The Keurig Mistake To Avoid Immediately After Your Coffee Finishes
Whether it's grabbing a handcrafted drink from Starbucks or brewing coffee using an old-school method like Bobby Flay, many folks can't get through the morning without their precious cup of joe. My daily routine begins with sleepily running the Keurig to get my fix while my patient little pup anxiously awaits breakfast. Once the coffee maker has done its job and a hot beverage is in hand, I immediately move on with my day. But apparently, that's a potentially costly mistake, according to coffee expert Matt Woodburn-Simmonds. The owner of Home Coffee Expert noted that one crucial step has been missed in that scenario, and it may be perpetually degrading my caffeinated nirvana, or worse.
"You don't want to leave a pod in your machine for hours or even days, where it could be developing something that will either make your coffee taste bad or worse, make you really sick," Woodburn-Simmonds said. A recently used pod creates a warm, damp environment where bacteria and mold can easily grow. "Anything like that multiplying within your coffee machine can contaminate it, leading to off flavors and general unpleasantness," he said.
Well, that explains why my coffee has tasted off lately. Still, I'm sure I'm not the only one who has committed this Keurig faux pas. Woodburn-Simmonds recommended a fix for folks who have habitually let K-Cups languish in the appliance after they've served their use. "Running clean hot water through your machine can help stop this, as does descaling it frequently," he said. (Keurig recommends descaling by following the manufacturer's directions once every few months.)
Old coffee pods can also damage your Keurig
Most people aren't cleaning their Keurig machines as often as they should (guilty), so Matt Woodburn-Simmonds' recommendation to run hot water through it and descale it is solid advice whether you forgot to throw out an old K-Cup or not. It keeps the device in tip-top shape, ensuring that no surprises await when you groggily get that java brewing at dawn. But if you have been repeatedly leaving old pods in the appliance, it could contribute to a fate worse than a bad cup of coffee — no coffee at all.
"Leftover pods can eventually contribute to the clogging of your Keurig machine," Woodburn-Simmonds said. "Dried grounds can harden over time and damage the needles or block the water flow." When you discover your coffee isn't brewing early in the day, it's not typically something you can fix right away (if at all) since this process involves running several water-vinegar mix cycles and even using a paperclip to dislodge deposits.
And honestly, who wants to waste any time fiddling around with a clogged Keurig, morning or night? Woodburn-Simmonds indicated he's not a fan of the idea either. "Trying to clean out a blocked Keurig machine isn't a lot of fun, so it's best just to remove the K-Cups immediately to avoid this issue," he said. Like any appliance you use regularly, a Keurig should be treated with care. If you think you won't remember to chuck that used pod in the trash after your coffee is brewed, leave yourself a note posted above the machine and save yourself a potential headache while maintaining the quality of your morning perk.