Finally figured out why my office coffee tastes like ash

Been the coffee maker at work for about a year now. Kept noticing our medium roast came out bitter and flat every afternoon. I blamed the grinder or the water. Turns out my coworker was dumping old grounds into the compost bin but leaving the wet filter in the basket overnight. That stale filter was tainting the next morning's brew. I caught him doing it three days in a row last week. Now I just rinse the basket myself before I leave. Has anyone else found a weird habit ruining their office coffee?

2 comments

2 Comments

karen_hart22d ago

Oh man, I've been there! A quick rinse and a wipe with a paper towel after every pot makes a world of difference, it takes like ten seconds and stops that stale taste from building up.

miab8723d ago

Oh man, I am the office coffee culprit and I didn't even know it. I used to leave the old grounds in the filter after I made my morning pot because I figured I'd clean it out at the end of the day, but then I'd totally forget. My coworker finally called me out after a week of what he called "sour dishwater brew" and I felt like such a dummy. Now I make sure to dump and rinse the basket before I even sit down with my first cup, but I still catch myself leaving a wet filter in there sometimes if I'm in a hurry. At least you figured out the source of the ash flavor, I just thought our office water was cursed.