How to Use a Coffee Maker - Just Coffee Buzz

How do you take your coffee? It’s always a good time for coffee whether at home or the office. We all love that fabulous aroma when you open the packet but are you making the best of your brew? So,how do you use your coffee maker? It may sound simple, but we often skip essential steps making our coffee taste rancid or losing some of its flavour.

I’m going to show you how to get the best cup of coffee from your machine, making beautiful brews including Caffè Misto.

Change the filter

It’s surprising how few of us clean our machines or change the filters regularly and believe me, a fresh filter with every use improves the flavour of your coffee no end. Every time you fancy a cup, it’s good to clean the basket and replace the filter (if needed), boring I know, but it really makes a difference.

Open the top of the machine,remove the old filter, giving the inside a thorough clean, leaving no used coffee grinds that will make your coffee bitter.
Fit a new filter – make sure to fit it properly to prevent coffee grinds going into the carafe, otherwise you’ll end up with gritty coffee.

It’s surprising how few of us clean our machines or change the filters regularly and believe me, a fresh filter with every use improves the flavour of your coffee no end. Every time you fancy a cup, it’s good to clean the basket and replace the filter (if needed), boring I know, but it really makes a difference.

Open the top of the machine,remove the old filter, giving the inside a thorough clean, leaving no used coffee grinds that will make your coffee bitter. Fit a new filter – make sure to fit it properly to prevent coffee grinds going into the carafe, otherwise you’ll end up with gritty coffee.
Okay, so you’re good to go.

Pour fresh water

Pour fresh water into your coffee maker; ideally avoid cold water that forces your machine to work harder warming it up. Go for temperature water instead.

Grind the beans and put the coffee in the basket

We’re a few steps away from making a wonderful cup of coffee. Let’s start with grinding the beans: put the beans in the grinder and turn it on.

(Yes this coffee waft is AMAZING).

Grab your scoop and put the coffee in the basket. How many scoops should you put in? Mine takes four; just check your machine’s instruction booklet for recommendations.

Brew your coffee

Coffee makers have different settings, so before turning the machine on, there’s a few things you need to keep in mind. For example, you may have the option to select whether you fancy your drink strong or not. If it’s the first time you’ve used your maker, why not go for the default settings and leave the experimentation for another day?

You’ll see coffee dripping into the carafe, once it’s finished the brewing is complete. Typically, it takes three to five minutes for a coffee maker to fill the carafe with hot coffee.

Types of coffee maker

Two of the most popular auto drip coffee makers are the one that features a filter and the other that functions without. But which is better? Although the one with the filter might keep your coffee more pure, buying filters now and again is an extra cost to consider. It’s up to you which you should go for…

The third popular is the capsule coffee machine (or pod coffee machine) in which coffee capsules fit in.

Throw your filter away

Ideally, once done with the brewing, the used filter needs to be thrown away to avoid your next coffee pot turning into bitter.

I know it’s boring, but personally can’t make compromises on the taste of my caffeinated life elixir. Likewise, if your machine doesn’t feature a filter, it’s wise to get rid of the coffee grounds and rinse off the basket for hygiene. A regular clean will secure a better-performing machine for longer AND better-tasting coffee.

I personally see it as a critical part of my coffee-making ritual – laborious but it’s worth the hassle.

Change the filter

Time for coffee

I’m one of those who has a favourite mug at home and the office? Does this sound like you? I love my coffee with chocolate Digestives, but it’s got to be Biscotti when I’m having a cappuccino. What treat do you like your coffee with?

In case your brewer doesn’t have a hot plate (to keep your coffee warm), popping it in the microwave for a minute will do the job.

The necessary process of cleaning your machine

A regular clean will secure a better-performing machine for longer AND better-tasting coffee.

I personally see it as a critical part of my coffee-making ritual: laborious but it’s worth the hassle. Any machine that hot water runs through amasses sediment or limescale over time that can deteriorate the performance of your coffeemaker and impairs the flavour of your coffee.

What are the signs that your machine needs cleaning? If you notice an unpleasant prevalent odour or a lingering residue at the bottom of your cup every time you make coffee, it’s a good idea to give your brewer a scrub and make it look new and shiny again. Some brands make cleaning your coffee a breeze.

Why not refer back to the manual and learn more how to take advantage of it? The instructions also come in handy, allowing you to find out which parts you can remove and wash.

If you can’t set aside time (or be bothered), why not turn the machine on with just water – it’s better than nothing. It will remove some of the build-up coffee grinds.

Getting the best out of your coffee

Here’s a list of simple yet effective ways on how to get the most out of your coffee maker.

Make sure the carafe fits in the machine

You probably think this is a no-brainer, but I’ve messed it up many times having to clean coffee from all over the place. It’s vital to check that the carafe fits properly and coffee drips into it smoothly.

Preheat your carafe and cup

If you’re up for a coffee taste upgrade, preheating your carafe and cup will do the job for you. Simply, run hot water through your machine to warm your carafe and you can pour some of this water into your cup to warm it up too, so your coffee stays hotter longer. On the flip side, preheating your carafe translates into slightly more energy consumption, so it’s good to know how many watts does your coffee maker use.

Go for a thermal carafe

The trouble with the hot plate is that it keeps on boiling the coffee left in the carafe making it taste rancid. Instead, what a thermal carafe keeps your coffee flavoursome at optimum temperature.

Grinding your beans

Grinding your own coffee will really take your favourite brew to the next level. Ground coffee substantially loses part of its magical flavour and aroma every day it stays in the pack, but freshly ground will seriously elevate your coffee experience. But how do you get the grinding right?

Getting the grinding right

How long does it take your machine to brew the coffee? Depending on the answer you should be able to know whether to go for a finer or coarser grind.

A great rule of thumb is; if it takes longer for your machine to brew you should go for coarser grind, if the brewing is shorter, go for a finer blend. This ways, you can learn how to use ground coffee in a Keurig to brew with a coffee brand you really like.

Let’s wrap it up

Let’s face it, for most of us coffee is vital: it means taking a break, the fuel that gets us going in the morning, the charge that lets us get on with our workload, so it’s wise to get the most out of your machine.