Rachel's CafeAll things coffee…

Coffee has chemical taste/smell?

For some reason, when I make coffee at home with my 4 cup coffee maker, it has a chemical taste/smell. It sort of smells like rubbing alcohol, and tastes how it smells. I am using the correct amount of coffee, and I made sure there is no soap residue from when I wash out the pot and filter basket. Has anyone else had this problem before? Also-this has happened to two different brands of coffee makers; I threw my Mr.Coffee one in the garbage because I thought the chemical was coming from that, but my Cuisinart does the same.

Is it possible the chemical taste could be a plastic taste. I just read on a coffee forum the same question as yours. I do not agree with the others as the water being the problem. I would first look at the type coffee grounds I was using before investing in a water filter system. (are you able to drink the water from the tap? if you are than it is not the water for sure. Call Cuisinart before you toss it like your Mr. Coffee. It appears you are not the only one having a problem with the Cuisinart:

May 15, 2010
That coffeemaker smell is REAL!
by: Mama G

This past March I bought a new coffeemaker Cuisinart DCC 1200 Series and could not wait to try it the first time. Well to my surprise it smelled like a chemical plant giving off it’s fumes. I had to waste the first couple pots before I wised up to washing it with vinegar a couple times and it reduced it 99%. I’ll continue to clean it again and hope to get the 1% out. The manufacturers should tell us consumers what to expect. They owe us not for the maker only but for the wasted expensive coffee we had to toss out. In closing there have been so many recalls of products you have to be careful what you consume or wear these days.
May 15, 2010

Jan 12, 2010
Coffee from new coffeemaker tastes putrid
by: Monie
We bought a new Cuisinart coffeemaker. To our surprise, the coffee smells and tastes awful. May daughter gave a good name to it: PUTRID. I had my sister come over and taste it, and she was baffeled also. Someone said we need to use it a lot before it tastes good. But, how much coffee do we have to waste? I decided it is just as bad as putting some rubbing alcohol in it and trying to drink it. Just thinking about it makes me gag. I called the store where we got it, and they said we could bring it back. But, what kind of coffeemaker should we get instead?

Jan 12, 2010
Rating
Submitted by: Monie

Comment
We bought a new Cuisinart coffeemaker. To our surprise, the coffee smells and tastes awful. May daughter gave a good name to it: PUTRID. I had my sister come over and taste it, and she was baffeled also. Someone said we need to use it a lot before it tastes good. But, how much coffee do we have to waste? I decided it is just as bad as putting some rubbing alcohol in it and trying to drink it. Just thinking about it makes me gag. I called the store where we got it, and they said we could bring it back. But, what kind of coffeemaker should we get instead?

Oct 22, 2009
get rid of plastic taste in coffeemaker
by: Phyllis

I too had this problem with my new cusinert coffeemaker and was told to fill up with LEMON JUICE instead of water and run thru once..and than of course run about 3 times with water. well to my surprise it worked….no more plastic tasted in my coffee……hope it works for you..
p.s. I left the lemon juice sit in the water well for about 15 minutes before I turned it on…

Oct 22, 2009
Submitted by: Phyllis

Hope these help if not go to coffeeseekers.com and maybe purchase a Bunn, That is what I have and love it.

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