Why you shouldn't use your coffee carafe to fill the tank on your Ratio Brewer.

Your carafe might seem like the best vessel for transferring water into your brewer; it's always on hand and matches the aesthetics, after all. However, this decision may be negatively affecting the quality of your coffee and the consistency of your brewer.

What's going on?

Brewed coffee contains lipids (commonly referred to as coffee oils) that contribute to the overall body and texture of a cup of coffee. As these oils cool, they harden onto the walls of your carafe or favorite mug.  These oils are almost invisible in trace amounts, but over time, they can build up on the inside of your carafe, trapping tannins and dissolved solids as they do. This buildup will develop and darken into a brown and eventually black patina if not addressed. When you use your carafe to fill the water in your Ratio brewer, you are transferring these same oils into the tank of your brewer.

Here's what happens when coffee oils get into your water lines.

When coffee oils enter your brewer, they stick to the components along the brew path in the same way that they adhere to the inside of your carafe. Over time, this buildup will impart a negative flavor to your brew. Coffee oils will also encourage further residue accumulation of limescale and anything else in your water in the hot water pathway in your brewer. If not addressed promptly, both limescale and coffee oil buildup can lead to serious issues, including overheating or incomplete brew cycles. While our team of talented techs is happy to resolve these issues for you, we would prefer to give you the tools to avoid buildup altogether. If you see discoloration in your machine and suspect it might be coffee oil buildup, you can differentiate between limescale and coffee oils by observing the color of the buildup: coffee oils will tint your components brown, while limescale will be white or appear as a cloudy sheen. 

Best practices

You can avoid these issues by only using a dedicated water container to fill your reservoir or by filling directly from the tap. Additionally, by establishing a regular cleaning schedule, including a Halefresh cycle for descaling and hand washing for your thermal carafe, you can avoid or even reverse this buildup, ensuring great cups of coffee for years to come.