Coffee Maker Cleaning and Maintenance Suggestions?

Hi all,

I just recently started getting a rancid odor from my coffee maker, which meant it was time to clean it. Here's my typical cleaning process:

• Run once with just plain filtered water to remove any grounds that may have built up.
• Turn off and let cool for 10 minutes
• Run once with a 50/50 mixture of vinegar/water to remove oils that have built up on the internal mechanics
• Turn off and let cool for 10 minutes
• Run with plain filtered water to rinse
• Turn off and let cool for 10 minutes
• Rinse a second time with plain filtered water

I got to thinking though, that as religious as this may sound, that perhaps I was missing something being the faux coffee snob that I am. It turns out, that I am very much a faux, and barely a snob. I found another forum where several suggested a few additional pointers for those that insist on using a drip brewing system. Specifically, those are:

• Before the vinegar flush, run a pot of water with a 1/3 cup of bleach to clean bacteria build up!
• When setting up your brewer, never use the carafe to add the water to the reservoir (though why this is I have no idea - maybe because oils can get transferred right back in?)
• Last but not least - stop using a drip brewing system and switch to a French press! LOL (That last one is kind of a joke, but the argument is that because a French press can be completely disassembled and cleaned, then no oils or bacteria can build up on the internal components, which kind of makes sense.

This got me to thinking/reading a bit more, and boy did that open up a can of worms. Real coffee snobs not only avoid drip brewers, but they also grind their own coffee using a specific kind of grinder called a burr grinder. Heck, there are even purists out there that roast their own beans! You can really go hog wild here. The grinders can run upwards of $300, and roasters upwards toward $1600!!!

All that said, I had quite the information dump this morning on coffee brewing, grinding, and roasting. I found my information from a site called Sweetmarias.com (where all these links point to). It looks pretty solid in terms of information, ad-free, and there's even suggested products for practically everything. I am not a sponsor or anything, but it seems legit. Long story short - I have a couple questions:

1. Is there anything inherently wrong or missing from my cleaning process?
2. Anyone here have their own methods they use for grinding out their favorite pot of java?
3. Any good books that people can recommend for reading up on this more?
4. Relative to question #3 - might there be interest in kind of a "soup to nuts" book for the coffee snob novice book (once I learn more of course! ) A potential working title is "From Bean To Cup" - j/k btw, that title is obviously too good to not be taken already!

Good info from all, tks! My sister's husband (so, my brother-in-law) has what I think is a French press and a cheapo coffee grinder that he swears he can press, with no grounds or seepage through the press itself. I can taste a huge difference on that basis alone. From personal observation, it seems quite a bit matters on the quality of the water you start with as well.

After the city water comes into my house, I have a 6-stage water filter that removes a lot more of the chemicals the city leaves in that they consider "potable" (though this makes me shudder when I go to change the first three every six months). Used filter after discarding it here (and yes, the new one is pure white!):



I actually have a coffee-maker I enjoy, and would hate to dispose of it for another one that works similarly, and am considering "upgrading" my game so appreciate the specific hardware recommendations from AW Admin and others.

All the above being said, does anyone have any guidance for books that would constitute good research points for possibly putting something together myself? New working title (unless Google proves futile again):

Helix said:

My recommendation would be to take a barista course.

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Now that is a brilliant idea! Way outside the box of what I was thinking, but spot on with gaining long term benefits and insights not only into my own coffee palette but also along the lines of gaining enough wisdom/expertise to write on the subject. Thanks a bunch...

AW Admin said:

Another thing I love about coffee, starting in late spring and in summer, is cold brew coffee. This method relies on time and your refrigerator, and is both full of flavor and low acid.

You can by inexpensive cold brew coffee makers, but a jar works just fine.

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Sounds interesting...tks