Coffee grinders are recalled by Starbucks

Starbucks recalled 530,000 coffee grinders with the unfortunate tendency to turn on all by themselves.

The Seattle coffee giant and the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued the recall Tuesday after Starbucks Corp. received three reports of cuts to the hands of coffee lovers who were cleaning their grinders when the appliance unexpectedly turned on, commission spokesman Scott Wolfson said.

The three reported injuries were among 176 reports Starbucks received of grinders failing to turn off or turning on without the flip of a switch, Wolfson said.

Consumers should stop using the grinders immediately and contact Starbucks for a free replacement at (866) 276-2950, he said.

The grinders were sold in Starbucks stores and Seattle’s Best Coffee locations. Starbucks sold the grinders under the name Barista Blade Grinders, and Seattle’s Best sold the appliances as Coffee Blade Grinders, Wolfson said. The faulty grinders were sold from March 2002 to March 2009 for about $30 each, the commission’s recall statement said.

The grinders come in various colors, including green, pink, orange, teal, red, olive, black, brown and a stainless-steel finish, and featured Starbucks or Seattle’s Best logos, the statement said. They were made by Tsann Kuen Enterprise Co. of China and imported to the U.S. by Starbucks, the commission said.

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