power and cut costs.
When you leave your coffee grinder plugged in after using it, when there’s a power surge, guess what would happen to your grinding device? Yes, it will get fried immediately, which isn’t ideal for your bank account if you ask me.
Only plug it in when you need to use it, and to go the extra mile, you can get a coffee grinder that you don’t need to plug in at all when it’s charged.
Are coffee grinders water-resistant?
No, they are not, not in the slightest, they are made for dry ingredients. Therefore liquid of any type was not factored in as part of the problem, I don’t think there are blenders that are water-resistant, and those are designed to grind wet ingredients. Do not test this theory out, it can lead to serious injuries.
Can You Put Water In Coffee Grinder – Conclusion
You should not put water in your coffee grinder for any reason, if you need to form a paste out of the spice or coffee beans that you’ve ground, then you can do so in a bowl, outside the grinding device.
The cons of putting water in your coffee grinder far outweigh the cons in my opinion, from your general safety to some financial implications.
Anyway, there is a device which you can grind with and put water in if you need to, it’s called a blender, do what you will with this information. Good luck.
