Over the past couple of decades, coffee has transitioned from its position as a mostly home-brewed beverage to being big business. In the beginning of the massive move to develop and expand the now common public coffee haunts we can’t drive two blocks without passing, there were many forerunners. And they all provided a decent cup of coffee, cool, trendy ambiance and artisan coffee-based beverages. It wasn’t long before the coffee lover was able to purchase a fix for their sweet tooth, as these coffee oases soon discovered to be big sellers in this market. So what began as a new trend with a somewhat questionable future wound up becoming a living, breathing entity that is sure to only grow more success with the coming future.
The “Wine of Araby”
These coffee places have been responsible for turning more than one coffee abstainer into a coffee hound, and while we generally think of them as new, coffee houses have been around in a big way, especially since coffee was first cultivated by Arabians. While the first coffee imbibers were found in homes, the popularity of public coffee houses called Qahveh khaneh began to pop up everywhere in Near East cities. While coffee was the central theme that popularized these gathering spots, because of the strong social draw of this venue, these coffee houses became hubs for nickall kinds of activities. In addition to enjoying the rich, dark and empowering beverage, great discourses became the mode du jour. Many important decisions were made and opinions debated over the brew. Additionally, other coffee house offerings emerged, such as music and a variety of performances, chess matches and these hot spots became the place to be, if one hoped to keep up with the most late breaking news of the day. These coffee houses quickly gained the reputation of being vitally important centers for information exchange, and as a result, coffee houses were referred to as the “Schools of the Wise,” where the “Wine of Araby” was served.
Modern Coffee Spots
Coffee houses never completely died out, but sometime during the time of the Great Depression till the 1950s, the majority of coffee consumption was done in homes, with the once booming coffee houses becoming quite sparse and sometimes even rare. During the 1950s and mid 60s, the beatniks again popularized the coffee house draw, capturing much of the performance element that formerly drew interest from people everywhere. Perhaps with coffee being offered in so many restaurants and other public places, at least for a time, the public interest in coffee houses waned a bit. Could be that as we moved from the limitation of conventional percolator coffee brewing methods and into the more varied forms of coffee brewing systems for home use, our interest in consuming coffee began to focus more on home-brewed java. Mr. Coffee was at one time lauded as a genius for bringing affordable coffee brewing by the drip method to the masses. During the 1990s, however, coffee destinations began to resurrect everywhere with Starbucks and a long list of competitors, most of which have long since fallen by the wayside, but that’s another story, for another time.
The Home Brew
One might think that, with a Starbucks on virtually every corner and everywhere the beans are sold, home coffee brewing would be down, but contrarily, coffee making at home has never been so prevalent. Coffee brewing continues to evolve with distinctively improved methods for creating the perfect cup, for every taste, with an impressive array of coffee based “other” beverages that can now be brewed in the comfort of one’s home, thanks to current coffee maker technology. So, just because there are folks you can predictably find at your local Starbucks on a daily basis, don’t be fooled into imagining that these people don’t also have a special coffee maker at home, in their kitchens, which they continue to use as well. Chances are, however, the coffee they are brewing at home may not be quite as healthy to drink as what they are buying at their favorite coffee hangout.
How Often do You Clean Your Coffee Maker?
Obviously, you probably rinse out and hopefully wash your coffee pot (if your system includes one,) after emptying every pot you brew, along with any and all other parts and components that can be taken out–such as a filter basket, filters and such. And you know that you need to flush the system out periodically with vinegar and water or other acceptable cleaning products for coffee machines, but if you are like most people, this is where you lag. Maybe it seems like everytime you think about it, you are in the process of quickly making coffee on the fly, and you just don’t have sufficient time to do it now. Well, those “nows” tend to add up, and before you know it, you are drinking coffee that may look fine, but is simply unhealthy and actually kind of gross.
Why Cleaning Your Coffee Maker is Important
A lot of people figure that since the water or coffee gets heated to such a hot temperature, that any bacteria or mold can’t survive under such conditions, but actually, coffee brewed in an unclean coffee maker can make you sick.The worst culprits are the ones without separate coffee pots, filter baskets and such–the ones that simply dispense coffee from the machine to your cup. While personal coffee makers like Keurigs are highly popular, the fact that they can harbor mold should not be surprising. Anytime you have continual moisture, you have the potential for growth of mold and mildew. And while you typically can’t taste either, the first evidence of contaminated coffee from an unclean coffee maker is simply coffee that tastes bitter.
Resolve to Keep it Clean
Drip coffee makers are relatively easy to clean. You run a mixture of 3 cups white vinegar and 6 cups water through the cycle, followed by 2 additional brews of water-only, and you’re done. For coffee systems that are fully contained, follow these steps:
Take Out and Wash all Removable Parts: Assuming that you have first disconnected your coffee maker from its power source first, remove every possible part and wash them in warm, soapy water, and dry thoroughly.
Clean the Surface: Using a clean, damp cloth, wipe the exterior surface of the machine. Make sure to get any area where granules tend to collect. Next, replace all removable parts (dry) and plug in machine.
Descale: Fill the water reservoir with a solution of one part white vinegar to two parts water. Start the brew cycle without any coffee or individual cups. Repeat until the reservoir is empty, each time discarding the water that the cleaning produces.
Rinse: Perform the process again, but this time using plain water in the reservoir, until it’s empty.
You should perform this cleaning at a minimum of every 3 to 6 months, depending on frequency of use and whether or not you brew using filtered water. For extra debris, you can effectively dislodge by forcing air (canned) through the water line through a straw.
