Why Does My Coffee Taste Sour?
Coffee is delicious to many people. For most it’s an enjoyable morning start, a pick me up when they’re feeling down.
Unfortunately for many people, though, their morning coffee is often filled with sour coffee. Why does my coffee taste sour?
There are many possible reasons for sour coffee, which includes improper brewing methods, too much water, bad coffee beans, under-hydration, too coarse grounds, and unwanted acidity.
In order to completely answer the age-old question, what makes coffee taste bitter, I’ll take a closer look at each of the possible contributing factors, explain how they work together, and offer some tips on how to ensure you never brew a second sour coffee beverage again.
This article will explore the common culprits and offer simple tips to neutralize those factors, leaving you with a wonderful cup of coffee.
Coffee begins with light roasts, which are considered the foundation of all coffee.
These light roasts are more acidic than dark roasts and result in a fuller flavor and slightly more tartness.
Coffee drinkers know they’re getting a full bodied cup of joe with less acidity when they pay attention to the flavor of the light roast.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t last very long, which means people who crave that sour flavor must keep drinking it on a regular basis.
Another problem is extraction. Water content in a coffee cup may not be as much as you’d like, which means sometimes the water may not be dissolved enough to prevent an acidic brew.
If you’re having issues with extraction, try adjusting your brewing time to shorter and lighter roasts, or you can always pour a small amount of water in the pot before you start brewing to help get the extraction up to par.
Water temperature is also a factor in whether or not the coffee will taste good. When coffee is roasted at a particular temperature, it can result in an altered state of water, one where it becomes crisp and dry and sometimes has a slight metallic taste.
The reason this happens is because water at that temperature tends to evaporate faster. If you want a cup of joe that won’t have that bitter aftertaste, try warming the water temperature by adding some water to the cup or rolling in a towel to bring about a slight increase in water temperature.
Sometimes coffee tastes burnt when you brew it at a higher grind. The culprit could be either too little or too much roasting.
If you over-roast the beans, you may notice that they don’t produce as much aroma and taste as they would if you ground them properly.
To combat this, try adjusting your settings to a medium level grind. You should also try allowing for a smaller amount of brewing time because it can result in burnt tasting espresso. This isn’t a big issue most of the time, but it’s something to take into consideration.
If you’re still not sure why does my coffee taste sour, it’s likely because the coffee was not extracted correctly during the brewing process.
For example, if you pour in too much hot water or apply too much force while stirring the mixture, you can end up with too much sediments in the mixture and not enough oils.
This is because the sediments are usually caused by too much foaming from the hot liquid or too much time spent in the stirring process.
Some experts believe that overly acidic ingredients contribute to this problem, so it’s a good idea to keep your acidity levels down while you’re brewing.
The problem with most commercial blends is that they are usually brewed under the pressure set by manufacturers.
If you’re using the right amount of water and making the coffee the right way, then you should be fine.
However, sometimes even professional coffee makers make mistakes that cause a coffee beverage to taste bitter. To combat this, look for a commercial maker that offers an under-foaming feature and a water ratio that is just right.