Just a few days ago we narrowly averted a disaster.
Or rather, I did.
I’d just finished reading the New York Times, the “wire cutter” section, where the writers were discussing coffee makers. This attracted my attention because the reviewers were particularly unimpressed by the Keurig, and proposed several recommended alternatives.
Excellent alternatives, several not as expensive as the Keurig. We have a couple in our cupboards. In fact, Sandy habitually uses the highly-recommended Aeropress, of which we have two, originally bought for use in the van. They do make exemplary coffee.
(You’re probably aware that one can buy packs of Aeropress microfilters. But did you know you can buy replacements for the rubber seal at the end of the plunger? The one that, if it wears excessively, renders the press useless? Anyway…)
But the Aeropress is slower and not as convenient as my Keurig, which is consequently my go-to coffee maker, and, as far as I’m concerned, consistently makes an excellent cup of coffee.
In seconds, furthermore, which also feeds a preference.
Of course we don’t use Keurig pods, which I wouldn’t dream of recommending and which, I suspect, is the reason for the Times columnist’s disdain. Rather, we use refillable cups, packed with freshly-ground coffee.
And that, as far as I am concerned, points to the real secret of making a great cup of coffee: it’s not the method; it’s the beans.
Here’s a little byway/advertisement, en route to the averted disaster.
Back when we were considerably younger –– not to mention poorer –– we were already supporters of Oxfam Canada. And one of Oxfam’s initiatives and offshoots, called “Bridgehead” signed up Central and South American coffee growers to participate in “Fair Trade” schemes, in which they would be paid above market rates for sustainably-produced and harvested Arabica coffee beans. So although that coffee was considerably more expensive than the stuff you could buy in grocery stores at the time, we purchased it in 5-pound bags that Canada Post delivered.
I suspect Oxfam probably borrowed the concept from the Max Havelaar company, with its Fair Trade coffee shops in Europe. Or vice-versa.
Eventually Bridgehead (https://www.bridgehead.ca/pages/copy-of-history) apparently became more than Oxfam was interested in maintaining, so it became its own company with a roastery and coffee shops in the Ottawa area. We have dealt with Bridgehead ever since. Still excellent coffee; still expensive; and still absolutely worth it.
Back to the averted disaster.
The Times column raised a little spectre of doubt. Should I be considering a different machine? Was the Keurig getting too long in the tooth to do an adequate job? Did I really appreciate the last cup it had produced? Should I maybe clean it?
Clean it. I should definitely do that before deciding on something more, like replacement. And how does one clean a coffee maker? Vinegar, obviously.
So I filled the reservoir with vinegar, turned on the machine, and waited until the cup was full. The vinegar was the right temperature and quantity, so everything appeared to be working fine. But the liquid was pretty brown, so go for another shot.
At which point it balked. A dribble of warm vinegar, sputters of something that looked vaguely like steam…I shut it off. Had I broken it permanently?
Remove vinegar, fill reservoir with cold water, and try again. And again. And again. And yet again.
Very gradually the Keurig started to produce heated water, and eventually the brown disappeared. When I got it to make me a coffee, that worked, and the coffee was fine: no residual vinegar. Success!
But here’s the kicker: some time passed, and I couldn’t get rid of that feeling that I’d been here before, that I’d maybe even written about filling your Keurig with vinegar. I went on a small search of previous posts, and look what i found! From as recently as October, 2020: https://occasionaljustus.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-vinegar-solution-meets-new.html
So now I get to worry about losing my short-term memory instead of my coffee maker!
