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Making a cup of coffee in the morning is an essential part of most Americans’ routine, but cleaning the coffee maker most of the time is not.
Recent reports and viral social media posts have highlighted the potential for mold and bacteria buildup inside home coffee makers — while beans marketed as mold-tested have left some drinkers wondering what might be lurking beyond the carafe.
But Heather Perry, CEO of California-based Klatch Coffee and a two-time U.S. Barista Champion, said there’s no reason for most homebrewers to panic.
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She said a few simple steps can ensure a better cup.
“The cleanliness of coffee equipment is much more important in terms of flavor and how it impacts it than an actual safety issue,” Perry told Fox News Digital. “Coffee is totally okay to be Type B.”
Regular maintenance can help coffee makers produce a fresher, tastier brew, as a coffee expert explains what you need to know about morning brews. (iStock)
She demystified common coffee fears and shared five tips for a better brew.
1. Mold Fears Shouldn’t Make You Panic
Recent warnings have made cleaning and coffee supply issues more alarming than they need to be, Perry said.
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“You don’t need to worry at all at home about mold and bacteria,” Perry told Fox News Digital.
“It’s incredibly low on the list of things to worry about, in my opinion, when it comes to coffee equipment.”
Coffee stains and oils can build up inside carafes and grinders over time, affecting taste. (iStock)
As for coffee labeled as “tested for mold,” Perry had a straight assessment.
“It’s 100 percent about marketing,” she said.
2. The carafe requires more attention than the reservoir
The part you should worry about most when it comes to cleaning is the pot, Perry said, which can ruin the taste of your cup.
“Once it’s in your pot, you’re going to taste it in your cups,” she said.
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Coffee stains can accumulate particularly in insulated carafes and are not visible.
“Those thermoses are where I think we’re seeing a lot of coffee stains stay, and that’s absolutely going to start to affect the flavor of that coffee,” Perry added.
3. Water matters more than you think
In homes with hard water, mineral buildup can gradually affect machine performance and ultimately the taste of home-brewed coffee.
Mineral buildup in hard water can affect a coffee maker’s performance and the taste of each cup. (iStock)
Perry suggested using faucets and shower heads as a simple visual cue. When they need cleaning, your coffee maker probably needs it too.
“Whatever you see in your sink faucets or in your shower heads, that’s what’s happening with your coffee maker,” she said.
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The easiest way to limit this is to make sure you start with good water, she added.
She recommended filtered water at home or, in areas where tap water is particularly hard, bottled water, and she cautioned against distilled or reverse osmosis water, which lacks the minerals that help flavor coffee.
Buying good beans and grinding them yourself is a good place to start, experts say. (iStock)
Since “coffee (is) 98 percent water, you want good water and you want it to have enough minerals, because that’s what the flavor of the coffee sticks to,” she said.
4. Coffee Oils Can Also Build Up in Your Grinder
If you grind your own beans, the grinder doesn’t need constant deep cleaning, but Perry recommends checking the hopper and grounds area for an oily film.
“I would absolutely make sure you wipe that down with a dry paper towel. Remove the coffee oils,” she said.
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An odor should also alert you.
“It’s not that fresh coffee smell, it’s that old coffee smell,” she said.
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Perry added, “If you start to see coffee oils forming, the longer they sit, the harder it is to remove them.”
Starting with quality coffee and good water is the key to the best-tasting cup, experts say. (iStock)
5. Don’t bother putting coffee in the fridge
The refrigerator isn’t the best place to store coffee grounds because they can absorb moisture and surrounding odors, according to Perry.
“Your freezer is actually a better preservative,” she said.
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But even that may not be necessary. “Leave out the bag you’re currently using. As long as you consume it within a month, you’ll be fine,” she said.
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Perry said the most important factors are the coffee itself and the water.
She summed it up this way: “Start with really good ingredients…Coffee and water will definitely be your two main starting points.”
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