Avert Coffee Dissatisfaction! Brew a Clean Cup Every Time. April 30, 2014

Everyone has that moment.   Anticipation building, you watch steam rise from your coffee maker, as that rich coffee smell wafts through the kitchen. In spite of your early morning hypnosis, you shuffle to the cabinet, grab your favorite mug and get ready for your cup of salvation.  As the cup is poured, the day ahead looks infinitely better, you take a sip. Satisfaction.

Nothing destroys that magical experience quite like a sour cup of coffee. The smell is unsatisfactory, the flavor unbearable, the moment lost.  It can change the course of your whole morning, leaving others to deal with the ruin of your mood.  What happened to your coffee? How do we avoid this?

After bringing home a well roasted bean, it is frustrating to feel the effort was wasted. Even with the best coffee, if the equipment is not well cleaned and regularly maintained the finished brew will taste foul. A clean machine is vital to extracting the most flavor from coffee, removing impurities that cause a rancid flavor and smell, and extending the life of the machine.

 Coffee beans contain essential oils. When the beans are ground, the oils from the grinds leave a residual oil on your brewing equipment during extraction. Anything the coffee comes in contact with should be cleaned and maintained whether it is an espresso machine, a coffee machine, or your dispensing equipment (such as coffee pot or urn). Over time, these oils adhere to the equipment and create a film of impurities that clog the water screen and filter basket.  The clogged screen and filter basket create deposits in the portafilter spout.  The resulting build-up and blockage restricts the flow of water needed for successful filtration and extraction.

When the build-up is not regularly removed, the impurities affect the coffee flavor, resulting in an offensive taste.

Now that we understand why our morning coffee bliss was ruined, how do we fix it?!

It begins with building the habit of daily cleaning and maintaining of your equipment.

How often a machine needs to be cleaned is calibrated by the number of brews and the hardness of the water in your area. Areas with harder water are prone to greater build up, thus requiring more frequent cleaning; whereas, areas with softer water may be cleaned on a less frequent basis.  Impurities are more easily removed if a proper cleaning regimen is followed on a daily basis.

Here are some basic guidelines for maintaining espresso and coffee machines:

• Espresso Machines
  • Purge and wipe off the steam wand after every use,
  • Run a water shot through the machines group head after every extraction session,
  • Perform a clean water or cleaner back flush every 10-15 shots and at the end of every session,
  • Clean the entire machine on a weekly basis.
  • With super automatic espresso machines, cleanse the milk line daily to avoid the contamination of bacteria from spoiled milk.
  • Choose a good cleaner that contains a cleaning agent for dissolving impurities, a water softener to reduce minerals that cause hard water, and a dissolving agent that releases oxygen and removes stains.
• Coffee Machines
  • Clean the entire machine on a daily basis,
  • Cleaning solutions are available, however items at hand, like bleach can be used.  Take your equipment apart and soak the equipment in hot water mixed with your cleaning solution of choice.
  • Wipe down your machine and scrub places where residue has built up
  • Rinse the equipment after soaking it
  • Rinse with 2 to 3 pots of clean cold water

Good coffee roasters take pride in sourcing quality beans and roasting them properly.  At Red Whale Coffee, we want to guarantee your best cup of coffee, every time.  We find too often that when people are not getting a satisfactory cup at home, it is directly related to their equipment not being properly maintained or cleaned.

Red Whale Coffee meticulously maintains clean equipment with good water filtration systems to ensure the very best flavor our coffee has to offer.  Whether you prefer a bold taste or a fruiter flavor, we are experts at bringing you a perfect cup of coffee.

Not sure what you want? Ask us! We are excited to guide you to the higher existence of coffee nirvana.

Want to order some coffee?  We provide a list of coffees from around the world. All of our coffees can be found by region:  Shop Red Whale Coffees by region at RedWhaleCoffee.com

Whatever your taste, whatever your flavor, be confident that Red Whale Coffee provides a full service coffee house that passionately provides our customers with the finest coffee flavors from around the world.  Please do not hesitate to email or call us, (855) 906-6277, with questions or comments.