Some people love the bitterness of coffee, while others don’t. Since you are reading this topic, I’m sure you fall into the latter category. Or maybe you like coffee bitter but to a certain extent. I can completely relate if that’s the case.
My coffee has to be the perfect balance of bitter and sweet. The main reason for coffee tasting too bitter is often due to over-extraction. As the main brewer, you have a complete charge over this extraction process.
And to enjoy the bean’s finest quality, you should gather some ideas on how to make coffee less bitter but not completely lifeless. Today, I’m willing to help you with that!
Let’s Talk On 3 Fabulous Ways on How to Make Coffee Less Bitter!
Depending on percentage of solids in the grounds of coffee, flavor can balance differently in your cup. There’s a lot of flavor compounds that mix wildly to get a certain taste. With more extraction, the bitter tasting it would be. Since the compounds for bitterness is heavier and a bit hard to extract, prolonged extraction results in stronger coffee. So, to reduce overwhelming taste, the key is to control this extraction.
Including Brewing Rule, we’ll be Talking Two Other Ideas to Help You Lessen the Bitterness Right Below. Enjoy!
1. Use Brewing Rules Right.
The first concern is all related to brewing manner. Here are a few clues that may help you out.
Try Pour Over Coffee.
You can opt for drip coffee instead of other brewing options. Usually, the pour-over coffee is pretty less bitter in taste. Ignore the coffee that has been brewed in espresso. Especially the ones you got from coffee shops that use fully automatic espresso machines for brewing. For example, Americano style coffee or espresso shots.
In the case of homemade brewing, you need to control three things. One is the type of bean you are using. Second is the roasting method you are following. And third thing to control is the amount of used beans. Play with these three key factors to figure out the right brew that fits your bitter level perfectly.
Coffee Grind Size Adjustment.
If you are preparing the coffee grounds at home, then grind beans yourself as well. Don’t go for too fine grounds when doing so. Depending on if you want French press or drip brewing, the grind size will vary.
In the case of the French press, not too fine and a bit coarse grinds taste less bitter. Medium fine grinds make less bitter coffee with the drip method. And that makes the whole point of how the adjustment of coffee grind size can help you achieve perfect bitterness.
Too Hot Water is Not the Way to Go.
Do you use very hot water for brewing coffee? Well, then that’s the exact reason why your coffee tastes bitter. Too hot water can lead to making the coffee more bitter. So, make sure the water temperature is not more than 98 degrees Celsius.
Also, make a habit of letting the water sit for a few minutes. So that the temperature gets reduced before pouring grounds of coffee. As soon as you pour water over coffee grinds, stir it with a spoon rapidly. This will also help to improve the flavor.
Use Clean Brewing Appliance.
After using the equipment for brewing, you must rinse it well. The leftover grind will get inside your next cup of coffee. And that will affect the flavor making it taste too bitter. For drip coffee equipment, simply rinse it using hot water. The same goes for French press equipment. After rinsing, let it air dry for next day use.
Leftover Coffee Storing.
When you use French press brewing method, don’t let coffee sit for too long inside the equipment. This will make the coffee get bitter over time. Instead, store it inside a thermos. Also, try to avoid making extra coffee. Measuring the water for desired cups of coffee before making it is a better way than ending up with leftover that needs proper storing.
2. Adding Ingredient to Better the Taste.
Suppose you have already made a cup of coffee that tastes bitter. Now what? Well, here are a few ingredients that you can add and lessen the bitterness.
Go for a Dash of Salt.
To suppress the bitterness, you can add a dash of salt into your coffee. This will not only reduce the bitter taste but also enhance flavor. Because of the contents inside salt, the sodium tastes more distinct in coffee. And that literally tones down the bitterness.
You can also go for the same adding in freshly brewed coffee. This will also be effective for reducing the bitter taste. Usually table salt will work best here. Just make sure that you are adding a very small amount of salt. Or else extra salty flavor might end up doing the complete opposite and ruin entire flavor.
Cream or Milk will Help.
Another go-to way is adding some cream or milk into your bitter coffee to balance the taste. If you are someone who already loves cream and milk added coffee, then this should be perfect for you. The fat content that is present in milk or cream will play as a counteract element in your coffee. Hence the bitter taste will feel less noticeable.
However, if you only prefer black coffee, then add one spoonful of cream or milk. Then taste it and see if that will be drinkable for you. If you feel that the coffee still needs to lessen bitterness, add some more gradually.
Make It Sweet with Sugar.
If adding sugar is not absolutely against your regular likings, then simply do that. It’s the easiest and common thing to do for cutting down bitterness. You can use both white and brown sugar according to your preference. Also, if you are still concerned about additives, then cane sugar might be a better option. Usually, these come with fewer additives.
3. Be a Little Choosy in Picking Coffee Variety.
Now, this is where you can get whole thing right from the very beginning. And it’s obviously caring about the coffee variety you’ll buy. There’s a lot of difference in bitterness depending on the variety of coffee beans that you are using. So, an eye open here will help you never face the problem of bitter coffee later. Here’s The Notes That You Want to Remember.
Medium Roasted Coffee.
If you are using dark roasted coffee and complaining about the bitterness, then it makes very less sense. It is a known fact that dark roast coffees taste pretty bitter. And so, you should not be using that.
Go for medium roasted coffee instead. These are roasted for less time and at a lower temperature. So, there will be more acid content as well as a potent aroma. And of course, less bitterness.
Give Decaffeinated Coffee a Try.
Now the whole purpose the decaffeination process is to make less bitter tasting coffee beans. Some like the idea and others are absolutely against it. To be sure about your liking, try a cup of decaf coffee at your local coffee shop. And then maybe, you can get some beans for preparing at home to enjoy every morning.
Don’t Expect Much from Instant Coffee.
This busy era has made people love everything that saves time, money, and energy. And one such thing is instant coffee. Pouring some hot water in a cup and a few stirs will be enough to make this thing.
However, most of the time instant coffee will taste absolutely bland or too bitter. That’s pretty obvious since it uses very low-quality coffee beans along with preservatives and additives. And so, you should think about substituting it with real coffee.
Wrap Up
Now that you know almost three fruitful ways on how to make coffee less bitter, go and make a cup. This time it will taste much better and less bitter hopefully. Just make sure to play with the ideas you get today in this guide.
A Cup of Bliss in Morning Is Often Just Your Lovingly Hand Made Coffee.
