People generally expect to smell and taste pure coffee in the morning before they get going with their work.
If you have Keurig K Compact coffee maker at your home and you are experiencing plastic like taste in your coffee, then this article is specially for you.
Actually, there are multiple causes behind this plastic like taste of your coffee.
Sometimes due to outgassing the Keurig’s coffee tastes like plastic.
This happens especially after a new product is unpacked and delivered, the smell from the plastic packaging stays if not washed properly before use.
The company creates a product in bulk and leave the boxes in the warehouse for months till they get ordered and shipped.
With time, the plastic parts of the coffee machine start to release gases that could create a similar smell.
The Keurig K Compact machine grabs hold of that smell when it is being switched on for the first time.
As the hot water runs through the device it usually swirls with the plastic components within and it tastes pungent at the end.
To get rid of this plastic smell, I highly recommend you to thoroughly clean the coffee machine first, before you start using it.
Rinse it with hot water meticulously at the beginning and then use some dishwasher soap to wash the removable parts of the machine.
Once you have done that, re-attach them and run some brew cycles.
Doing this, 3 to 4 times removes the plastic taste from your coffee completely and then you can enjoy some freshly brewed hot coffee from your Keurig K Compact coffee maker.
If you want more reasons and their solutions regarding the plastic taste of your coffee in this machine, then I recommend you read this article till the end.
Table of Contents
- 4 Main Reasons Behind Plastic Taste of Keurig K Compact Coffee
- 4 Solutions to Remove Plastic Taste from Your Keurig K Compact Coffee
- How to Clean Keurig K Compact Machine Thoroughly to Remove Plastic Taste from its Coffee?
- Final Thoughts
4 Main Reasons Behind Plastic Taste of Keurig K Compact Coffee
Reason 1: Outgassing
As explained earlier, the first main reason is the outgassing issue.
Due to the long term storage of plastic elements wrapped up together, they tend to release gases inside the machine.
These plastic gases ultimately affect the overall taste of your brewed coffee made with the coffee maker.
Since the coffee maker is packed in an airtight condition, the gases are not able to escape from the machine which results in a foul smell.
Reason 2: Use of BPA Chemical
The second reason is due to BPA (Bisphenol-A) chemical which is used to create strong plastics in the manufacturing of the coffee makers.
The plastics that are used to produce the Keurig K Compact machine are strengthened by using the BPA chemical.
So, at first, the synthetic chemical is stuck within the plastic that mixes with the hot water resulting in a plastic-like taste.
But recently, Keurig company has started making coffee maker parts that are free from BPA material.
So, this cause will not be so relevant after few months once we start getting such BPA free coffee machines.
Reason 3: Use of Phthalates
Similarly, the third reason is another chemical that is used to create the pipes and tubes of the coffee maker.
The culprit is known as phthalates.
This chemical compound stays behind in the pipes and as the hot water runs through it, it leaches into the water.
This contaminated water then affects the taste of your coffee and then your coffee tastes like plastic.
Reason 4: Use of Plastic K-Cups
The fourth reason is the use of plastic K-cups themselves in the coffee maker.
It stays inside the Keurig’s handle for a long period.
As it is made of plastic too, with extremely hot water it melts minutely and adds to the coffee in the form of a waste substance.
This is actually quite harmful and it’s generally seen after a few days of unboxing and functioning.
These are the 4 main causes that affect the taste of Keurig coffee and makes it taste like plastic in several cases.
But don’t worry.
We do have effective solutions to handle these problems in your Keurig coffee maker.
Let us see what are those solutions.
Recommended Articles for You:
7 Reasons Why Your Coffee Tastes Like a Metal
3 Solutions to Solve Water Overflow Problem in Keurig Coffee Maker
7 Cleaning Steps to Avoid Burnt Coffee Taste in Keurig Coffee Machine
4 Solutions to Remove Plastic Taste from Your Keurig K Compact Coffee
There are a few solutions to this problem that works pretty well and help remove the bad plastic like taste permanently from the Keurig K Compact coffee maker.
Solution 1: Perform Hot Water Rinse
As said earlier, the first and the most obvious solution is to clean your coffee maker completely with hot water.
