The very first step is to make sure you have all of the right tools. Please refer to the section above about tools. To get a quality pot of coffee, a clean coffee maker is a must. Cleaning the coffee maker once a month should be done. A thorough cleaning will remove hard water deposits, leftover coffee oils that become rancid, and other impurities that can ruin the taste of the coffee. To clean the coffee maker run a mixture of vinegar and cold water through the coffee maker. The mixture should be one part white vinegar and two parts water that fills the entire pot. After this phase has been completed through run water through the coffee maker for a few cycles to ensure the vinegar is removed