How To Use A Coffee Maker – At Home

Using a coffee maker is an enjoyable and easy process if you know how to use it however if you have no idea about what you are doing it can become the hardest thing you ever had to do. Coffee is one of the sweetest and really refreshing beverages and you will love it even more if you have your own coffee maker. Follow these simple steps to make yourself a cup of coffee in the least possible time.

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• Check your brewing variables: the basically two brewing variables that is water and coffee. Ensure not to use hard water because it contains minerals and chemicals that will your coffee taste bad. If not, then use a coffee maker with a carbon filter. The coffee beans should be grinded perfectly, the smaller the pieces the easier it will for the machine to make the best coffee out of them.
• Ensure that your coffee maker is in perfect condition for use:good enough of late most filters come with their own filters so you do not have to use paper filters. But all the same ensure that the filters are clean before you go ahead to any other step of the process. Just under the spout of the machine, place an empty cup.
• Know how much coffee you need: first of all check your manual to know how much coffee and water your machine can contain. The amount of coffee you want to make should determine the amount of coffee you put into the machine. For a full coffee grinder lid, put two tablespoons of coffee. If your machine comes with a scoop it is the best to use when measuring the amount of coffee
• Know how much water you need to brew the coffee: there are lines on the side of the coffee that will help you know how much coffee you must add. Pour water into the coffee maker pot depending on how many cups of coffee you want. The coffee maker pot is right behind the filter, this is where the water will remain until time for brewing the coffee.
• Plug the coffee maker into power: turn the coffee maker on for it to start brewing the coffee. Before starting the machine ensure that you have put the right amount of water into the coffee maker. Close the lid and press the start button if your machine is manual.

Tips to help you make the best coffee:

• Always use fresh coffee beans: the freshness and sweetness of the coffee will definitely depend on how fresh your coffee beans are. Coffee can easily take in bad odor so be sure to store it properly in your refrigerator if you will be using them soon and if you don’t hope to use them soon keep them in the freezer.
• Guarantee that your machine is clean before using it: the machine tends to get dirty often since you use very hot water to make coffee there you must clean it often. Using a dirty machine to make your coffee will not only give it bad odor but also make it taste ugly. If the coffee maker smells bad or has any residue then it is clear enough that is need to be cleaned.
• Pay close attention to the temperature used: the most recommended temperature for a really good coffee is 91-96 degree centigrade, this is because cold water will not be able to get enough flavor from the coffee bean while extremely hotter may affect the taste of the coffee.
• Coarseness of the beans should match the brewing method: the flavor of your coffee greatly depends on how thick the coffee beans are for that particular brewing method. If the brewing method you are using requires a lot of time for coffee beans and water to mix then you should use thicker grind.

Trouble shooting:

Sometimes even when you follow the guidelines, you will find that the results did not come out like you expected so how can you know what went wrong during the process and what you can do about it. in most cases if the machine is not in perfect condition you are likely to get poor brew results but just in case you are 100% sure of your machine’s condition and still get unpleasant results, below are some issues you should look out for.

• If your coffee is has an awkward test: there are several issues that may make your coffee taste weird. If your coffee maker was dirty, stored your coffee beans poorly, or used extremely hot water the coffee you make is likely to come out tasting funny. Therefore make sure your machine is thoroughly clean before you use it, store coffee beans as advised and use the right temperature to brew.
• The process takes much longer than you expected: if the coffee maker is taking much longer to brew coffee then there is a possibility that you put a lot of coffee with less water. This makes water flow at a very slow rate, if this is not the case them your coffee maker might be clogged. Make sure that you first unclog the coffee maker and measure the correct volume of water.
• The process is much faster than expected: this means that water was simply running through so you must have very little coffee or the coffee was too coarse. As a result the coffee is too light and comes out a very fast rate, to sort this make sure you follow the manual on how many scoops of coffee to use the amount of water you used.
• How much or how little the amount of coffee is: the amount of coffee most times depends on how well you set your machine because it is the machine’s settings that regulate how much brew is released. Or sometimes it is because there is little water in the reservoir. Make sure the machine is set right and fill the reservoir before you go ahead and use the machine.
• If the coffee is sour: this is a sign that you extracted too much out of the coffee therefore you must lessen on the brewing time or use water that is not too hot. In some instances chemical reactions in the coffee maker cause the brew to taste sour.