If you use your Keurig brewer often, maintaining and cleaning the needle, nozzle and internal parts of your Keurig is a must to ensure that your coffee taste the same. As you use more K-Cups, especially if you’re switching between drinks (hot chocolate, tea, apple cider…), some of that brew’s residue will remain in the machine.

The obvious way to clean that residue will be to run a cycle without inserting the pod to run hot water through the nozzle. But overtime, that will not be enough as oils and residue continue to build up.

How To Clean Your Keurig Needle and Nozzle The Easy Way:

Cleaning kits that include descaling solutions and water filtration tabs are great for filtering water and cleaning the machine’s heater/water reservoir. But descaling is done every few months, and you’ll need to keep the needle/nozzle clean more often than that, especially if you use your machine daily.

For such a task, there are Cleaning Pods. These pods, which look exactly like a K-Cup pod, are inserted and “brewed” in the exact same way. The cleaning cups, which include cleaning solution, will mix with the hot water and run through the needle and nozzle for a thorough clean.

Urnex Keurig K-Cup Machine Cleaner:

• Pack of 5 pods.
• Cleans oil buildup and residue inside Keurig coffee machines.
• Compatible with Classic Keurig coffee machines only (not compatible with Keurig 2.0)
• Phosphate-free and odorless. Biodegradable.

Click here to learn more about Urnex Keurig K-Cup Cleaner, read the customer reviews and buy it.

Descaling and Maintenance Kit for Keurig Brewers:

• Set of 10 cleaning pods and two replacement filters (4 months supply).
• Brews just like a K-Cup. Works on reducing flavor carry-over between brews, cleaning build-up and residue.
• Compatible with Keurig 2.0 and Keurig Classic machines as well as any other K-Cup brewing machines.
• Water filters are used to clean your water from chlorine and each filter should last 2 months.

Click here to learn more about this set, read the customer reviews and buy it. 

Maxiliano Cleaning Kit for Keurig Brewers:

• Two step solution for cleaning and descaling your machine.
• First step is a cleaning pod, second step is a descaling tablet.
• Effectively removes all stain and limescale.
• Works with all Keurig brewers. May not work with SOME Keurig 2.0 brewer, in which case, you can ask for a refund.
• Non-toxic and no after taste.
• Pack includes 1 cleaning pod and 2 descale tablet.

Click here to learn more about Maxiliano Cleaning Kit, read the customer reviews and buy it. 

Common Questions and Answers:

– Can I Just Use Vinegar to Clean My Keurig?

Using vinegar to clean and descale coffee machines, especially Keurigs, is a common thing. But it is not as effective as you might think. Vinegar is a strong enough acid to kill some bacteria and get rid of some calcification, but it is not strong enough to get rid of oil build up from coffee or brew residue. Plus, Vinegar has a very strong smell and taste. It will require you few rinses to get rid of the smell and taste. Otherwise, you risk brewing coffee with vinegar taste in it.

 – Is Using a Cleaning Pod The Same as Descaling?

No, it is not the same. A cleaning pod is used to get rid of oil build up and residue and taste transfer caused by brewing different type of pods. It helps in cleaning the needle (which punctures the K-Cup) and the nozzle and it is recommended that you use it on a weekly basis. On the other hand, descaling is done less frequently (over 6 months periods and more) and is done mainly to avoid calcification.

– Is Cleaning My Keurig’s Nozzle/Needle Necessary?

If you want to maintain the quality of your coffee drinks and keep your machine working for a longer time, then yes, frequent cleaning of your Keurig is necessary.

Coffee is a very subjective thing. It’s a popular drink for sure, but every person enjoys it differently. From sugar, milk, cream or any other additives. Or roasts from light to dark, we like our coffee in many different ways.

If you ask someone who dislikes coffee for a reason why, their answer will most likely be the fact that it is a bitter drink. But is coffee is supposed to be bitter? What contributes to its bitterness? and if you don’t like it, then how can coffee be less bitter?

