Comandante Aftercare: What to Tell Customers After the Sale

Give every Comandante customer three things: how to find Click Zero, a cleaning routine — a brush after use, and a strip-down weekly for daily grinders or monthly for weekend use — and where to get spares. Most problems customers report, from a stiff crank to a squeaky knob, have a quick fix and a part you can sell.

A Comandante is built to last for years, and customers who buy one tend to come back with questions. Answer them well and you keep the customer; point them to the right part and you make a sale. This guide pulls together Comandante UK’s own care guides into one reference for your team. As the exclusive UK distributor, we stock the spares. For choosing a model, see Is the Comandante C40 worth it?

What do Comandante customers ask most?

How do you find Click Zero?

1. Hold the grinder horizontally with the crank free to swing. With the burrs open, the crank falls to six o’clock.
2. Close the burrs one click at a time.
3. After each click, lift the crank to nine o’clock and let go.
4. Click Zero is the first setting at which the crank stops falling.
5. Open the burrs, counting clicks out loud, to the setting you want — and write the number down.

Tell customers that zero is a reference point, not a grind setting, and that closing to zero won’t damage the burrs. There’s no benefit in turning past it. The test works the same on the C60 Baracuda, and its longer crank makes it easier to read. C60 owners also have their own how-to videos and cleaning guide.

What’s the fastest way to dial in?

For coarse and medium grinds, Comandante UK suggests setting the burrs by eye: take off the crank and jar, open the burrs, then close them until the gap looks right — a comfortable gap for French press, a narrow slit for filter. Grind, taste, then find Click Zero and count back to record the number. Below about ten clicks, the gap is too small to judge, so count instead. Remind customers that the burrs are sharp.

How should customers clean and service a C40?

1. Brush after each brew. A five-second sweep with a brush kept next to the grinder saves deep cleans.
2. Strip it down regularly. Weekly for daily use, monthly for weekend brewers. The knob, crank, dial, cone, spring, washers and axle come out by hand.
3. No dishwasher, ever. It damages the ball-bearing cartridges.
4. Keep the bearings, axle and spring dry. Brush or blow them clean; don’t wash them.
5. Don’t touch the three screws around the burr. They’re hand-calibrated, and loosening them voids the warranty.
6. Find Click Zero again after reassembly and count back to the recorded setting.

When a part wears, customers can replace it rather than the grinder: ball bearings (set of 2), spring and washer and bearing spacer set are all stocked.

Why does it get harder to turn at fine settings?

Because the burrs are doing more work. Comandante UK compares a filter setting of around 28 clicks with an espresso setting of around 9 — at the finer setting every bean is broken into far smaller pieces, so each turn takes more effort. It isn’t a fault. Grip and leverage help: a felt sleeve for a better hold, a different knob, and above all the longer Black Handle Crank, which Comandante UK calls the single most effective change.

How do you fix a squeaky knob?

1. Pull the knob off the crank — it’s a push-fit and comes off with a firm tug.
2. Apply a trace of food-safe oil to the crank pin or inside the knob. Kitchen mineral oil or ordinary olive oil both work.
3. Turn the knob a few times off the grinder to work it in, then push it back on until it clicks.

Warn customers off machine oils and penetrating sprays, and off using too much: excess oil attracts coffee dust and turns a squeak into a sticky knob.

How should customers look after the wood?

1. Keep it dry — water gets behind the veneer and lifts it. Never submerge the grinder.
2. Wipe with a damp cotton cloth and dry it straight away.
3. Keep it away from radiators and direct sun, which make the wood move and crack.
4. Every few months, or when the grain looks dry, rub in a thin layer of natural beeswax polish and buff it off.

Which habits should you recommend?

Comandante UK’s four habits worth forming make good advice at the till:

1. The Bean Jar Flip. Weigh the dose into the bean jar, turn it over onto the open grinder and lift it clear in one movement — no spills.
2. A tray underneath. A Coffee Tray or Baby Coffee Tray catches stray grounds and holds parts during cleaning.
3. A brush beside the grinder, such as the Barista Brush #2.
4. A record of settings. Note the click count for each coffee, or snap to settings with a Clix Mate.

What aftercare kit should you stock?

Shop the full Comandante trade range, or ask your account manager for a part you can’t see.

Frequently asked questions

How often should you clean a Comandante grinder?
Comandante UK recommends a full clean once a week if you grind every day, or once a month for weekend use. Brush the burrs after each brew in between. Never put any part in the dishwasher.

Where is Click Zero on a Comandante?
Hold the grinder horizontally, close the burrs one click at a time and let the crank drop from nine o’clock after each click. Click Zero is the first setting where the crank stops falling.

Why is my Comandante hard to turn on fine settings?
Fine settings break beans into much smaller pieces, so each turn takes more effort — it isn’t a fault. A better grip helps, and Comandante UK says the longer Black Handle Crank is the most effective fix.

How do you stop a Comandante knob squeaking?
Pull the knob off, add a trace of food-safe oil such as kitchen mineral oil or olive oil to the crank pin, work it in and push the knob back on. Avoid machine oils and don’t overdo it.

Can you wash a Comandante in water?
Not the grinder body or mechanism. Keep the bearings, axle and spring dry and never submerge the wooden body. Wipe the wood with a damp cloth and dry it at once. The dishwasher damages the bearings.