If you are after the freshest, most flavorful cup of coffee in the morning – you NEED a clean coffee maker. A build up of oils from your coffee beans and hard minerals from your water – yes, even filtered water – will dramatically effect the taste of your coffee, and the life of your coffee machine.
Having a clean coffee machine IS VITAL – in not only having the best tasting coffee you can, but also in adding to the life-span of your coffee maker. It doesn\’t need to be a big deal to clean your machine, but if you let it go too long, it will definitely reduce the life of your beloved coffee machine.
Steps to clean your coffee maker:
1. Tip out any old coffee grinds from your filter basket, and rinse thoroughly with hot water.
2. Make up your cleaning mix (2/3 boiling water water and 1/3 vinegar). Fill your coffee brewer\’s water reservoir and your coffee pot, and let stand to soak for 10 minutes.
3. Empty our the coffee pot and run a full cycle of your coffee machine, using the cleaning mix from your water reservoir.
5. When the cycle has finished, let the machine sit for another 15 minutes or so.
6. If it\’s been a long time since you cleaned the inside of your machine, you may want to repeat steps 2-5 again.
7. Rinse everything thoroughly with fresh hot water, and run a cycle through your machine with fresh hot water to remove the vinegar taste. This step may also need to be repeated if you can still taste or smell the vinegar.
8. Hey Presto!!! You now have a fresh, clean and healthy coffee machine.
If you follow these steps every 1 or 2 dozen cycles, you will have far better coffee, and keep your machine running for longer. If you aren\’t a regular coffee drinker, you should still do this every few months to stop the calcium build up in your pipes. Maybe write down a reminder on your calendar so you don\’t forget!
Billy\’s site is a guide to coffee machines including where to find the best coffee makers. There are independent ratings and reviews of coffee machines and more information on cleaning coffee makers.