Rinse your machine with hot water and make sure all the machine parts are cleaned properly.
You can use dishwash soap for this purpose to get the better results.
The plastic smell from the portable machine components will go away once you clean and rinse them properly and then let them dry for few minutes in the open.
Solution 2: Use White Vinegar Solution
Even if you still smell plastic in your coffee after following hot water rinse, then you must try this second solution.
The second option is a to use white vinegar rinse which is highly efficient method to perform complete cleaning of your Keurig coffee maker.
One can use both diluted and non-diluted vinegar solution to wash the disassembled parts of the device.
However, I recommend to use only white vinegar solution for cleaning your coffee maker.
Make sure you clean both the inside and the outside of the device, un-touching the filters.
Also, run a vinegar mixture through a brewing cycle at the highest temperature.
This will make sure that the pipes, cups and caskets get rinsed by the solution as well.
After cleaning with vinegar solution, you must perform descaling of your machine with regular clean water for at least 2 times.
Only after descaling with clean water, it is recommended to start using your coffee maker as usual.
Solution 3: Use Keurig Descaling Solution
The third solution is very simple and straightforward.
It is best to descale your machine with the use of company recommended Keurig Descaling Solution.
This method is extremely efficient in wholesome cleaning of your Keurig K Compact coffee maker.
All you need to do is to brew using the descaling solution twice including clean water.
After running 2 descaling cycles with the solution, the plastic smell of machine parts will fade away quickly.
This descaling process is really helpful in removing internal mineral buildup as well as in eliminating any residual taste and odor of the machine.
You will have to repeat this descaling process on a quarterly basis to improve brewer life and prevent any future mineral buildup and bad odor issues.
Solution 4: Use Reusable K-Cups
The last solution is to start using reusable stainless steel K-cups instead of regular plastic cups.
A stainless-steel cup in this scenario should work completely fine.
Avoid buying plastic cups and wasting your hard earned money on them.
Use of plastic coffee cups is bad for your health as well as it is not good for our environment too.
The plastic present in these cups is leached into hot coffee due to exposure to high temperature.
As already explained above, the chemical compounds such as BPA and phthalates are present in plastic cups.
These chemicals are harmful for our health and are often the prime reasons to cause plastic smell in your coffee.
Therefore, I highly recommend to replace these cups with reusable stainless steel coffee filters.
How to Clean Keurig K Compact Machine Thoroughly to Remove Plastic Taste from its Coffee?
An activated charcoal rinse can do some magic while cleaning your Keurig K Compact coffee maker.
A good quality food grade activated charcoal powder is best to clean your machine thoroughly and to get the best cleaning results.
Here is the whole cleaning procedure for you if you want to know more about it.
1. Mix water with a half spoon of activated charcoal (food grade) and pour it into the water reservoir of your coffee machine.
2. Turn on your max settings and start the brew cycle.
3. Run it consecutively 2 to 3 times so that the mixture is used completely and the solution reaches all the inner parts of your machine.
If the solution isn’t used fully, then some of the charcoal content will remain in the machine.
Therefore, it is important to run brew cycle for at least 2-3 times.
During these brew cycles, the plastic smell will leave completely but the charcoal powder could get stuck in the water pipes.
4. This is why you will need to run fresh water to ensure every single bit of the charcoal solution come out entirely.
By running these brew cycles, you will be able to thoroughly remove the plastic taste from your brewed coffee.
5. If you still experience light plastic taste in your coffee, then you can run few more brew cycles with activated charcoal solution.
Final Thoughts
When you purchase a new Keurig K Compact coffee maker, it is highly essential to properly clean and sanitize the product.
It is important to wash it with hot water to remove germs and dirt particles from the machine.
You can also use other efficient cleaning products such as white vinegar, activated charcoal powder and Keurig descaling solution.
If you do not clean and maintain the machine regularly, then it can lead to water leakage, coffee leakage and power outage problems.
Therefore, I highly recommend you to perform regular cleaning and descaling of your Keurig K Compact Coffee Maker and prevent the plastic smell of Keurig coffee.
References:
https://www.keurig.ca/support/keurig2-brewers
https://www.techradar.com/in/news/keurig-k-compact-coffee-maker-should-i-buy-one