Home Coffee Brewers I have a question.

mantis

Ok,
So I can make about 20 to 30 cups of coffee at home that taste really good and clean , then I get the occasional super bitter cup. What could be the problem? It happens more and more. It's not just one coffee makers as I have 2. I have a Keurug and a Mr. Coffee makers. Both do the same thing from time to time.
I use filtered water with Britta , I try and keep the pot clean. I run vinegar through it from time to time but maybe not enough? What does it mean when your pot or cup goes bitter?

gdb

I suspect the flora inhabiting your mouth, with all other things being pretty much exactly the same. Try a vigorous rinse then spit and then taste again. Are you sure a stink bug didn't inadvertantly get brewed along with your coffe? :eek:

gdb

I use home-ground coffee beans in my Keurig and I also buy distilled water that doesn't impart any tastes or odors (chlorine) plus it doesn't cause lime scale build up, eliminating the need to use vinegar.

newbie308

Eww! Stinkbug coffee! That's just nasty! I did however have stinkbug chilie the other night, and it wasn't that bad!

Sometimes the problem has more to do with a stray white bean, that if not discovered, could singularly taint an entire pot of coffee! If you buy whole bean coffee, look for and remove any light or whiteish beans you find. I know it sounds strange, but a single white bean will kill the flavor of an otherwise perfect pot of coffee. I think they are called quakers.

gdb

Do they taste like they smell, like cilantro ? If so, I'd imagine they'd be darn tasty in chili !

newbie308

I like to leave the lid off of the pot for the last hour the chilie simmers to thicken it, but last time a stink bug went for a swim, and I didn't find it until it was too late! Good chilie though! I don't care for cilantro, but now that you mention it, yeah I guess it did have a little escence of cilantro (stinkbug) in it! Ha!

heiney9

Many times bitterness is caused by water being too hot. Perhaps the machines don't regulate the temp that well. I admit having it happen with both brewers would be quite a coincidence, but that's what I know can make coffee bitter. Perhaps it's inconsistent coffee stock too.

H9

Willow

heiney9 wrote: »

Many times bitterness is caused by water being too hot. Perhaps the machines don't regulate the temp that well. I admit having it happen with both brewers would be quite a coincidence, but that's what I know can make coffee bitter. Perhaps it's inconsistent coffee stock too.

H9

I would agree, the same is true for loose leaf green tea, too hot= bitter. I too get that with our coffee at home as well, then i also thought maybe a bad batch? Maybe it is a bit of both.

bmbguy

How old is the coffee? Coffee (especially after it's roasted, and very quickly after it's ground) changes flavor as it ages. The saying among the home roasters is that ground coffee is good for 2 days, roasted beans for 2 weeks, but green beans for 2 years!

The best thing you can do for good taste coffee is to use fresh coffee. H9 is right also - water temperature can affect it. Many brewers brew too hot, or not hot enough for good extraction.

Jstas

Brewer is dirty, clean it.

Some people use vinegar. Melita has a decent cleaner, so does Mr Coffee. Acme has a generic one that is essentially the same as Mr. Coffee. Check about using it in the Keurig. I think Keurig has a cleaner for their systems though.

And Brock is right, too hot water will make things nasty. If your pot is dirty, the temp sensor doesn't read right and it has to heat up the gunk on the sensor before the sensor reads the temp. By then, you are well past brewing and in to boiling. That scalds the beans and breaks down the oil making it very bitter. Also, the funky deposits will color flavor as well. So, clean the pot more often. I'd do it at least once a month maybe once every two weeks if you use it that often.

SolidSqual

I'd upgrade the power cord and add a PS Audio Power Port Premier.

Jstas

Depends on how you store it. In an air-tight container or vacuum packed bag, fresh roasted beans can keep for a couple months. It's not really age that kills them but oxidation. The better you keep them away from the air and light, the longer they will last. Ground beans lose more oil than whole beans and that's what colors the flavor. The only way to stop that is with preservatives.

bmbguy

In cleaning, vinegar can be rough on certain materials. Espresso makers recommend a mild solution of food-grade citric acid to 'descale' their machines, especially if you have hard water (like I do).

Willow

Jstas wrote: »

Depends on how you store it. In an air-tight container or vacuum packed bag, fresh roasted beans can keep for a couple months. It's not really age that kills them but oxidation. The better you keep them away from the air and light, the longer they will last. Ground beans lose more oil than whole beans and that's what colors the flavor. The only way to stop that is with preservatives.

Worst palce to store is in freezer especially if you are taking it out every day.

gdb

SolidSqual wrote: »

I'd upgrade the power cord and add a PS Audio Power Port Premier.

I was thinking along similar lines!

Jstas

Yeah, that's why I recommended the cleaners and not vinegar. Plus, it takes forever for the vinegar smell to come out. Also, the cleaners will cut through the coffee stains in a glass pot so you can just scrub them off pretty easily with a bottle brush. Vinegar didn't do that for me.

The cleaners aren't that expensive. I think a bottle of straight citric acid would cost you more. But the cleaners are safe and won't harm anything. Plus, no odors at all. I just cleaned my coffee pot last week with the Mr. Coffee cleaner. Made a BIG difference,

Jstas

Long term in the freezer isn't so bad if you can prevent freezer burn. It's not the best option but if you can keep ice crystals from forming, it won't damage them too bad. The company I get the Kona from says you can store the vacuum packed bags in the freezer as long as they are still sealed. Once opened though, use it all within a couple of weeks. Opening and closing the bag and jamming it back in the freezer just introduces air and moisture and oxidation occurs at any temp so the freezer does nothing for you except make cold, spoiled coffee beans. Once I open a bag, I dump it in a gasketed stainless steel container with a tension latch. Keeps pretty well in that.

