Why does my coffee taste so bitter all of a sudden?!
Thanks for your input.
Answers: I have tried different measurements of water and coffee, but my coffee keeps tasting horrible and it seemed to happen from one brew to the next - although there was a few weeks in between. Is my Mr. Coffee machine to blame? I use Dunkin Donuts, or Christopher Bean brand, but am still looking for my favorite. What is your favorite brand and brewing method. I like a lite to medium roast and would love to make a good pot at home for a change.
Thanks for your input.
1. Make sure your water is COLD when you pour it into the coffeemaker.
2. Use unbleached paper filters, not nylon or metal.
3. Use a coffeemaker that has a cone-shaped filter. (Mr coffee is called a "basket" filter....flat on the bottom). The cone shape ensures complete contact with the coffee grounds.
I love dunkin donuts blend. It shouldn't taste bad.
I would recommend using distilled water for a while. Maybe your tap water isn't quite right lately.
The reason it may be so bitter is b/c of the brand of coffee beans you are using...
Dunkin Donuts is terrible...its terrible b/c it has a lot of "bitters" in it...which are coffee beans that have been over roasted or under roasted....when you open a bag of beans you can usually pick them out...they are usually a light color (under roasted) or black (over roasted)...but do you really want to go through you entire bag of beans to pick out bitters...?
Test Kitchen did a show on this and i can't remember what they said the top brands of coffee beans were, but i do know that dunkin donuts got dead last b/c of the amount of bitters
I have heard it said that if you sprinkle a little salt {not much, just a touch} in with the grounds while it's being brewed, it will de-bitterize the acid content in the coffee
Was it sealed in an airtight container?
Coffee exposed to too much air and light can go bitter rather fast, if preground.
First thing to do is clean your coffee maker, people don't realize that this is necessary. Pick up a coffee maker cleaner or us something like CLR deluded in lots of water.
Next, if the occasional coffee is bitter the trick to fixing it is a pinch of salt. By pinch I mean just a few grains. The sodium reacts with the acids in the coffee and removes the bitter taste.
Are you brushing your teeth right before you drink it? That could be the cause. If not you can clean your coffee maker with white vinegar and water. Run it through a few times then run clear water tho a few times.
Oils are built up in your maker. Clean with vinegar and water. Run water through at least 3 times after the vinegar.
Are you developing a cold? I find my favourite coffee tastes awful if I am starting to become ill. the infection must affect either the nasal passages or the taste glands as the smell of food in the mouth is the major factor in how you perceive the taste.
I wonder the same - I hadn't heard of the salt trick, I'll try that.
However I was a big coffee snob, having lived in Seattle for years. I tried Dunkin's coffee when I moved to New England - HATED it.. I was a big Starbucks fan. However, in the last couple of months my taste has changed. I don't know if it's an age thing or some sort chemical change in my body - but I can no longer stand Starbucks coffee. I actually prefer DD coffee - oh the irony? I've gone so far as to buy Starbucks at the retail stores to make sure it's not my coffee maker - it tastes equally bad as what I've been making at home recently. Must be me?
I know all the tricks to clean a coffee maker - the issue is lime build up from hard water on the heating element. Vinegar and water supposedly removes it. Never saw a big difference myself.
I also have a Bodum Santos vacuum coffee maker (told you I was a snob) that makes a great cup of coffee on the weekend. To truely test your coffee maker theory, get one of those (about $40) or get a Melitta manual coffee maker (~$10). These require you to boil the water on the stove, taking the coffee maker concerns out of the equation. I've tried these with Starbucks recently too, still hated it. It must be me?
No tap water
do the vinager trick
keep your coffe out of sunlight when in storage
do not freeze your coffe...ever!
Your taste buds could be changing but I really do think that is the case.
The salt trick works but i try to keep it out of my brewer.
Good luck