Using a Keurig to make coffee might be the quickest way to brew. All you have to do is fill up the water reservoir, choose your K-Cup, select the size of your cup, and press the brew button. It’s an especially convenient brewing method on busy mornings when you may not have time to make yourself a fancy latte, but it’s no fun when you’re greeted with a sputtering, clogged machine right before heading to work. If you find this happening to your Keurig, you might be forgetting to clean an essential piece of the machine: the needles.
There are at least two needles in every Keurig machine: the entrance needle and exit needle. The entrance needle is the one that pierces a hole through your K-Cup, while the exit needle is the one that punctures the bottom of the K-Cup to let the coffee run through it. If the space in and around your needles hasn’t been cleaned in a while — or ever — you might notice inconsistent brews, coffee grounds in your cup, and general clogging. This happens because it’s pretty easy for coffee grounds to get stuck in the crevices around the needles. Luckily, this is one Keurig issue you can resolve quickly using only a paper clip.
How to clean your Keurig’s needles
清潔 Keurig 針頭所需的只有迴紋針與清水。開始之前，請先關閉 Keurig 並拔掉插頭。記得 Keurig 的針頭很鋒利，因此操作每個部件時都要小心。把迴紋針的一端拉直，製成清潔工具。接著，取下 K-Cup 封裝座並把底部漏斗件拆開分離。把封裝座翻過來，就能找到容納出口針的管道。然後，將迴紋針插入孔中，輕輕地在周圍搖動以鬆動任何卡住的咖啡渣。清潔完畢後，將兩個部件在流動水下沖洗乾淨。
若要清潔入口針，打開 Keurig 的蓋子，然後往下看就能找到針頭。根據你的機型，Keurig 的頂部可能不只一根針；若是這種情況，請清潔每一根。使用迴紋針工具清潔針頭露出孔，採用相同的技術以鬆動碎屑。
如果你仍然遇到阻塞問題，可能是時候對 Keurig 進行除垢。Keurig 建議每三到六個月除垢一次；但如果你沒有使用過濾水或礦泉水——這是 Keurig 推薦用於清潔與沖泡的水類型——你更容易出現鈣質沉積或水垢，這會導致咖啡機阻塞或表現不佳。最有效的除垢方式是使用檸檬酸，但在緊急時白醋也可使用。如果除垢無效，且每次沖泡時機器仍然阻塞，那就是更換 Keurig 的明顯信號。
