6 Coffee Brewing Mistakes You Don’t Know You’re Making

by John Griffith
Advertisement

Coffee is a blessing when you are feeling groggy in the morning. The flavorful aroma, rich taste and amazing caffeine boost all make coffee a great treat. What more can you want after rolling out of bed? However, there is nothing more disappointing than taking that first sip expecting your taste buds to rejoice and for it to fall flat. But what happened? Why is your coffee weak, sludgy, and unsatisfying? There are many things that could have gone wrong in the process that has left you with a yucky cup of coffee. On the bright side, all are easily fixable. Today we will show you some common coffee brewing mistakes that you may be unknowingly making resulting in disappointing coffee.

Coffee is a blessing when you are feeling groggy in the morning

coffee brewing mistakes three stages of coffee

Common Coffee Brewing Mistakes

Grab a cup of coffee from your favorite coffee shop can be one of the best parts of the day. However, sometimes we don’t have the time to go out for coffee. This means it’s on you to make your perfect cup of Joe. However, to ensure you have a satisfying, barista-level java you need to avoid making these common brewing mistakes.

It’s on you to make your perfect cup of Joe

cup of black coffee

#Using old beans

Stale beans are not it. Old coffee beans oxidize and start to lose all their aromatic compounds. This kind of defeats the purpose of drinking coffee. Beans that are roasted withing the last three weeks are great. They will make cups of coffee you will enjoy thoroughly. However, coffee made from old beans will taste stale.

Old coffee beans oxidize and start to lose all their aromatic compounds

coffee brewing mistakes coffee beans

#Poor quality water

Coffee is made primarily from water. This means that it is a prime component in your process. If you are using funky tasting water, your coffee will also take on that taste. Not only that but bad quality water can also mess with your machines. So, try to use water that is neutral and filtered when making coffee.

Coffee is made primarily from water

steaming cup of coffee

#Using pre-grinded beans

Pre-grinding your beans and storing them away in a container until you need them again is a sure way to have bland tasting coffee. Over time the ground beans get compromised and lose their flavor and aroma. That’s why it’s recommended to forget about pre-packaged bags of ground coffee and start grinding your beans fresh. While it may seem like a hassle, there are machines that do this for you. Coffee grounds start to lose their flavor around two minutes after being ground, keep that in mind.

Over time the ground beans get compromised

coffee brewing mistakes making coffee with filter

#Dirty coffee maker

A dirty coffee machine will not make good coffee. You need to make sure you are throwing away your used filters as well as used coffee grounds. Your coffee machine will also benefit from a good scrub from time to time as coffee oil has the tendency to stay in the coffee pot and taste rancid. This means your coffee will also taste rancid.

A dirty coffee machine will not make good coffee

coffee machine making coffee

#Wrong water temperature

Water temperature can really mess with how your coffee turns out. In order to brew coffee that is favorable you need your water to be around 202 F°. Of course, it can be a few degrees cooler or warmer. However, if your water temperature is too low, this means your coffee will taste sour as it will be under-extracted. Whereas if your temperature is too high the coffee will taste bitter as it will be over-extracted. Most good-quality machines will already be programmed to do extract your coffee at the prefect temperature.

Water temperature can really mess with how your coffee turns out

coffee beans

#Using the wrong cup

Your coffee mug may be the reason your coffee isn’t tasting its best. In order for your coffee experience to be pleasant, it’s best to use a thick-walled mug as it will keep the coffee nice and warm for longer. Not only that but you need to use a cup that is sturdy and comfortable for you to use. This will ensure no coffee is spilled, no cup slips, and that you have plenty of time to enjoy your drink warm.

It’s best to use a thick-walled mug

coffee in two cups

These are some common coffee brewing mistakes you may be unknowingly making. We hope you found this article useful. Now you can make a few simple tweaks and enjoy amazing coffee every day!

These are some common coffee brewing mistakes you may be unknowingly making

coffee brewing mistakes coffee art

Related Articles

John Griffith

John Griffith is a young, passionate journalist. Writing has been John’s hobby ever since he was a boy. He has worked in some of the UK’s most successful news portals over the course of his professional career but found his forever home at Archzine.