A clean coffee maker is a happy coffee maker
Coffee leaves an oily residue in your coffee maker and pot. It's not a heavy residue, but even a small amount is enough to tarnish the taste of a freshly brewed cup of coffee.
On a daily basis, you should clean your coffee pot immediately after using it, before the oil has a chance to thicken and stick to the glass surface. Coffee gets bitter the longer it sits out, and after about an hour it should be thrown out anyway.
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You should clean your coffee pot once every 3-4 weeks. Some articles claim you can go longer, but I disagree. In order to brew consistently great coffee, you're going to need to maintain a clean coffee maker.
Fortunately, cleaning a drip coffee maker is very easy. Fill your coffee maker with one part white distilled vinegar and two parts warm water (use more vinegar if you haven't cleaned your coffee maker in awhile), add a filter, and run your coffee maker as you normally would. To remove any leftover vinegar (and smell), run your coffee maker twice more using just warm water (no vinegar, and don't forget to change your coffee filter). |
If you can't stand the smell of vinegar (and using vinegar does produce a smell), you can substitute baking soda for vinegar. You can also use a store-bought coffee maker cleaner. Most grocery stores carry such products, usually in the same section as the coffee.
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