Your coffee is starting to taste funny, and there’s a strange burnt smell emanating from it. No, you don’t need a new pot, but you probably need to clean it.
In fact, you should be cleaning your coffee pot daily and deep cleaning it every month.
Now, we know a daily clean sounds like a lot, especially when you’re just trying to get your caffeine and get to work. However, we’re not talking a full scrub down. After brewing, remove and rinse the brew basket, wipe down the lid, and clean the carafe.
When it comes to deeper cleans, you should be conducting them each month. Your coffee maker can harbor some nasty stuff. Yeast and mold can grow within the reservoir, and limescale can build up in the interior, altering your coffee’s flavor.
While it might seem labor intensive to deep clean, it’s not. You can do so through a process called descaling.
Add equal parts water and vinegar to your pot’s reservoir and run a brew cycle. When done, repeat this step. Clean the removable parts, like the brew basket and carafe, then reassemble your maker. Finally, you’ll want to run a few cycles of plain water to remove any vinegar taste.
By ensuring your coffee maker is clean, you can get the best brew possible, and isn’t that all coffee lovers want?