What Makes Coffee Bitter and How To Fix It

• You’re using the wrong roast: when buying coffee ground, you could be buying a dark roast which is known to be on the bitter side. A dark roast is basically coffee beans that are roasted for a longer time. The beans are darker and therefore taste stronger and bitter. If you don’t like this, simply go for a medium or light roast for a more balanced taste.
• Coffee Ground Is Not Fresh: If coffee has been roasted long before its use, it will most likely taste bitter. Make sure you buy beans that have been freshly roasted and use them within a month of roasting time.
• You’re brewing the coffee for too long: this is especially true if you’re using a manual brewing method (french press for example). If the coffee ground is steeping for longer than 5 minutes, the taste will start getting and more and more bitter. Make sure to use a timer when steeping, the less you steep your coffee, the lighter it will taste.
• Coffee Grind Size Is Wrong: Believe it or not, the size of the coffee grind you’re using influences the taste of the coffee brew. Using the wrong grind size, or an inconsistent grind will make the coffee taste either bitter or sour. That’s why investing a good quality grinder is an important thing.
• Water Issues: There are two water related issues that you could be doing. First, the water could be too hot (yes, that’s a thing – believe me!) The best water temperature for brewing coffee is 195f to 205F, while boiling water temperature is 212F. So, let your water set for 30 seconds or so to cool down a little before use. The second water related issue is that you might be using less water for the amount of coffee you’re brewing, which results in a very strong brew.

Try one or two of the tweaks above to your next coffee brew and we’re sure you’ll enjoy a delicious and less bitter coffee!

Manual coffee brewing methods are about the most economical way to make your cup of coffee at home. Two of the oldest, as well as most popular methods of brewing coffee manually are a French Press (or press pot) and a Stovetop Moka pot.

What we’ll try to answer in this post today, is the difference between these two brewing methods and which can result in a better cup of coffee.

French Press Coffee, What It Is and How It Works:

You’ve probably seen this type of coffee pot before. The pot with a filter press inside it. That’s known as the French Press or Press Pot. It’s a very simple method of brewing coffee manually by adding coffee ground and hot water and letting it steep for a few minutes before pressing down the coffee ground to stop the steeping process.

French Press results in a oily and full-flavored cup of coffee. Since you have control over when to stop the steeping, it’s totally up to you how strong you want the coffee to be. Most people would steep their coffee for 4 to 6 minutes, but if you prefer to leave it longer, it will result in a stronger but possibly bitter and more acidic cup of coffee.

French Press Pots are usually made of glass, and some are available in stainless steel which gives you more durability and keeps the temperature of your coffee hot longer. It’s a very simple gadget to use and clean. It doesn’t need a stovetop or electricity to work, so it’s quite portable and can be used anyway.

Read:

• Best of Bodum’s French Press Pots
• Best Insulated Stainless Steel French Press Pots.

Stovetop Moka Pot, What It Is and How It Works:

a Moka Pot is a traditional Italian coffee making tool that is used as an alternative to the more complicated Espresso machine. It is very simple to use, just by filling it up with water and coffee ground and placing it on a Stovetop, the process of coffee brewing starts.

Moka Pot doesn’t exactly make a shot of espresso, as espresso requires a high-pressure pump machine to make, but it makes coffee just as strong that is usually drank in the same quantity as espresso. So, it is the closest way to making espresso-like drink without a machine.

As it’s called stovetop moka pot, it requires a stovetop to make the coffee. And this is an important thing to keep in mind when buying a moka pot, make sure that the pot you’re buying is compatible with your type of stovetop (gas, electric or induction…).

Read:

• Best Stovetop Moka Pots to Buy
• Best Stainless Steel Moka Pots.

So, Which Is Best?

Between French Press and Moka Pot, there is no best or worse. These two methods are completely different and produce totally different cups of coffee. If you prefer to drink a larger cup of coffee that is more inline of a drip cup of coffee, then French Press could be more to your taste. But if you like your coffee extra strong and in smaller (European like) cups, a Moka pot should be a good choice for you. Either way, we believe both coffee brewing methods to be great and deserve a try.

How Does a Moka Pot Compare to Pod/Single Serve Espresso Makers?

A single-serve espresso maker, like a Nespresso for example, does not compare to a Moka Pot. Actually, a single-serve espresso maker is much like a traditional espresso maker, it produces an authentic cup of espresso. A single-serve espresso maker is an electric gadget with a pump , so you should expect a great cup of espresso from it with a lot of easy.

You can click here to learn about Nespresso’s single-serve espresso makers.

Videos:

How To Make Moka Pot Coffee:

How To Make French Press Coffee: