I’m tired of coffee having a “sour” aspect. I want my coffee to taste like hot Haagen Daaz coffee ice cream, not coffee yogurt.
I’ve been using a french press for years, but I’m wondering if that might be the problem? I’m completely stumped by brands… I can’t afford to blow big bucks, but I’m now convinced that it isn’t necessary. I used some Yuban last week that came out perfect…but the next day it was icky and every day after that.
So, what are your best tips for the smoothest possible cup o’ joe, with no bitterness or sourness? (I also like it strong. Can’t stand peewater coffee…yech.)
Darker roasts will be bitter. Try some “medium” or “city” roast coffee. If you’ve been using Italian or French roast, the difference can be striking. As a side benefit, lighter roasts retain more caffeine.
How long are you letting the coffee brew in the press? Don’t go any longer than four minutes or you’ll be pulling the bitter stuff out of the beans. Try reducing it to three minutes.
Cold brew it. Mix 1/3 cup of coarse-ground coffee with 1.5 cups of water in a jar with a lid, let it sit for 12 hours. Strain it into another container with a coffee filter, mix with water in a 1-to-1 ratio, and keep it in the fridge. When you want hot coffee, pour a cup and stick it in the microwave.
My understanding is that it’s the heat from the standard hot-brewing processes (whether drip or perc or French press) that transfers the acids from the beans to the water (and therefore, the final product), and thus a cup of cold-brewed coffee is far less acidic. You still get good, strong coffee flavor, and without the acidity, the smoother and sweeter flavor qualities of the beans will shine through.
Alton Brown has said on his show that people commonly associate strong or “bitter” coffee with using too much coffee, but it actually is caused by people not using enough coffee. He says that if too little coffee is used, the grounds become saturated with water, and instead of dropping just the flavor, they start to extract the bitter acids out of the grounds as well. He recommends 2 tablespoons of grounds for every 6 ounce cup of coffee. These days of Starbucks and travel coffee cups, it seems most people drink coffee in 8 or 10oz servings at a time, and if you’re not familiar with measuring your grounds out, you’re going to be startled on how much coffee this method uses for say, an 8 cup pot of Joe.
BTW - AB also says that the French press is one of the best way to make the ultimate cup of coffee.
This is what I came in here to suggest. I use the same ratio as above, but I don’t dilute it with water afterward (I doctor my coffee with milk and flavored creamer, etc., each morning). I do it in big batches, though – I use 6 cups of water and 1-1/3 cups ground coffee. This way, it lasts me 4-5 days. You can adjust the strength to your liking.
Cold brewing sounds like JUST the ticket! I’ll give it a try!
And while we’re at it, is it possible to freshen beans that have gone stale? Can they be re-roasted? Man the nasty smell that comes off coffee that’s gone past it’s prime is a bummer. (And I have such a sensitive palate and schnozz that I consider it past prime pretty fast)
I find certain coffee is just sour. I think Dunkin’ Donuts is terribly sour, even freshly ground, and no matter how much you use. Look for coffee marked “low acid.” Trader Joe’s low-acid French Roast is a good choice. I find in general French Roast is less likely to taste acidic.
Adding a tiny amount of salt to shitty coffee is supposed to magically cut away a lot of the acidity/sourness. Supposedly has no real effect on really good coffee though.
I’ve heard adding egg shells is supposed to help (you add them to the ground coffee in the filter in case that isn’t obvious). My limited experiments didn’t seem to produce great results but I will toss it in here. Maybe I just wasn’t doing it right. Some discussion of the subject here:
Unfortunately I found out the higher the price the less bitter and / or sour it is.
When I worked for a major hotel chain, we had some coffee vendors come in and we did blind taste tests, the coffees that started at $30/lb and up were unbelievable and drinkable without sugar or milk. But who wants to pay that much.
Basically if you use cream and/or sugar, don’t worry about cost, 'cause those will pretty much dilute the coffee. So just adjust the sugar or milk content using artifical sweetners or other kinds of creame.
Chances are if you want your coffee to taste like Haagen Daaz coffee ice cream (and who in their right mind wouldn’t :)) just work with the additions
Are you talking about whole bean, or ground coffee? If, by chance, you were talking about ground coffee, it’s only good for about a week after being ground. Grind whatever you’ll use that day, and no more.
I tried cold-brewing coffee one time and found it absolutely terrible. It tastes pretty much exactly like what you would expect if you brewed Folgers and let it sit in the fridge for a week before drinking it. It was less acidic, so perhaps that’s good? I found it tasting rotten. A coworker loved it, but she’s a fan of week old Folgers too, so there you go.
The problem I have with measuring out so much coffee is that the filter basket will become backed up (as the water cannot drain fast enough through so much coffee), and it overflows, making a mess.
Same here, even in winter, for the last couple of years now. My husband works at Starbucks*, so he drinks hot coffee drinks at work, but at home it’s all cold-brewed. He likes his a lot stronger than I do, though!
*this is very convenient for our coffee habit, because he gets a pound of coffee free every week!
The flavor profile that I like is round, nutty, and mellow, if that makes any sense. I bought a bag of preground at DD and it was amazing. Exactly what I was looking for. Then I bought three separate types at TJ’s and none of them had the flavor I wanted. I was sorely disappointed. The other day I went back to DD, and bought a bagfull of bitter.
These are all decaf, but I’ve tried a number of caf types from both places and found them to be disappointing as well.