It really does cut down on the bitterness, neat.
It’s supposed to be bitter
It was nice though would recommend.
Try monosodium glutamate
Like life.
It doesn’t magically remove the bitterness. It cuts it down a little. Perhaps by enhancing the other flavors?
It’s a good trick for work/bad coffee, where the alternative is no coffee at all.
I love bad coffee
Salt alters the perception of other flavors, reducing bitter/sour and increasing sweet/savory. You only need a lil pinch though, and only in darker roasts or badly made coffee like you said, because roasting/overextraction/staleness are what create the bitter compounds in the first place.
Danke schön.
I don’t use it for my good, lightly roasted, freshly ground beans that I percolate on my moka pot at home, and now it makes sense why.
Back when i had time to actually brew coffee i would add small amounts of smoke salt, cardamom, cocoa powder, and turmeric. Call me a heretic but i will never apologize for how good it was.
Spiced coffee sounds good
You could try drinking specialty coffee with a light roast. It actually tastes good instead of bad.
Disclaimer: this costs more, so you’ll have to drink it less often or spend more.
the cost isn’t too bad if you roast it yourself, green coffee can be had for around $5 per pound, but you’d have to invest in a roaster, a good air roaster is about $200, and then learning to roast, which is pretty easy to be honest
Yeah, I’ve always wondered what commodity green coffee could taste like if it wasn’t roasted to death like the mass produced stuff.
I really should invest in a roasting setup because I would have a lot of fun learning to roast.
A Behmor roaster can be had for a couple hundred. Keep your place well ventilated and avoid the naturally processed coffees if you can, as personal roasters tend not to dispose of chaff particularly well. I’m spoiled in having several specialty roasters in my town, so I find it pretty easy to get my hands on a solid medium or light roast. Feel free to come to me for coffee questions. I’m no James Hoffman, but I know a lot more than most people.
I roast my coffee in a wok with a wooden spoon, then shake it outside in a strainer. If you just wanna taste it, it doesn’t have to be expensive. It will be better with an actual roaster, but the jump in quality is worth it even with just a basic pan. You need a hood or some good ventilation though fyi, it smokes.
I should have tried it with a wok instead of a cast iron pan, it was difficult to keep it moving. I’ve heard using a metal colander with a heat gun works well too.
If you buy whole bean, see if you can have a coffee shop grind it for you, they will have better grinders = less bitter cups out of the same beans
the types and amount of minerals dissolved in the water for making coffee can make quite a difference in how it tastes. you can even brew with distilled water and add the minerals afterwards to compare. if you want to experiment further you should try with tiny amounts baking soda, epsom salt, or both.
This is a risky tip, but if you want to cut acidity without having to add a milk or creamer, you can add a pinch of baking soda too. Why it’s risky: if you add too much, and it’s too easy to do this, it tastes like soap.
Or just cold brew instead of hot brew
I second the baking soda hack. It’s especially useful for preventing milk from curdling in the coffee due to excess heat and acidity (I use soy milk which is especially susceptible)
A couple shakes of cinnamon works well. I do a combo of light roast + cinnamon + coconut milk powder which comes out lovely.
I just feel like you’re better of brewing it more precisely in the first place. Granted, I work in the biz.
I’ve been making cold brew lately to cut down on bitterness. It works great.
I tried this and you’re right it does cut the bitterness, but also cuts the flavor and makes it taste disgusting. Oh well!
Back to cold brew tomorrow for me.
if you enjoy spice, adding some red pepper flakes (like 1/2 tsp at most for a full cup) adds some depth to the flavor without being overpowering.
Or go ham and add a few drops of a good hot sauce, but I’ve had really mixed results with that. Am yet to figure out why.
yeah okay but now i have salty coffee.
How much did you add?
A pinch like hexbear said
Literally just tried it with a lengthened espresso and it’s immediately noticeable!
Edit: the undissolved salt did kinda sink to the bottom leaving a pretty unpleasant last mouthful. Shoulda stirred it in rather than just vaguely spinning the glass mb otherwise it’s very drinkable. Overall I felt it kinda flattens the flavours. If you like the bracing bitterness like me though then yeah you’ll feel that something’s missing. Will keep the tech up my sleeve though.
Yeah, it’s gotta be a very tiny pinch for short espresso. Like 5 grains or so.
What the heel is a lengthened espresso?
Just adding a splash of hot water to make it ‘longer’ (diluted, more volume). For reference, where I live an espresso is a short black and an Americano is a long black.
yeah! I’ve done that once or twice when I had some that turned out too bitter but I didn’t want to waste it. You gotta use a tiny amount to have it not taste salty but it works!
most days I just brew light roasts though so hard for it to come out properly bitter
I diy salted caramel mix (like whatever water, sugar and salt costs vs 6 dollars) and add that to coffee instead of just sugar, I’d recommend for cappucinos once in a while.
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