Help with coffee

[Andy M.]

Andy,

I suppose you could fix the situation by getting up and pushing the button for her.

You're absolutely right! Now, if you could just get her to stay in bed until I wake up...

This morning all went well. She prepped her My K-Cup last night with her own coffee and successfully brewed her coffee this morning.

 

[FrankZ]

You're absolutely right! Now, if you could just get her to stay in bed until I wake up...

This morning all went well. She prepped her My K-Cup last night with her own coffee and successfully brewed her coffee this morning.

Good deal.. I suppose any new technology has a learning curve.

 

[Dawgluver]

You're absolutely right! Now, if you could just get her to stay in bed until I wake up...

This morning all went well. She prepped her My K-Cup last night with her own coffee and successfully brewed her coffee this morning.

And there was much rejoicing.

Question for the Keurig veterans: I found a packet containing a Keurig water filter that I have yet to install. Am I supposed to? Does it make a difference?

 

[Andy M.]

It can't hurt. You have to soak and rinse it then put it into the holder and snap it in place. Not sure if it's necessary. Depends on your water.

The Keurig website wants $25 for 6.

 

[Mad Cook]

I use a Cuisinart drip coffee maker and either Folgers or Maxwell House, whichever is on sale. That's where my tastes lie at the moment. The coffee was getting kind of bitter so I cleaned the machine and replaced the filter. Now it tastes like crap Using the same amount of coffee the flavor is too weak, like water. And one extra scoop makes it taste plain nasty. Not really bitter, just bad. Not like coffee at all. The fact that I've made a couple pots that taste very weak has me ruling out that it picked up some kind of taste from cleaning the machine, otherwise the bad taste should be even stronger. Plus I was very thorough in rinsing it.

I guess my next option is to open a new can of coffee and see if that helps, but I've never had coffee go bad before, so I have my doubts if that is the problem. I just wasn't sure if it could be something I overlooked. You've got hot water and you've got grounds, what more is there? Could the water be running through the machine too quickly or something? Do machines go bad without something noticeable breaking and they simply start brewing bad coffee?

And I am doing my best to not let this be the reason to jump into a fancier machine

May I suggest that you store the coffee in the freezer when you've opened a new pack? Ground coffee starts to go downhill as soon as it's exposed to air so an airtight container (Lock & Lock or Tupperware) in the freezer keeps it in good condition and tasting better for longer. You can use it straight from the freezer.

I was given this tip many years ago from the horse's mouth ie an employee of Whittards of Chelsea, the coffee merchants, and it works.

 

[Andy M.]

So many coffee vendors now recommend not freezing the coffee. Coffee is often sold in foil lined bags with a one way air valve so you can expel air and so coffee gases can escape.

 

[Dawgluver]

I've read that if you freeze coffee, every time you take it out of the freezer, there's some condensation, and the moisture from the freeze-thaw cycle makes it deteriorate. We keep our whole beans in the fridge, mostly to keep it out of the way, though it probably has the same condensation issue. With the K-cups, they're all individually packaged and sealed, so it shouldn't be an issue.

 

[Alix]

Dawgluver, you don't really need the water filter. You WILL need to descale your Keurig if you don't use distilled water in it though. I do a vinegar soak overnight in the one at work about 2x a year. Make sure when you fill the reservoir with vinegar you run a cup or two through the machine to get it into all the spots inside. Then run LOTS of clear water through before you make coffee that morning.

 

[Dawgluver]

Dawgluver, you don't really need the water filter. You WILL need to descale your Keurig if you don't use distilled water in it though. I do a vinegar soak overnight in the one at work about 2x a year. Make sure when you fill the reservoir with vinegar you run a cup or two through the machine to get it into all the spots inside. Then run LOTS of clear water through before you make coffee that morning.

Thanks Alix! I always did that with the other coffeemakers. I told DH to not use tap water. He had a coffee buzz going, not sure he heard me.

 

[Addie]

Thanks Alix! I always did that with the other coffeemakers. I told DH to not use tap water. He had a coffee buzz going, not sure he heard me.

