As a seasoned coffee drinker, you’re likely willing to accept a degree of bitterness in your coffee. Afterall, bitterness is a central feature of coffee’s flavor profile, providing a strong counterpoint to the other tasting notes. But it shouldn’t be the first thing you’re tasting. Or the last. If that’s happening, there are a few potential culprits, which we’ll get into here, along with three simple tweaks that’ll resolve the issue.
Yes, coffee is a little bitter
First, let’s dig a little deeper into what you should be tasting. Ideally, your cup of coffee, whether you brewed it yourself or bought it, will strike a balance between four major tastes:
- Sweet
- Acid
- Salt
- And, yes, bitter
These flavors come from chemical compounds that are released when coffee grounds come into contact with water. The varying concentrations of each compound create the unique flavor balance of the final brew.
Bitterness and acidity are often confused for one another in coffee, but they’re subtly different. Generally, bitterness is experienced as a dry or burned flavor at the back of the tongue that lingers after each sip.
Why your coffee tastes too bitter
If this flavor seems to be crowding out all the others, leaving you with a rather unpleasant, or even harsh, aftertaste, a few things could be causing it.
The most likely one is over-extraction, or over-brewing. This refers to water remaining in contact with coffee grounds for too long and, in turn, extracting more bitter compounds.
A finer grind can help brew a stronger cup of coffee, as you’ve probably appreciated already. But coffee that’s too finely ground can also lead to an overpowering bitter flavor.
After the coffee beans, water is the most important ingredient in coffee. Hard water, the shorthand term for water that contains high levels of dissolved minerals, primarily calcium and magnesium, can contribute to bitter-tasting coffee, as can overly hot water, which tends to extract more of the bitter compounds.
Finally, the type of beans you’re using could play a role. Certain types, such as Robusta, are inherently more bitter because of their high caffeine and chlorogenic acid content. (Caffeine is not flavorless. It actually tastes bitter.) The way the beans are roasted could also make a difference. Longer roasting times can portend bitterness. In other words, darker roasts are more likely to impart bitterness.
How to fix it
Since over-extraction is the most common reason coffee tastes too bitter, let’s start there. You don’t want to trade bitterness for weak or sour, so shorten your brew time in 30-second increments until you find the sweet spot. (Pun intended.) Don’t have the patience for all that? Switch to a French press. It’s a very forgiving brewing method.
Next, let’s focus on the water. If you aren’t already, use cold, filtered water and heat it to just under boiling, or between 195 and 205 degrees. An inexpensive kettle with a built-in thermometer will aid your cause.
Our last stop is your grinder. The smaller the size of the coffee grounds, the faster flavor compounds are released into the boiling water. Larger grounds don’t become saturated as quickly, so they take a little longer to release their flavor compounds, including the bitter ones. Try switching to a coarser grind. And for extra credit, invest in a burr grinder, which will give you greater control over the consistency of your coffee grounds.