Everyone has their own coffee brewing quirks, but no matter how innocent our coffee-making habits might seem, there are frequent mistakes we’re all guilty of making that stop our brew tasting as fantastic as it should.
Here, we share the five most frequent coffee brewing catastrophes, and how you can avoid them:
Using boiling water – Boiling water actually burns the coffee grounds and ruins the taste. Coffee is best when the water is 94°C, so if you just leave the kettle for a minute after it boils you’ll save your coffee grounds, and your brew.
Using a blade grinder – Blade grinders are evil. They blend the coffee into different sizes, so you don’t get any consistency. This means some grounds will be become bitter and over-extracted while at the same time others will be sour and under-extracted. Always use a burr grinder or buy pre-ground coffee (although it’s much better to grind fresh).
Putting coffee in the fridge/freezer – This is pretty much a crime in the world of coffee as these places introduce moisture, which is bad. Be sure to store coffee in a cool, dry place – out of direct light and away from air.
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Storing ground coffee in a clear jar – This may seem strange, but the light that hits the coffee in a clear jar ruins the taste – same as storing spices – and also air makes the smell and taste fade much sooner.
Over extracting Cafetiere coffee – You should brew cafetiere coffee for 4 mins and then serve immediately. If you leave it sitting there for longer, it will become bitter and nasty.
Need more brewing advice? Take a look at our Brew Guide