Keep it clean. (Your coffee machine)
Keep it clean!
I know, I know. You clean your coffee maker every time you use it. But when was the last time you gave it a really, really good deep clean?
A deep clean is easy to do. And the best part is that your coffee will taste better!
This is especially important for machines that get a lot of use, making multiple pots a day. Whether your automatic coffee maker is in a home kitchen or a work kitchen or a work from home kitchen, here are the steps for a deep clean that will keep your coffee tasting great!
FACT: A clean machine gives you better tasting coffee
Easy-peasy, right?! And it'll work with any electric, automatic coffee machine. Any brand - from Krups to KitchenAid, Breville to Bonavita, Cuisinart to Mister Coffee, even a Keurig (especially good to do if you're using the reusable filters!).
Better coffee at work
Heavy duty use needs regular cleaning
A failure to deep clean regularly is one of the main reasons that coffee at work is often pretty awful. The office machine is used a lot - maybe for several pots a day. Crud builds up in the nooks and crannies. Oil residue builds up in the filter basket, especially if you're brewing a darker roast coffee.
Keep your coffee tasting great!
Use good quality, fresh roasted beans (check out our selection here - we'll mail them to you whenever you need)
Clean your coffee maker after every use - just wash out the coffee pot and brew basket with soap and water
Do a deep clean by running vinegar and water through once in a while.
How often should you do a deep clean?
At least once a year
Every couple months if you're using it daily
Monthly if you're making several pots a day
How to deep clean your coffee machine
Put a mix that is one-half water and one-half vinegar through your machine.
Regular white vinegar - not something fancy like wine vinegar or balsamic!
When it's done, rinse the vinegar out by running the machine through THREE times with plain water.
Wash the filter basket and carafe in warm, soapy water. Let them air dry.
Plain white vinegar is all you need to clean your coffee machine
For more in-depth details on how to really get into those nooks and crannies, how to clean a Keurig, and alternatives to vinegar, here’s the Wirecutter’s article: How to Clean Your Coffee Maker.