An Expert Explains Why You’re Washing Your Coffee Maker Too Often
If you’re like me, you probably strive to make the best cup of coffee at home, but when it comes to scales and blenders, you’re probably overwhelmed (read: lazy). I contacted Sarina Prabasi; Boonie’s Bakery and three cafes in northern Manhattan. The mission is to eliminate simple mistakes that people overlook when brewing coffee at home.
Buunni specializes in ethically sourced coffee beans from growing regions across Ethiopia, where the coffee is fruity, floral and sometimes fragrant like tea. Prabasi moved here from Ethiopia with her husband and business partner, bringing with her the country’s spirit of hospitality and high-quality coffee. The team also creates custom Buunni blends using selected beans from around the world.
As a micro-roaster who serves on the Specialty Coffee Association’s board of directors, Prabasi offers some insight into how to make simple adjustments for better coffee. She’s also not one to sweat the small stuff. “You know, we take coffee seriously, but we don’t want to take ourselves also Seriously,” Prabhas said. “So it has to be an enjoyable thing, otherwise why would you do it? “
1. Clean your coffee machine frequently with detergent
Even the slightest trace of soap residue can contaminate your next cup.
Throw away the soap in the coffee pot Pour-over immersion brewer Might seem like questionable advice. The truth is, your coffee equipment doesn’t need to be scrubbed every time you use it. Even a small layer of residue from aromatic dish soap or detergent can make your brew frothy and subpar.
“It does sit in there; it messes with the flavor, so usually a rinse with very hot water is enough to make black coffee,” Prabhas says. Over time, the oils in the beans can build up, That’s why fragrance-free dish soap comes in handy for occasional deep cleaning. However, a simple rinse with hot water is sufficient for daily use. Save time and avoid any unwanted “soap scum” essence interfering with your single-source notes Sidama Natural Baking.
2. Purchased more coffee than you can brew freshly
Coffee beans are one pantry staple you shouldn’t buy in bulk.
Buying in bulk at the grocery store can save time and money, but may lead to disappointing results for coffee drinkers. Buying coffee beans in small quantities will help avoid drinking stale coffee, especially for regular drinkers and households with two or one person. Probasi told us you’ll know the coffee has gone bad because it “tastes like its own shadow.”
Bakers recommend finding a Roast date on coffee label Within a month, preferably within two weeks. (Keep in mind that the “best buy” date is different and, unfortunately, is not an indicator of freshness.) If you don’t like grinding at home, the baking dates will need to be fresher on the side.
That being said, you don’t have to panic about diminished flavor like a ticking time bomb in your cupboard. “Every day after baking doesn’t mean it loses freshness, but after two weeks, I would say it starts to decline,” Prabasi said. store coffee Store in an airtight container, but avoid a humid refrigerator as excessive refrigerator odors can stick to the coffee beans.
3. Adjust more than one thing at a time
You can find tutorials online recommending brewers, scales, tamperes, strainers, grinders and various techniques to create the perfect cup. Experimentation is key to brewing your favorite beer, but only if you start with the basics. “So, just adjust the water in the beginning,” Prabasi said.
if you don’t have a kitchen kitchen scaleRoasters tell us the rule of thumb is to start with two tablespoons of ground coffee per cup of water. The finer the grind, the stronger the flavor of the coffee, so you’ll want to adjust your ground coffee to water ratio accordingly. If this seems too weak or strong, you can adjust by adding more or less coffee at the same grind level.
Beyond the basics, you can get creative. “If your coffee is too acidic, maybe you prefer a darker roast,” Prabasi says. Coffee too bitter? You can adjust the roast type by purchasing lower levels, such as dark to medium or medium to light. “If you have a cup of coffee from East Africa, maybe try a coffee from South America, you know, just like a change of scenery,” she said. Changing an element immediately ensures you know which step affects the outcome for better or worse.
4. Get water directly from the tap
Filtered water makes better coffee.
Filling your coffee pot with tap water will produce a less than ideal taste. For most of us, filtered water can make a big difference in the final taste of our coffee. Tap water is often rich in by-products and can be easily filtered at home water filtration system.
In the United States, almost all water obtained from taps is disinfected with low levels of chlorine. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports One in five people drinks chloramineis an alternative disinfectant made from chlorine and ammonia that kills harmful viruses and bacteria such as salmonella. These chemicals ensure we don’t get sick, but they change the taste and smell of tap water. Chloramines are also known to remove lead and copper from pipes, and these byproducts can affect even the most carefully prepared coffee.
5. Ignore the coffee aroma
The smell is likely a sign that your coffee has gone bad. Prabhas explains that you should immediately open a bag of coffee beans or ground coffee and be able to smell the aroma of roasted coffee. Aroma is a key indicator of flavor. No aroma means a severe lack of flavor.
Prabasi said stale coffee tastes cloudy or bland and lacks any complex flavors that might be listed on the bag label. “That’s why I think in the coffee industry, most of what we do is tasting coffee,” she said. “Every step of the way, from farm to coffee shop, coffee is tasted or cupped in our vernacular.”
Stale coffee is less likely to make you sick, so there’s no need to throw it away. However, you probably don’t want to drink your coffee black. Making iced coffee is an easy way to disguise your lack of tasting notes. Using an immersion brewer also allows you to steep your coffee grounds longer to add more flavor as your coffee fades.
6. Skip the organic label
Even if it costs a few dollars more, don’t sleep with organic coffee.
The variety of coffee brands in grocery stores can be dizzying. To help sift through the masses, Prabasi explained that the organic coffee label is a sign of quality and is important for coffee.
“If you can, then I think it’s very important for coffee and tea to be organic because coffee and tea crops, especially those from large farms, tend to be oversprayed,” Prabasi said. Pesticides are sprayed directly on the coffee cherries, and coffee is not like an apple that can be washed or a banana that can be peeled before eating. Tea leaves go through a similar process, and anything left on the leaves is steeped into your cup.
The cafe owner made it clear that she doesn’t believe coffee needs to be expensive to be considered “good.” Great coffee to suit every budget. “I think I look for care and reflection that goes into the sourcing, baking or serving process,” Prabasi says. The organic label is a helpful starting point.
7. Always carry coffee with you
Not only is coffee your morning fuel, it’s also the perfect excuse to engage and relax.
Even if you don’t think of coffee purely as a means to an end, many of us view coffee as simply fuel. take coffee in travel mug Drinking while commuting is not a problem in itself. Instead, Prabasi invites coffee drinkers to take advantage of any time and ability to enjoy a cup of coffee. Contrary to America’s grab-and-go culture, drinking coffee in Ethiopia is an opportunity to slow down and connect with the people you care about. “I would say — like, in the eight years I’ve lived in Ethiopia — I’ve never heard someone say, ‘I’m going to get a cup of coffee,’” Prabasi said. “It was always, ‘Let’s have coffee. Let’s have coffee?'”
Even taking an extra 10 minutes to grab a cup of coffee at a café instead of ordering a takeaway can change the energy of a busy morning. “I think there’s a lot of ritual about coffee and how people enjoy it,” Prabasi said. Taking the time to create your own ritual, whether at home or at a local store, can help you appreciate all that coffee has to offer besides its caffeine content.
For more coffee information, click here How to read coffee labels and The best travel mugs of 2025, tested by CNET.