SolidSqual

In Indiana where the water is like drinking wet pebbles, I used CLR to clean my coffee maker and it worked like a charm. Just run it through once mixed with water. Then run your coffee maker about ten times to make sure all the CLR is gone.

Willow

SolidSqual wrote: »

In Indiana where the water is like drinking wet pebbles, I used CLR to clean my coffee maker and it worked like a charm. Just run it through once mixed with water. Then run your coffee maker about ten times to make sure all the CLR is gone.

I am scared to use CLR in mine...seems way to toxic, then to run it about 10 times seems like a lot

SDA1C

SolidSqual wrote: »

In Indiana where the water is like drinking wet pebbles, I used CLR to clean my coffee maker and it worked like a charm. Just run it through once mixed with water. Then run your coffee maker about ten times to make sure all the CLR is gone.

I can't be on board with this one. Drinking even the slightest amount of something that will eat dead skin off your fingers doesn't seem like the best idea.

Jstas

Willow wrote: »

I am scared to use CLR in mine...seems way to toxic, then to run it about 10 times seems like a lot

I wouldn't do that either. It's a pretty strong acid and not good to ingest in any concentration. Also, it can damage some of the rubber seals inside the coffee maker. Important ones too like the one that keeps coffee from spilling all over the hot plate when you pull the pot out before brewing is done.

SolidSqual

Willow wrote: »

I am scared to use CLR in mine...seems way to toxic, then to run it about 10 times seems like a lot

If you lived in Indiana, you would understand. The minerals get caked on like splattered concrete.

bmbguy

Jstas wrote: »

The cleaners aren't that expensive. I think a bottle of straight citric acid would cost you more. But the cleaners are safe and won't harm anything. Plus, no odors at all. I just cleaned my coffee pot last week with the Mr. Coffee cleaner. Made a BIG difference,

Just FYI - you can get powdered food-grade citric acid fairly cheaply. It's popular for use in the DIY soaps world - I think they use it for 'bath bombs' or something like that. Put a tablespoon or two in about a quart of water or so...

Also, the Brita filter pitchers with the charcoal cartridges do a pretty good job of 'softening' hard water, if your water has the calcium-magnesium 'llime' elements (they do some ion exhcange - I have verified they help with water 'hardness' test kits). Other simple faucet filters aren't as effective at that. And keep the cartridge fresh.

Insanely long water FAQ.

rebuy

I clean maker with vinegar. I use 8 o'clock beans and grind right before brewing.

You might get a bad batch of coffee every once in a while. If the beans are ground to long or get to hot during grinding it can change the flavor of the coffee. Since I buy beans, You'll find me in the store smelling the unground beans through the vacuum release valve to measure the flavor of the roast. Some roast are good and some batches are not roasted properly. For quality coffee, it's a quest. hahaha.

I'm going to grind now, wanna watch?

tonyb

If you guys ever saw the inside of your water pipes, you'd never put water from the faucet alone in anything without boiling it first. Seriously.....when we repair water mains, to disinfect most of it we use good old Clorox bleach. Now, it gets so diluted when the water is turned back on, it won't matter much.....unless your house is right infront of the break. The crap they use to chlorinate new lines will make you sick for days if you don't run your water outside and inside.

If any of you have new water lines installed or work being done close to your house, run the outside faucet for 10 minutes or so when they turn it back on. The one closest to the street that is.

Fresh ground beans....is there any other way ?

mantis

Wow thats guys ,
the Keurig runs at 192 deg F and I can lower that and see if that makes a difference. Anyone know that general temp the water should be for most coffee beans? I use a lot of different ones depending on my mood. The Mr. Coffee doesn't even get used anymore so I could care less about it , it's off to the trash.
The Keurig has a removable K cup holder which I clean after a few brews. I've only cleaned the machine once since I got it and I probably brewed about 80 K cups so I think it's due. I think I need to put it in a cleaning schedule as it does get used at least twice a day or more. I'd say average is about 3 times.

I'm gonna see if Keurig has their own cleaner , I do remember reading in the manual to use Vinegar and filtered water. For brewing I always use my Brita Filtered water. I'm no fan of Phila Tap water , it's awful to drink if you don't filter it first , then it's as clean as bottled. The Brita does a damn good job. I change those filters when the meter tells me to or when I noticed the slightest taste change.

tonyb

Color me clueless, but brewing 80 k-cups, is what....8 brew cycles for a regular coffee maker. One would think with that Kurig cycling on and off so often, the life expectancy of that thing would be short. Am I looking at this wrong ?

bmbguy

tonyb wrote: »

Fresh ground beans....is there any other way ?

If you add fresh roasted to fresh ground, then no!

Then again, you do have to have good beans to start with. Not all coffee is grown/created equally.

gdb

Buy distilled water.....no cleaning needed, NO TASTE.

bmbguy

gdb wrote: »

Buy distilled water.....no cleaning needed, NO TASTE.

Do they still have 'distilled' water in your stores? I went looking for distilled water one day -- not to be found. Replaced with jugs of 'purified' water. I don't think that stuff is actually distilled...

BlueFox

Does the bitter coffee occur after a night of beer "tasting"?