dan0 Junior Member Joined: 24 Sep 2008 Posts: 2 Location: Urbana, IL Expertise: I love coffee
Grinder: Bodum Antigua
Posted Thu Oct 2, 2008, 12:44am Subject: To Wash Or Not To Wash?
Someone once told me that after using a press-pot, you should rinse it, but not clean it with soap and water. I guess the idea is that the oil/residue on the inside of the pot helps the next pot taste better.
Is this true? If so, can the same rule of thumb be applied to other coffee makers?
Posted Thu Oct 2, 2008, 10:04am Subject: Re: To Wash Or Not To Wash?
I think that the notion that soap is bad comes from the fact that coffee oil is difficult to remove. Soap bonds with the residue so if the cleaning is not complete you will taste the soap.
My belief is that when you clean your coffee things it has to be almost complete so with less effective detergent more effort is required. I find that dishwasher compond is better than dish soap and espresso machine cleaner is better still.
Posted Thu Oct 2, 2008, 11:41am Subject: Re: To Wash Or Not To Wash?
I have never understood this philosophy: "don't clean it with detergents". My approach is, if I can smell it, it will affect the taste of the final brew. I regularly clean my brewing components so that I can't smell coffee residue anymore. And my coffee doesn't taste like soap; I rinse thoroughly and soap/detergents are fully water soluble so it's not a problem.
Coffee oil isn't hard to clean; coffee tanins are. Tanins are the brown residue that settles out and sticks to the sides of the container and must usually be scrubbed out; this residue often carries the smell with it. Soap is not necessary for cleaning this and doesn't help much, but some chemicals do. The same problem happens with tea.
Posted Thu Oct 2, 2008, 1:53pm Subject: Re: To Wash Or Not To Wash?
Really the question is: to rinse or not to rinse? I asked a chemist one time, her advice, triple rinsing. Once something is rinsed in three changes of water, the amount of remaining soap is reduced to about 1x10(-6). At that point the object in the water is virtually soap-free. Additionally, "mechanical action", or rubbing the surface, hastens rinsing even further.
rabbit Junior Member Joined: 3 Sep 2008 Posts: 39 Location: maine Expertise: I live coffee
Posted Thu Oct 2, 2008, 7:36pm Subject: Re: To Wash Or Not To Wash?
i only french press, and i clean after each press. i clean with hot tap water and table SALT pumping the screen and letting it set, the water turns yellowish. it is a quick process then rinse with cold water. i have used this process for more than a year. trust me it`s the best and quickest way....
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