coffee maker love

Dear Coffee Maker,
What is wrong with you? Why does my lavish, pricey Starbucks coffee taste like bitter gas station coffee?

{via}

{via}

I have slowly been converting to tea in the morning (which has been hard!), but a few times a week I need a good, strong cup of Joe. Today was one of those mornings and my coffee maker let me down. I turned to Google and quickly discovered that I needed to clean my coffee maker. Did you know that drip filter coffee makers need to be cleaned monthly to remove hard water deposits, leftover coffee oils, and other impurities? Monthly? UGH! Like I need one more thing to clean...

After reading several articles, I followed these steps and my coffee tastes good again!

1. Fill your carafe with one part distilled white vinegar and one part filtered water. Pour it into the reservoir and let it sit for 20 minutes so it can begin to break down impurities.
2. Brew the vinegar/water solution. Once the batch has been brewed, let it sit in the carafe for 20 minutes.
3. Repeat this process 1-2 more times depending on how long it has been since you cleaned your machine.
4. Dump the vinegar/water solution and brew at least two consecutive batches of filtered water. This is to get rid of any of the foul vinegar taste.

Other notes:

• If your coffee maker has a water filter, it should be changed every 2 or 3 months.
• If there are any other impurities on the coffee pot or maker after cleaning, soak an old toothbrush in vinegar and scrub away. Make sure to go through the rinsing process again so your coffee does not taste like vinegar.
• If you have a fancy coffee maker that grinds your beans, you can remove the grinder parts and soak it in a 1:1 vinegar/water solution for about 30 minutes. Rinse and soak the parts in filtered water for another 30 minutes. Let dry and then put back in the coffee maker.

I'm off to enjoy another cup of coffee. Enjoy your day!