ZT:
A note on cleaning with rice: Some folks recommend using rice as a grinder cleaner in place of a grinder cleaner like Grindz. We admit, we've tried it ourselves as well and found rice to be fairly effective. However, there are a few potential problems with using rice. The first is hardness. Rice can be quite a bit harder than your average coffee bean, which can stress the motor and burrs more than the beans they were designed for. Starch is also an issue. The powdery loose starch on uncooked grains of rice can gum up your grinder parts over time. Quick-cook dry rice, being less dense and relatively starch-free, avoids both problems, but may still be inadvisable as it is not covered by most manufacturer warranties.