I have a Mr Coffe Drip. I am always stunned at all the YUK that comes out in that first cleaning with the vinegar. My biggest problem is cleaning the pot. I just keep making pot after pot and never really looking at it. Then it catches my eye and I am horrified. The next pot has to wait until I clean the pot. Fill it with hot water, a drop of dish liquid and a small glug of bleach. In five minutes, it looks like new.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Dawgluver, you don't really need the water filter...

Depends on the taste of your water. Our town's has a bit of a funky taste to me. When I ran out I could tell the difference so I ended up using the filtered water from the refrigerator dispenser. Takes too long with coldcold water though so I bought new filters for my coffeemaker right quick.

 

[Andy M.]

We don't drink the water out of the faucets here. It's well water and has an unpleasant taste to us. We buy spring water by the gallon from our local supermarket and use that for drinking/coffee/ice/etc.

 

[Dawgluver]

We have well water, and a Culligan softening system, with potassium chloride, not sodium chloride. The cold water is unfiltered.

I think I'll stick in the filter, what could go wrong?

 

[Cooking Goddess]

...The Keurig website wants $25 for 6 (filters).

We get bagged coffee shipped to us from Green Mountain Coffee as members of their Coffee Club, which is free. For Keurig owners they have free shipping if you order so many boxes. FWIW the Tully's FR is $16.49 for 24 cups, $13.98 with club membership. The 80 cup box is $49.99 ($42.39 club). Green Mountain also sells the water filters for the retail price but if you are in the Coffee Club they are $21.16. Don't know if the entire order would be free or they prorate the cost, but for you Keurig owners it wouldn't hurt to check Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. They actually offer tons of brands. They've been buying up or partnering with lots of companies lately.

 

[Dawgluver]

We get bagged coffee shipped to us from Green Mountain Coffee as members of their Coffee Club, which is free. For Keurig owners they have free shipping if you order so many boxes. FWIW the Tully's FR is $16.49 for 24 cups, $13.98 with club membership. The 80 cup box is $49.99 ($42.39 club). Green Mountain also sells the water filters for the retail price but if you are in the Coffee Club they are $21.16. Don't know if the entire order would be free or they prorate the cost, but for you Keurig owners it wouldn't hurt to check Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. They actually offer tons of brands. They've been buying up or partnering with lots of companies lately.

Good info, thanks CG!

 

[PrincessFiona60]

We get bagged coffee shipped to us from Green Mountain Coffee as members of their Coffee Club, which is free. For Keurig owners they have free shipping if you order so many boxes. FWIW the Tully's FR is $16.49 for 24 cups, $13.98 with club membership. The 80 cup box is $49.99 ($42.39 club). Green Mountain also sells the water filters for the retail price but if you are in the Coffee Club they are $21.16. Don't know if the entire order would be free or they prorate the cost, but for you Keurig owners it wouldn't hurt to check Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. They actually offer tons of brands. They've been buying up or partnering with lots of companies lately.

That's where I get the coffees we drink the most, it's also up to you how often a scheduled order is placed. I'm at every two months right now and I can always place an extra order if I choose.

 

[Andy M.]

Not sure if this was mentioned before. Green Mountain Coffee owns Keurig.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

It makes sense. And if they don't own something they very well might be in some sort of product partnership with them: Our Family of Brands

Even mighty Starbucks has to come to the Green Mountain if they want their product used in a Keurig. BwaHaHaHa!

 

[Mad Cook]

I've read that if you freeze coffee, every time you take it out of the freezer, there's some condensation, and the moisture from the freeze-thaw cycle makes it deteriorate. We keep our whole beans in the fridge, mostly to keep it out of the way, though it probably has the same condensation issue. With the K-cups, they're all individually packaged and sealed, so it shouldn't be an issue.

Once the packaging is open the coffee goes off in a matter of days even if you try to remove the air by hand and reseal the pack. The only way of getting round this would be to use one of those home vacuum sealers which would be a pain in the neck if you only drank one cup of coffee a day let alone several.

The freezing notion does work - I've been using it for years - and it works well. I used to be able to buy small amounts of coffee beans and grind them myself as I needed them which is the best way of getting fresh coffee but the coffee merchant's shop in the village closed and we can only buy coffee beans in large packs at the supermarket.

 

[taxlady]

Chamomile tea is sleep inducing, the tea is completely caffiene free.

Doesn't it have mint too? I find chamomile relaxing and I find mint sleep inducing.