Why Is My Coffee So Bitter - A Sob Story - and 5 simple tips to get it right
Yes, we have heard your sob story before....your coffee is bitter, but you are desperate and can't live without it. You pour 1/3 of a cup of sugar and another 1/3 milk, leaving you with only 1/3 actual coffee. All this to drown out the bitter taste.
Up your odds of getting a better cup, with these 5 tips
1) Origin
The origin of a bean has a significant impact on its flavor. As with all agriculture, the soil it is grown in, the weather and the elevation are key factors in the beans taste.
Up Your Odds: Buy whole bean from a high elevation with sweet flavors
2) Roast
A french roast is one of the darkest, it is when a bean has been thoroughly burnt. Not exactly the nicest taste. Think about eating a piece of charcoal instead, it may be less burnt than that bean, having been roasted at 450+ degrees for a significant amount of time.
All the oil oozing out of the bean does not make it a better product, on the contrary, you want the oil contained within the bean. When you grind the bean, the oil will seep out and give your taste buds a refreshing oily taste.
Up Your Odds: Buy a medium roasted whole bean and grind it yourself right before you brew it.
3) Freshness
The ideal time for grinding your coffee is within 7-10 days of it having been roasted. With time, especially when ground, the coffee begins to go stale, causing the coffee to become bitter.
Up Your Odds: Buy freshly roasted whole bean coffee from a micro roaster.
4) Brew Method
Heat is a powerful tool in transferring flavor and can be used to transfer as much of the flavor as possible from your bean to your cup. A good machine can get your temperature very high. An alternative is to use a manual coffee press or filter, where you have more control over the temperature.
The time it takes for the water to flow through your coffee and into your cup is another area that can impact your cup. Let the water drip slowly, allowing it to seep into the beans and extract as much flavor as possible.
Up Your Odds: Use a manual coffee filter/press (Aeropress is a good one) and play around with the temp. & drip speed until you find what works best for you.
5) Avoid Instant coffee - it's old, freeze dried and contains a high level of Acrylamide