Meet Stan. He lives in California and is a massive coffee lover. Fun fact: he is one of over a billion caffeine lovers around the world. Coming back to Stan, he wakes up one morning with his eyes shut, making his way to the kitchen to fuel himself for the day by brewing coffee. After making a (supposedly) masterpiece, he takes a sip of it and immediately spits it out.
What happened? Why did he do that? Well, he might have made one of the common mistakes that coffee lovers might make in a hurry to consume their favorite beverage.
Let’s look at the 5 common mistakes that Stan might have made and what he could have done differently.
-
Forgetting to Weigh The Coffee
Eyeballing the coffee measurement is like grabbing a bow and arrow with a blindfold on, trying to hit the bullseye. What are the chances that you’ll hit the target? Yes, very little. So, how can you expect the coffee to turn out the way you want it to? If you do that, especially with flavored coffee beans, you’ll either get an extremely sweet or bitter taste, neither of which will satisfy your taste buds.
You could invest in a small kitchen scale, as even a slight difference in grams can significantly change the taste of the brew. But even after getting a scale, you’d need to know how much coffee to pour. That’s where you can keep the golden ratio in mind: 1–2 tablespoons of coffee per 6 ounces of water, or roughly 15 grams per 250 ml.
-
Opting for an Incorrect Grinding Method
Even if the amount of water used was accurate, the problem might be with the grinding method. The grind needs to be just perfect; not too fine and not too coarse. This might be the difference between brewing a weak, watery, and bitter coffee or a masterpiece that you’d be looking for.
There’s no “right” grinding method for coffee, as it depends on personal preferences. As a rule of thumb, here are the grinding methods for different brews.
Let’s look at some of the common blends and the right grinding methods for them.
|
Coffee Blend |
Recommended Grind Size |
Reason/Explanation |
|
Medium (drip/pour-over), Coarse (French Press) |
Medium grind highlights balanced flavor in drip/pour-over; coarse grind in French Press adds body without over-extraction. |
|
|
Coarse (French Press), Fine (Espresso/Moka) |
Dark, oily beans extract well with immersion or pressure; coarse for smooth body, fine for strong, smoky flavor. |
|
|
Medium |
Delicate flavor preserved with medium grind; avoids under- or over-extraction. |
|
|
Medium-Fine (pour-over/Chemex), Fine (AeroPress) |
Light/medium roast needs precision: a medium-fine grind extracts fruity and floral notes without bitterness; a fine grind for a short AeroPress brew. |
|
|
Fine (Espresso/Moka), Coarse (French Press) |
Strong extraction needed to bring out caramelized sugars; coarse for immersion, fine for pressure methods to avoid harsh bitterness. |
A professional suggestion would be to choose a separate grinder for different flavored beans, as this can avoid leftover coffee oil contaminating and impacting other coffees.
-
Not Measuring the Water Temperature
When you wake up early and are half asleep, you probably won’t check how warm the water was. There’s a high chance that the water is too hot, and it burned the coffee, leading to an undesirable taste. And guess what? This isn’t just with warm coffee; even water that’s too cold (when making cold coffee) won’t extract enough, resulting in a weak, lifeless cup. Not what you’d be expecting when ordering a pack of your favorite organic flavored coffee beans.
You can keep the coffee hot between 195°F and 205°F for the perfect start to the day. Another recommended tip from the expert is to boil the water and wait about 30 seconds before brewing. This can give coffee enthusiasts a more desirable taste.
-
Using Low Quality or Stale Flavored Beans
The coffee beans you bought a long time ago might have gone stale. This makes the coffee taste flat and unenjoyable. Even if you bought a pack of coffee beans yesterday, you should check the roast date. Another reason the beans might go stale is incorrect storage, which allows moisture and air to affect their quality negatively.
To avoid such situations, you can do several things. Firstly, you can buy high-quality coffee beans from a reputable company like Coffee Creations to get the desired experience. Once you have these beans in hand, invest in an airtight container and keep them away from light, heat, and moisture. Another tip is to buy the coffee beans in small batches to brew them at their finest state.
-
Neglecting Your Coffee Gear
Surely, waking up early in the morning, you might not have seen the equipment you were using. It’s highly likely the equipment being used for hazelnut-flavored coffee beans in the morning was used last night with Mexican chocolate coffee beans. And since the equipment has not been washed, that might have resulted in a fusion of chocolate and hazelnut.
To ensure the residue from one flavor doesn’t affect the other, use a clean coffee maker, grinder, and all other equipment needed for the brew. Using water and white vinegar can help thoroughly clean the required equipment, ensuring the residue doesn’t impact the next brew. One more thing you can do is use different equipment for various-flavored coffee beans, to ensure the next brew isn’t affected.
The Final Word
Flavored coffee doesn’t have to be complicated or disappointing. Once you understand how flavor oils behave, you can craft a cup that’s aromatic, balanced, and delicious. Most importantly, avoid the experience Stan had and start your morning the right way.
