Why is coffee bitter

You want to stay clear from Robusta beans which are bitter, lower in quality and are often used in instant coffees. As a specialty coffee roaster, we are strict on high quality and only select delicious Arabica beans for every one of our Karvans.

If you enjoy your coffee beans strong you want to select a darker roast. For example, our Karvan Blend 4 is a medium — dark roast that is designed to cut through milk and deliver that smooth and bold flavour. Perfect for those who enjoy a strong coffee with no bitterness.

However, be careful with selecting dark roast profiles as some roasters can take it a little too far. If your beans are roasted too dark it can strip away the flavour experience and make your coffee taste like its burnt!

Choosing specialty coffee roasters is usually a safe option as they will take pride in the premium green beans they source. When in doubt, ask the roaster! If you would like more information regarding any of the above issues, check out our barista training classes. We cover detailed coffee preparation and how to implement an espresso recipe.

Book online or contact us training leafbeanmachine. Skip to content. Leaf Bean Machine. All Posts. December 19, There is nothing worse than the disappointment of a bitter cup of coffee. Over extraction When we brew coffee, the flavour hinges on the extraction of solids from the coffee itself.

Volumetrics and coffee machine programming Checking the volumetrics on the coffee machine is part of our daily set up. Grind Size Just as brew ratio affects espresso extraction, the grind size of our coffee also plays a huge part in the overall taste of the coffee. Dirty machine and equipment This is a no brainer. Backflushing your coffee machine We recommend that you backflush your coffee machine with plain water as often as possible throughout the day. Some other things to consider: Ensure the coffee beans you are using are fresh.

Try a lighter roasted coffee. Check your water is of good quality. Water filters should be changed regularly. Make sure that the temperature is not too high; optimum is between 92 — 96 degrees. Another factor might be the beans themselves. These green bean friends tend to put the limit on their green bean storage at months 3 after receiving them in the U. Truth be told, though, other companies may not adhere to such strict standards.

As a general rule dark roasts taste more bitter than lighter roasts. That ebony French roast a friend raved about? If it tastes like chewing on a piece of charcoal right off the barbecue to you, try a lighter roast. Roasting is the key factor driving bitter taste in coffee beans. So the stronger you roast the coffee, the more harsh it tends to get. Look for light and medium roasts, instead of medium-dark and dark roasts.

Some roasters print a scale on the bag to let you know how light or dark the coffee is. Aside from color, different roasts also differ in taste. The lighter the roast, the less bitter your coffee will be. Try a couple of different roasts until you find the… sweet spot. The solution: If you want to try light-roast coffee to eliminate bitterness, go for roasts labeled Cinnamon or Half City; medium roasts are often called American or Breakfast.

Stay away from these last few if dark roasts give you the shivers. Two different species of plants are grown for coffee — Robusta and Arabica. Robusta is much more bitter than Arabica and has more caffeine, it also grows more quickly and is resistant to pests, so it tends to be less expensive. Arabica produces beans with more flavor, though the plants require more care, which drives up the cost. The next aspect of selecting beans is learning what properties you can expect from beans grown in different parts of the world.

Here are a few specific recommendations: Kona region, Brazilian or Costa Rican beans. When you were a kid, you probably learned that putting more sugar in your tea made it sweeter.

Well, the principle is exactly the same when brewing coffee, but in reverse: putting more coffee in your water can make it bitter. But just as with the laws of piracy, this rule is more of a guideline. Ask a number of baristas, and their preferred ratio at their coffee shop might range between and Because they like the way it tastes. So you might find that 50 grams of coffee is the perfect match to a liter of water for your palate. And note that the ratio may change depending on what kind of brewing equipment you use.

The solution: Learn how much coffee to use for your perfect by weighing your coffee and your water. As a reminder, 1 gram of water is 1 milliliter, so you can measure out a liter of water and know that it weighs grams, and therefore needs 55 grams of coffee to hit the golden ratio. Use a coffee scale. And make notes, so when you find out your preferred ratio, you can the next time, and the time after that.

Arabica beans make coffee that is less bitter than Robusta beans. With Arabica beans, you can brew coffee with less bitterness and more flavor although they are a bit pricier. Before we get started, there are a few tools that will make your coffee crime-fighting process painless:. Much like tea, coffee gets its flavor from steeping in hot water.

If you let it steep for too long, too much of the bitter flavors come through and your coffee will taste burnt. This is another way that coffee gets over-cooked.