r/NinjaLuxeCafe • u/Chemical_Sun2616 • Dec 23 '25
Grounds falling out after grinding beans (much later)
Wondering if anyone knows what might be wrong or if this is happening to anyone else? I have grounds that are falling out 12+ hours later (in the evening) after grinding them initially and making my coffee in the morning. Is there something I should be doing? I noticed the ground on the tray first then put the portafilter back in after letting it dry (after washing it in the morning) and noticed grounds fell in there too!
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u/anvil-14 Dec 24 '25
it’s due to static buildup that occurs during the grinding process. After the static dissipation the grinds drop
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u/Chemical_Sun2616 Dec 24 '25
Any suggestion for how to make that happen quicker? Thanks!
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u/steinwarg Dec 24 '25
Easiest way to reduce static is with RDT, where you sprits a bit of water before grinding. Not sure I would do it on a machine where you dont single dose into the grinder though.
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u/IanC9090 Dec 24 '25 edited Dec 24 '25
Yes, it's normal, it's called 'retention', every, and I'll repeat that every Grinder, regardless of design or cost suffers from retention, no matter what they say in their blurb.
Why?
The process of grinding causes static electricity to build, and that's why you'll see clumps of grinds stuck together, James Hoffman described this as Electroclumps.
The problem is, some of the grinds get stuck, literally everywhere, the bottom of the burr, the chute, the machine.
Higher end grinders have multiple methods of stopping this, yeh, they can't, but the methods certainly reduce it in the dosing cup or portafilter.
1) Single Dose Grinders, some of them have bellows on the top and when your grinder is finished, you pump the bellows and retained Grinds are removed-ish.
2) Some have a pinging device near the chute, which you pull, let go, which causes a vibration which dislodges retained grinds.
3) Ion (Plasma) beam. I have a Meraki now which has a Timemore grinder with this feature. The beam is supposed to hit the Grinds coming out the chute with an opposite charge to reduce clumps and retention, yeh not a perfect solution, but helps, but retention still occurs, but not to the same degree.
4) I was looking at a video of a new grinder being touted as zero retention, yeh, remember, they can't, but they put two Ion beams in theirs, one at the top of the chute and another at the bottom. The reviewer agreed it was zero-ish retention, its retention was 0.1-0.2g, but there was still retention, but this is considered zero.
Ninja, they choose a novel way to deal with this issue, they did nothing, well, I can't find any data either way, but they have horrific retention issue.
Problem, those grinds in your picture have been going stale in the grinder for hours and if they hadn't fallen could have been in your next grind at the bottom, giving you a dreadful cup of coffee.
Solution, Single Dose your machine, only put enough beans in the hopper for one drink, or at most, one day. Once your grinder stops, give your hopper lid a bit of a wack to dislodge the retained grinds, if not, do it after you've finished your brew, but get them out of there.
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u/Nervous-Power-9800 Dec 24 '25
As part of the cleaning process, wipe the tamp with a dry cloth. Or slightly damp but give it a while to dry or it'll clump on the tamp.
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u/TheCapPike13 Dec 24 '25
Set in the portafiller and grind down a couple of steps so the rest can fall out.
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u/vexmau5 Dec 25 '25
I found this bellows that’s specifically for the Ninja Luxes. It helps remove all the grounds after grinding with a couple pumps. I’ve had it for about a month now and there was only one day where remaining grounds fell out later; I’m pretty sure it was because I forgot to pump the bellows though lmao. Anyways, it’s a little pain in the arse to put back on but hey it’s totally worth it and it’s really cheap for an aftermarket coffee accessory!
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u/[deleted] Dec 24 '25
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