You aren’t yourself without that first cup of coffee in the morning. It’s a ritual you plan your life around. The first sip is the beginning of a great day, and it all starts at your Keurig coffee maker. But what happens when that Keurig plastic taste won’t go away?
You know the taste: a bitter, artificial flavor that cuts through the boldness of your freshly brewed cup of coffee. So, where does that Keurig plastic K-cup taste come from? And how can you get rid of it when it persists cup after cup?
If your new Keurig didn’t come with a water filter assembly (most of the new ones do, but not always.) best bet is to put a three-quarter teaspoon of activated charcoal into the reservoir and add enough water to fill to the line and run a cleansing rinse.
What Is That Plastic Taste?
To address the Keurig plastic taste that won’t go away, you must first understand where that taste is coming from. It all comes down to outgassing.
Outgassing is a phenomenon that occurs when a newly manufactured product off the assembly line is wrapped tightly with packing material. In this process, the plastic parts of the coffee maker release gases. The plastic smell becomes encased in the packaging, embedding itself in every piece of plastic in your machine and making your coffee taste foul. Under normal circumstances, you need to wash the product and air it out long enough to let those plastic fumes dissipate.
The difference with your Keurig machine is that you are using the parts being affected by outgassing to make something you ingest, meaning hot water will come in contact with the plastic components before being turned into your cup of coffee. It’s almost impossible to avoid that Keurig plastic taste from coffee makers in this case.
According to the outgassing theory (which not everyone is onboard with), a Keurig that rolls off the assembly line today will produce a stronger plastic taste than one that’s been sitting on a shelf for a while. Outgassing occurs over time, you see. And those gases get into the water that becomes your coffee.
Perhaps running activated charcoal through your Keurig is an effective way of removing chemical compounds that live in your Keurig’s rubber tubing?
Notice that she said smell, not taste. But she wrote that comment in the comment section of the Vinegar + Keurig video above. You know, the one where Mr. Millennial is inexplicably floating in abstract white space while he discusses plastic taste in Keurigs. I guess we just have to hope for the best here.
We can debate the causes and solutions until we’re blue in the face, but what’s important is that we find solutions and SHARE them! Of course, what works for you may not work for your neighbor (that’s the fun of the plastic taste mystery), but sharing truly is caring.
If you love your plastic K-cups and are heavily invested in one of those K-cup organizers, sorry not sorry. It’s true that K-cups are now recyclable, and that’s great, but using less plastic is generally a good practice if you can manage it.
Keurig Troubleshooting FAQ: Howto remove a Plastic Taste from a Keurig Coffee Maker?
FAQ
Why does my coffee from my Keurig taste like plastic?
Why does my Keurig smell like burning plastic?
How do I get rid of the metallic taste in my Keurig?
How to remove plastic taste from a Keurig?
The best way to remove plastic taste from a Keurig is to make sure all the individual parts are cleaned on a regular schedule, and to clean out the internal workings with a descaling when necessary.
How do I get rid of the vinegar taste in my Keurig?
To get rid of the vinegar taste in your Keurig, run at least two cleansing cycles to rinse off any residual vinegar after using it to descale the machine. Follow the steps below: Once the vinegar has soaked inside the machine for about an hour or so, run a few brew cycles until it’s time to refill the tank.
How do I know if my Keurig is bad?
You’ll be able to tell either by the performance of the machine or the taste of the coffee. An overused Keurig might deliver coffee that has somewhat of a plastic taste to it or tastes overly burnt and bitter. This is usually caused by normal buildup. A good bitter coffee fix is to clean out the coffee maker.
How do I know when it’s time to clean my Keurig?
The first step is to know when it’s time to clean the Keurig. You’ll be able to tell either by the performance of the machine or the taste of the coffee. An overused Keurig might deliver coffee that has somewhat of a plastic taste to it or tastes overly burnt and bitter. This is usually caused by normal buildup.