Very important subject... coffee grinders.

[KittenKong]

I bought a grinder for beans on a whim (wine may have been involved).

Should I wash/rinse it after every use? How long does the groins coffee keep ‘nice’ or is the whole point that you do it every day?

Manual or electric?

Yes, the whole point is that you have freshly ground beans each day. Ground coffee deteriorates rapidly once exposed to air. I sometimes have a little left over from the day before, which I’m happy to use, but I wouldn’t deliberately grind ahead of time.

With a manual grinder I only wash the washable lower half, that holds the ground coffee, when it becomes visibly encrusted with grindings. I occasionally wipe the outside of the upper half. I try never to touch the grinding mechanism at all. There’s no need and doing so would inconveniently mess with my grinding setting.

With an electric grinder I treat it much like any other electric kitchen tool - wipe the outside after use, check the cable. Definitely no issue with leftover coffee grinds attracting germs or becoming unpleasant in any way.

Electric, and to be honest... using the beans of the brand I visually buy ground... the coffee was OK.

You can get grinder cleaners that you run through the grinder.

I'd advise that you do your best to never ever EVER get the actual burrs wet in anyway. I made that mistake and it took days and days to dry out.

Buy a few bags of beans to grind and dispose so the natural oils in the beans lubricate the grinder.

Measure your beans out (by weight) before you grind, then grind them all so there is nothing left in the machine. Use your grinds straight away. Also, don’t keep your coffee beans in the fridge - keep it in an airtight container in a dark place.

I’ve been blind tasting people - and the consensus is ‘that coffee tastes nice’. And it’s the same beans of the ground beans I buy so I guess it does make a difference!

It may be that your 21st century cannibalism - no doubt an elite pastime - has distracted me, but I cannot make sense of your final sentence above. 🤔

I have an electric grinder. I just grind what I need for that cup/cafetiere of coffee, and otherwise keep the beans in an airtight container. You only get that fresh-ground flavour if you use it instantly, in my experience.

My grinder has washable parts -- the hopper that you put the beans in, and the little container that the grounds go into. These both go into the dishwasher about once a week or so.

I have a little brush I use those Oxo Good Grips grout-cleaning ones, but a firm toothbrush would do the job just as well to brush out the actual burr grinder part. This bit must stay dry.

The best part about using a grinder is finding different sorts of beans to try!

How long does the groins coffee keep ‘nice’
I wouldn't advise keeping coffee near your groin.

I’ve got to take off my glasses when I type!

No groins, just grounds
I have people the ‘ground’ version and they commented that it did taste nice (unprompted, and I don’t tell them I had a new toy).

My sister has just ‘discovered’ coffee, so that’s her birthday present sorted!

What type of coffee do you like? A lot of online companies do a tasting club where they send a small amount of different types every month. I did it for a year about 15 years ago and there was one type (Monsoon Malabar) that I really loved above anything else I'd ever had so I still buy those beans today.

My grinder doesn't come apart, so I wipe the bit that the beans go in and the container that the ground bit goes into comes out so it can be washed properly.

My exDH took his electric grinder with him. I am not supposed to drink much caffeine (bladder issue) so I limit myself to one coffee a day. I bought a £25 Hario mini hand grinder which will hold enough for two cups, a very cheap Moka espresso pot, an Aeropress Go (for work), and I get freshly roasted beans delivered by Pact Coffee every month. It's my treat, and still cheaper than a Costa every day, and the coffee is lovely. I change my beans from Pact and try new ones every time. Hugely recommend Pact! www.pactcoffee.com

Oh and I don't wash the grinder. I wipe once a month or so with a micro fibre cloth to remove the coffee dust.