An Australian supplier believes that Australian coffee lovers are unaware that they maybe drinking from dirty machines.
Map Coffee has told Appliance Retailer that most Aussies are blissfully unaware that their dirty machines are affecting the quality of the coffee they are drinking. It appears they use their coffee capsule machines everyday with the majority believing that that no cleaning is required to maintain them.
Dirty coffee
In fact, over time, and with consistent use, all capsule machines suffer from residue build-up in the pipes which taints the taste of the coffee.
Map Coffee believes it has a solution in Clean Bean, a universal tablet that rids machines of old coffee residue and cleans the pipes from the capsule right through to the cup. It is seven times more effective at cleaning the machine coffee lines than rinsing through with hot water alone. That process makes Clean Bean different to a descaler, which only cleans the boiler.
World Barista Judge, Justin Metcalf has backed the product, “What we discovered when using this product was how great the coffee tasted after the capsule machine was cleaned. It was amazing how clean the coffee tasted and that you can pick the difference,” he said
The universal Clean Bean tablet fits and works with most coffee machine systems including Caffitaly, Nespresso, Lavazza A Modo Mio and Expressi (K-fee).
The cleaning tablet simply needs to be passed through the machine through three “long pour” shots until completely dissolved. The tablet holder is then ejected and run through another “long pour” shot to clear residue. It’s a process that takes two minutes or less and should be completed once a month for ongoing clean coffee.
Clean Bean products are ranged at Woolworths and the coffee accessories section in Harvey Norman, The Good Guys and Officeworks.
50% classic coffee makers contain mould
Meanwhile, a 2011 study from the US Public Health and Safety Organisation, NSF International found that about half of classic coffee makers had yeast and mold growing in their reservoirs. About one in ten were home to coliform bacteria. On average, home coffee reservoirs also had higher germ counts than both bathroom door handles and toilet seats.
University of Arizona, germ specialist Kelly Reynolds said she doesn’t doubt the results.
“Coffee makers are certainly a moist environment where mould and bacteria are known to grow in high numbers,” Reynolds said. “Our bodies can deal with them, but at some point they’ll grow to levels high enough to cause sickness.”
In pod-based machines, debris can clog their nooks and crannies and the amount of dirt build up depends on how often the maker is used and for how long it lies dormant.
This story first appeared in Appliance Retailer.