How to Clean Your Coffee Maker - CHOW Tip

It makes a huge difference in the flavor of your coffee. Maria Cleaveland of Equator Estate Coffees&Teas shares a tip for brewing great coffee: You should clean your coffee maker at least once a year using a product called Cleancaf or by running vinegar and water through the machine. If you do the latter, you'll need to scrub the brew basket as well to make sure all the coffee buildup is gone.

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TRANSCRIPT
A lot of people don't know that it's really important to clean your coffee brewer at least a couple times a year. Calcium and lime can build up on the heating element, preventing it from getting to 200 degrees to extract all that fantastic flavor out of the coffee. So one option for cleaning the machine is using something like Cleancaf. Dissolve it in some warm water. Put it into the tank. Brew a cycle just like you would brew coffee and then brew two cycles of clear water and you're good to go. Vinegar and water also work to descale the machine. But for the brew basket, you got to use warm, soapy water and get in there with some elbow grease.