If you have a single serve coffee maker you will want to be sure you are getting the best brew from your machine as possible. There is a large variety of coffee pods available and like anything else, not all are manufactured in the same way. Along with keeping your single serve brewer maintained properly, choosing a quality coffee pod will go a long way in allowing you to roast a delicious cup of coffee.
- Choose The Best Coffee. You will want to make sure that you are buying coffee pods that use pure Arabica or an Arabica blend. Arabica beans are the best coffee beans available and they are usually grown in mountainous areas above 3000 feet.
- Do Not Try To Extend The Use Of The Pod. You cannot overextend the use of a pod. It only contains a certain amount of coffee. If you want a good tasting cup of coffee you cannot brew more than one cup of coffee.
- Keep Your Pod Brewer Clean. Your pod brewer should be cleaned periodically. This can be even more important when you only use your coffee maker occasionally because the stale coffee can dry in the pump and tubing and start to build up. This can clog the brewer, along with mixing month old coffee in with the fresh coffee. Trust me, this is not going to yield a good tasting cup of coffee! There are coffee maker cleaners sold for this purpose, but you can also just use regular vinegar.
The process of cleaning is easy. Put a used coffee pod in the pod holder. This allows the cleaning process to be done under pressure. Add 12-16 ounces vinegar to the tank. Brew 3-4 cups of vinegar ‘coffee’. Wait 10-15 minutes between each cup that is brewed. Then, brew 5-6 cups of clean water without using the used coffee pod to clean the spout. There does not need to be a wait between cups when brewing with water.
If you keep your single cup coffee maker cleaned regularly you will not taste a difference after cleaning. If however, you have let the brewer go without being cleaned for a year or more, you will definitely taste a huge difference in the taste of your next cup of coffee in the clean machine.
