How can I improve my coffee brew? It always tastes bitter

How can I improve my coffee brew? It always tastes bitter

Understanding the Process: Anaerobic Processing

We continue our series on fermentation with a look at the anaerobic process, which has quickly become a favorite in cafés worldwide. BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos courtesy of Bram de Hoog for Ally Coffee A simple cup of well-brewed coffee can have endless variations of flavors and aromas. These are closely linked to […]


Girlsplaining Workshop Unites Women in Coffee in Quito, Ecuador

Meet Camila Khalifé, the brains behind Girlsplaining, a unique coffee learning experience with an emphasis on creating space for women in the industry. BY JORDAN BUCHANANSPECIAL TO BARISTA MAGAZINE Photos courtesy of Camila Khalifé Men may hold most of the positions of authority and teaching roles within the specialty-coffee industry, but Camila Khalifé, the owner […]


An In-Depth Look at Gruppo Cimbali’s Coffee Technician Wheel

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Brewing at Home and On the Road with Darrin Daniel

We check in with the Cup of Excellence executive director to learn his current coffee-brewing habits. BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Featured photo by Emre via Unsplash Brewing coffee is, for many coffee professionals, more than just a job.   They usually brew coffee every day, both for themselves and their customers. Perhaps they do it […]

How can I improve my coffee brew? It always tastes bitter

Study Shines New Light on the Complex Arabica Coffee Genome

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Exploring the Potential of Drones in Coffee Production 

New drone technology has the potential to revolutionize coffee farming from the air. BY VASILEIA FANARIOTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Cover photo by David Henrichs via Unsplash In an ever-evolving technological landscape, coffee producers have begun turning to drones in an attempt to increase efficiency and operations. These unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) offer a wide range of […]


Sumatra Coffee Farmers See Gains Through Agroforestry and Organic Fertilizer

Farmers in Indonesia’s Lampung province are making their own organic fertilizer in order to lessen reliance on volatile external supply chains. They’ve also diversified the number of crops they grow,…


How to Make the Best Coffee at Home By James Hoffmann: Book Review 

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How can I improve my coffee brew? It always tastes bitter

A Recap of The Barista League’s Mystery Coffee Vacation in Colombia

The Barista League’s Mystery Coffee Vacation in Colombia is over, and we’ve got the scoop on all the fun! BY VASILEIA FANARIOTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos courtesy of Vasileia Fanarioti and Juan Henao During the last week of February, the 2022 Barista League champions gathered in Colombia for this year’s Mystery Coffee Vacation. It was an […]


Philadelphia’s Café Don Pedro Seeks to Build Up Small Businesses

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10 Minutes With Helena Oliviero: Part One

We talk with coffee champion and Q Grader Helena Oliveriero about her career, her life in Colombia, and what it means to be a young woman in the male-dominated coffee world.   BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Featured photo courtesy of Helena Oliviero Helena Oliviero, originally from Tuscany, Italy, is 28 years old, but already she […]


Understanding the Process: Koji Fermentation

Continuing our series on coffee processing, we learn about koji fermentation, a unique process usually associated with the brewing of sake. BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos courtesy of Forest Coffee If brewed properly, a cup of coffee can offer countless variations of flavor and aroma. The quality and complexity of these attributes depend on many different […]

How can I improve my coffee brew? It always tastes bitter

How can I improve my coffee brew? It always tastes bitter

minimum dose size?

Jan 31, 2024 |

I use the Hario switch to brew my coffee and am trying to reduce my caffeine consumption. Hence I would like to brew smaller cups of coffee. I am currently using 10g of coffee with 160g of water. (1:16 Ratio) I am wondering if there is a minimum amount of coffee...

How can I improve my coffee brew? It always tastes bitter

Hi folks, I'm hoping someone can help give me some guidance on how brew better coffee. My goals are to maximize aroma and minimize bitterness. I feel like I'm doing something wrong. I buy fresh (within ~1 week of roasting) medium-roast beans which I store it in an air-tight coffee container (I never replace the little C02 valve though), and it lasts me about a week (the coffee tastes pretty bad by the end of the week after I open the bag). I have the strength figured out (grounds to water ratio). I grind it roughly in the middle of the fine to course settings dial (very slightly more towards the coarse). I then brew it in a regular cheap Walmart coffee brewer. Because I only brew one cup for myself, if I just put the pot under the coffee maker and let it brew, there's so little water in my one cup that all of the grounds won't even come in contact with the water. For this reason, I remove the pot from the coffee maker and let the hot water accumulate inside the basket for a few minutes, stir it with a spoon and then put the coffee pot in place to let it drop into the pot.

The coffee is okay, but it's never as good as when I get the same drip coffee brewed from the coffee shop I get it from. I suspect that some of the culprits might be:

​

  • Coffee beans just aren't fresh enough 1 week after roasting
  • Grind setting
  • Letting the coffee sit in the basket for a few minutes, causing over-extraction
  • Perhaps the water temperature is off in the cheapo Walmart coffee maker

That's all I can think of.. maybe I should just measure the water temperature myself, switch to pour-over and increase the grind coarseness (and therefore also increase the quantity of beans)? Anything else I'm missing?

Thank you!

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How can I improve my coffee brew? It always tastes bitter

Perfect Little Beans

Chinmey Hill Coffee uses specialty-grade beans with zero primary defects (such as black beans or sour beans) and less than five secondary defects (such as broken beans). This is important because primary defects will greatly affect the taste of the coffee. Having zero defects allows the coffee to be the most optimal flavor.

Window for Optimal Flavor

Chimney Hill Coffee ships our coffee the same day it was roasted, so you will receive it before it enters the window of optimal flavor.  This means you’ll never miss the opportunity to enjoy the coffee’s peak flavor.

Coffee Ratings

Coffee undergoes many scoring processes by professionals who achieved their Q Grader certification. Coffee is first graded when it’s green. If there are defects the coffee is determined to be “not-specialty grade”. For those coffees that pass green grading, they are sample roasted and cupped. (Cupping is the official term for critically tasting and scoring coffees. The official cupping form is standard worldwide, and where the 100-point scoring system comes from.) A coffee’s dry fragrance, wet aroma, flavor, aftertaste, body, acidity, balance, and overall impression are taken into consideration while uniformity issues and defects, will lower the overall score.

Specialty Coffee

Specialty coffee, coined by Erna Knutsen in 1974, refers to a coffee that receives a quality grading score of 80 percent or higher. While “premium” or “gourmet” seem like they’re synonymous with “specialty,” they simply are marketing terms with no defined standards. Specialty coffees are grown in specific and ideal micro-climates, and have distinctive and unique flavor profiles, with little to no defects.

Third-Wave Coffee

We’re currently in the third wave of coffee. The first wave of American coffee put pre-ground, vacuum-sealed cans in kitchens across America. The second wave started with the late ‘60s introduction of Peet’s coffee (by Alfred Peet) through the proliferation of Starbucks. The third wave of coffee focuses on origin transparency, nuanced flavors, and artisan roasting. The term “third wave” is synonymous with specialty coffee.

How can I improve my coffee brew? It always tastes bitter

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