Did you know that coffee is the number one source of antioxidants in the American diet? It’s these free radical fighters that may explain why drinking coffee is linked with a lower risk of some health problems, including liver disease, type 2 diabetes, and Parkinson’s disease. Plus, observational studies even link coffee consumption with greater longevity. But to get the benefits, you need to enjoy sipping a cup of coffee. And you might not want to drink it if your cup of Joe is bitter.
Bitter coffee is a widespread problem that most home coffee makers will wrestle with at one time or another. Even coffee shops can deliver a bitter cup of coffee. Don’t let bad tasting coffee ruin your morning, so you can enjoy its potential health benefits. Here are seven tips to keep your coffee cup free of bitterness.
Switch to Arabica Beans
The coffee beans used to make less expensive coffee are robusta beans. When you make a cup of coffee from robusta, it has a lower quality, often bitter taste. Arabica beans grow at a higher altitude and growers harvest them when they’re thoroughly ripe, leading to a better-tasting cup of coffee with less bitterness. The downside is they’re more expensive than robusta beans, but if you love a tasty cup of coffee, the extra expense may be worth it.
Grind Your Own Coffee Beans
Freshly ground coffee naturally has more flavor and less bitterness. It’s convenient to buy pre-ground coffee, but you’ll sacrifice flavor by buying it already ground. A coffee grinder is an excellent investment if you drink coffee daily, especially when you compare it to the cost of coffee from a coffee shop.
When you grind coffee, pay attention to the size. A courser grind will extract less and be less bitter. However, balance this with the possibility that less extraction means a weaker cup of coffee. Here are guidelines to help you get the most flavor and least bitterness:
- French Press: Coarse grind
- Drip Coffee Makers: Medium grind.
- Espresso Machines: Fine grind
- Pour Over: Medium to medium-fine grind.
- AeroPress: Medium to fine grind, depending on brew time.
Also, grind your coffee beans right before preparing your cup of coffee. Freshly ground beans have a richer flavor and less bitterness.
Choose a Lighter Roast
Dark roast coffee is more acidic, and roasters roast the beans longer to turn them a black, almost burnt color. The longer roasting time brings out more bitter flavors than you get from a lighter roast coffee. Some people enjoy the stronger taste of dark roast, but you will find that a lighter roast has a sweeter, less bitter flavor. Light roast, on the other hand, may contain more caffeine, so you feel more jittery if you drink the same amount.
Don’t Use Water That’s Too Hot
If you’re boiling the water, it’s too hot for preparing tasty coffee. As soon as the heat hits the coffee bean, it releases bitter flavors that detract from the flavor of your coffee. The optimal water temperature is between 195 degrees F. and 200 degrees F. If the water is over 200 degrees F., it’s too hot, and you’ll notice bitter tones that make your morning cup of coffee less pleasant.
Try Cold Brew Coffee
If you like iced coffee, but find it bitter, switch to cold brew. You can buy cold brew pre-bottled in many grocery stores or make it at home. To make your own, start with coarsely ground coffee. Add the ground coffee to a large glass pitcher and add water in a ratio of one part coffee to seven parts water. Let the mixture steep for 12 to 24 hours. Then strain the coffee ground and you’re left with cold brew coffee. Because the coffee is extracted slowly and you’re using a coarse grind, cold brew has a smoother taste with less bitterness and acidity. If you have acid reflux or indigestion when you drink coffee, you may tolerate cold brew better, since it’s less acidic.
Stick to Drip or Pour Over Coffee
You might like the idea of drinking espresso, but it tends to be more bitter than drip or pour over coffee. Espresso from a coffee shop usually tastes better. That’s because they have expensive, high-pressure machines. Most home espresso machines can’t generate enough pressure to produce a non-bitter shot of espresso.
Dress Up Your Coffee
Sometimes you can salvage a bitter cup of coffee with a little sweetener, dairy or non-dairy milk. In fact, many people find coffee bitter without adding these components. Adding a pinch of cinnamon helps too. Plus, a little cinnamon in your coffee may help with blood sugar control, based on studies. Some people use Stevia as a sweetener, but don’t add Stevia to a bitter cup of coffee. Stevia leaves a slight bitter aftertaste anyway.
Here’s another tip. Add a small pinch of salt to your next cup of bitter coffee and stir. When you add salt to coffee, it stimulates different taste receptors on your tongue, and it masks the bitter tones in coffee.
Do a Thorough Clean-Up
Give your coffee apparatus (all of it) a thorough cleaning after every use. Leftover coffee residue will give your cup of coffee a bitter taste that takes the joy out of drinking it. There’s nothing more frustrating than ruining a decent cup of coffee because your apparatus is dirty. So, take a few moments to clean in preparation for your next cup. Guarantee it will be worth it!
The Bottom Line
Hopefully, you won’t have to suffer with a bitter cup of coffee now that you have these tips for creating a taste worthy cup of coffee. Enjoy your morning brew!
References:
- Illy, A., & Viani, R. (2005). Espresso coffee: the science of quality. Academic Press.
- Cordoba, N., et al. (2019). Coffee extraction kinetics in a well-mixed system. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 67(9), 2610-2619.
- Rao, N. Z., & Fuller, M. (2018). Acidity and antioxidant activity of cold brew coffee. Scientific Reports, 8(1), 1-9.
- Kirkham, S., et al. (2009). The potential of cinnamon to reduce blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, 11(12), 1100-1113.
- Ross, G. W., Abbott, R. D., Petrovitch, H., Morens, D. M., Grandinetti, A., Tung, K. H., … & White, L. R. (2000). Association of coffee and caffeine intake with the risk of Parkinson disease. JAMA, 283(20), 2674-2679.
- Poole, R., Kennedy, O. J., Roderick, P., Fallowfield, J. A., Hayes, P. C., & Parkes, J. (2017). Coffee consumption and health: umbrella review of meta-analyses of multiple health outcomes. BMJ, 359, j5024.
- Saab, S., Mallam, D., Cox, G. A., & Tong, M. J. (2014). Impact of coffee on liver diseases: a systematic review. Liver International, 34(4), 495-504.
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