A good cup of coffee can be very enjoyable on those chilly, winter mornings.
But for fresh morning, cleaning coffeemaker often adds taste to your brewing coffee.
To get fresh and authentic taste, make sure your automatic-drip coffeemaker is in its best working condition.
You don’t have to do detailed cleaning like the one below every time, but it helps, especially if your coffeemaker hasn’t been done in a while.
1. Cleaning your automatic-drip coffeemaker
Empty the carafe and use a zero sized brush for cleaning from pores.
Wash it with soapy water; then dump and rinse out. Keep it open under the sun rays for deep rinsing.
Use a solution of equal parts half vinegar and half water to clean the brewing system.
Pour the vinegar-water solution in the water area, and begin to brew it.
When the brewing cycle is halfway done, turn off the coffeemaker. Let it sit for about an hour.
Turn the coffeemaker back on and let the brewing cycle finish. Dump out the vinegar and water solution.
Run the coffeemaker on the brewing cycle with water only for another two to three times.
Wipe down your coffeemaker, and reassemble all the parts. Wash your carafe again with soapy water.
Your cleaned coffeemaker should be ready for you to brew a good pot of coffee, using filtered watered and the ground coffee of your choice.
2. Brewing a better pot of coffee
Start with whole beans and grind them yourself.
If you don’t have a grinder for the beans, you can pick out and buy ground coffee ahead of time.
Use the right kind of filter (flat or cone-shaped) and the right kind of ground coffee for your coffeemaker.
Depending on the type of filter, have the coffee beans ground in the following way to get the most out of the coffee’s flavour :
Tip :
- For flat-bottom filters, very fine;
- For cone-shaped filters, medium-fine; and
- For gold or plastic filter, use medium grounds.
3. Use filtered water during the brewing cycle to get the best taste
Use the correct ratio of water to coffee grounds.
A rule of thumb is intake of 1 to 2 tablespoons of ground coffee for every six ounces of water.
But this depends upon how you like your coffee and how strong your coffeemaker brews the cycle.
Toss out any leftover coffee from the pot; be sure to rinse out the carafe with water; and dump out the grounds and rinse the filter area, too.
Remember :
You don’t have to clean the coffeemaker with the vinegar-solution all the time – just occasionally.
It’s usually recommended if the appliance starts to build up mineral deposits or if it hasn’t been done in a while.
Also, be sure to check the owner’s manual of your automatic-drip coffeemaker first before following these steps.
If the manufacturer’s instructions vary from these steps listed above, use the manufacturer’s instructions instead.
4. Repeat Twice, With Water Only
Repeat this process with pure water to remove any remaining solution, then completely empty the water and run the machine one last time using only water.
Again, that’s two water-only brews, emptying the water between each one.
After that, your machine is clean and ready to be used once more!
You’ll notice a cleaner taste than the previous cup of coffee you made with the machine. By cleaning it once a month, your coffee maker is sure to last a long time.
