<p>Plenty of people say they grind spices in a coffee grinder without issue. A coffee site writer even says they grind parmesan - wild. If you do, you might consider putting some rice through the grinder afterward, to pull out some of the oils and residue.</p>
<p>That said, I wouldn’t recommend it with any reasonably expensive grinder - like the one you named. It feels like using a race car to tow a trailer - it may work, but it’s just not the tool for the job. And from a quality stance, the best grind size for the cardamom is likely different from the coffee.</p>
<p>The right tool is a molcajete or a mortar and pestle. They’re fast, affordable, easy to clean, don’t risk cross contamination, and allow easy experimenting with grind size.</p>
<p>(Edit: Will update with sources when able)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-07-12T16:00:27.250Z
2024-07-12T16:00:27.250Z
Montijello
<p>The burrs in my Ascaso burr grinder are carbide, hard enough to chew nails. Really. Carbide is used to machine hardened tool steel. I run cinnamon sticks through the Ascaso as well as coffee beans.</p>
<p>I can't think of any biological material that would match carbide for hardness, even tooth enamel. Diamond has a hardness rating of 10 on the Mohs scale, carbide 9.5</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-07-09T05:03:50.927Z
2024-07-09T05:03:50.927Z
Woody
<p>I think it should be ok to put cardamom pods inside the coffee grinder. I don't have a hand grinder but I've done it successfully with electric blade grinders.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-07-04T20:35:48.247Z
Can you elaborate please: do you think the grinder type (burr vs. blade) matters here? My gut feeling agrees with your „it should be ok“, but I am wondering whether the setup matters, e.g a different behavior between coffee beans and cardamom pods in a burr grinder?
Stephie
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-07-05T22:12:05.713Z
@Stephie I'm also feeling like maybe a burr grinder might not handle the full cardamom pod. What if you just do the seeds?
Setu Upadhya
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-07-03T17:07:15.780Z
2024-07-05T22:09:37.830Z
2024-07-05T22:09:37.830Z
Setu Upadhya
<p>As you may know, some coffees from the Middle-East / Mediterranean have cardamom ground into the coffee, which is super-fine and prepared in a copper/metal pot.</p>
<p>Is it safe for me to experiment with whole cardamom pods put inside hand-grinders like the Kingrinder K6?</p>
<p>Would it clog up the grinder because these pods contain more moisture and fibrous material?</p>

<grinder>
can i put cardamom pods in hand-grinder with the coffee beans?
Penelope
# can i put cardamom pods in hand-grinder with the coffee beans?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-06-22)

As you may know, some coffees from the Middle-East / Mediterranean have cardamom ground into the coffee, which is super-fine and prepared in a copper/metal pot.

Is it safe for me to experiment with whole cardamom pods put inside hand-grinders like the Kingrinder K6?

Would it clog up the grinder because these pods contain more moisture and fibrous material?

**Tags:** grinder


---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2024-07-12. Score: 1

Plenty of people say they grind spices in a coffee grinder without issue. A coffee site writer even says they grind parmesan - wild. If you do, you might consider putting some rice through the grinder afterward, to pull out some of the oils and residue.

That said, I wouldn’t recommend it with any reasonably expensive grinder - like the one you named. It feels like using a race car to tow a trailer - it may work, but it’s just not the tool for the job. And from a quality stance, the best grind size for the cardamom is likely different from the coffee.

The right tool is a molcajete or a mortar and pestle. They’re fast, affordable, easy to clean, don’t risk cross contamination, and allow easy experimenting with grind size.

(Edit: Will update with sources when able)


---

### Answer by username_2 on 2024-07-09. Score: 0

The burrs in my Ascaso burr grinder are carbide, hard enough to chew nails. Really. Carbide is used to machine hardened tool steel. I run cinnamon sticks through the Ascaso as well as coffee beans.

I can't think of any biological material that would match carbide for hardness, even tooth enamel. Diamond has a hardness rating of 10 on the Mohs scale, carbide 9.5


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2024-07-03. Score: 0

I think it should be ok to put cardamom pods inside the coffee grinder. I don't have a hand grinder but I've done it successfully with electric blade grinders.

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: Can you elaborate please: do you think the grinder type (burr vs. blade) matters here? My gut feeling agrees with your „it should be ok“, but I am wondering whether the setup matters, e.g a different behavior between coffee beans and cardamom pods in a burr grinder?  
> **username_3**: @username_4 I'm also feeling like maybe a burr grinder might not handle the full cardamom pod. What if you just do the seeds?  

---

