For some reason I have never understood, it seems that some people can make coffee and others cannot. I fall into the latter category, which is unfortunate since I take my coffee very seriously.
I am therefore trying to re-educate myself on this matter, and learn to make the world’s finest cup of coffee. Since I figure there are other coffee junkies among the TM, I thought they could critique my process. (I should note that this does produce a quality cup of coffee, but it could always be better.)
Equipment: Mr. Coffee reservoir-type coffee maker (the kind that keeps the water hot)
Starting with everything clean, I fill the pot to the six cup mark (six 5 oz. cups, that is, making 30 oz.) with water from the Brita pitcher. I pour this into the machine, and then replace the pot. I turn the pot warmer on (it does that separately) to let the pot pre-heat.
I then place five scoops of beans (one scoop per 6 oz. cup, it says, despite the fact that every coffee maker I’ve ever seen is marked in 5 oz. cups) into the grinder, and grind for twelve seconds. I place the ground coffee into the unbleached filter, replace this apparatus on the machine, and let 'er rip.
This usually renders a good cup of coffee, although sometimes it’s overly bitter. Does anyone see any improvements I can make?
Also, does anyone know how to go about cleaning a reservoir-type coffee maker like this? It would be difficult to run vinegar through it like you do a regular coffee maker.
Check to see if the sprayhead comes off and if it does you can get a deliming spring which descales the inside of your machine.
As far as the bitter coffee goes have you tried adding a very small amount of salt or cinamin to your grounds before you brew your coffee? I’ve been told by some customers that that works. Also make sure that you discard your grounds immediately after the coffee is done brewing, if you leave the grounds then sometimes it will drip and make your coffee bitter.
Wow, after all my years in the coffee business my knowledge has come in useful!!
If I’m only making six or fewer cups, rather than 8 - 10, I let the coffee steep for a bit. You need to have one of those “drip stopper” ones that let you get a cup while it’s still brewing. Run it for a bit, then pull the pot out, and run it a bit longer, then turn off the power. After a few minutes, put the pot back in, and turn it back on.
You could also experiment with different coffee (I like Starbucks, but it’s apparently not to everyone’s taste.)
I’m not sure how much coffee I use per cup.
Other than that, maybe what you’re missing is the chlorine from the water, and the bleach from the filters.
I tried a little salt in coffee (“Navy coffee”, it was called). Just a pinch in the pot. Not bad. I’ve heard eggshells do the same thing. But I don’t seem to notice bitterness anyway.
I grind up French Roast (Trader Joe’s has good French Roast) and put it into the espresso machine (about 2 scoops). Fill the machine with water up to the top. This yields one 14 ounce cup of espresso. Add one tsp. sugar.
My coffee maker is very different from yours (a Proctor Silex drip – no reservoir), but FWIW, here’s how I make my coffee, and it always tastes pretty good to me.
We keep our Brita pitcher in the fridge, so the water is always cold (you didn’t mention if the water is cold, but I’ve read that cold water is best). I fill the carafe to the 8 cup mark. It’s a replacement carafe, and I don’t know the size of the cups they’re referring to, but I’ve learned that this makes 3 mugs of coffee, which is what I want.
I then put six tablespoons of whole beans (2 per mug) in the ol’ Krups grinder and grind for about a long 6 count. Any less and I sometimes find unground beans in the filter after the coffee’s done. Any more and I’m afraid I’m going to burn the ground coffee. This may be part of what makes your coffee bitter. Twelve seconds is a lot of grinding, and the friction may be burning the grounds. I also keep my beans in the freezer. Dunno if that helps, but I figure less air gets to the beans, and freezing has always been a decent preservative.
This usually does the trick for me. My coffee is never bitter. I assume you’re using a high quality bean. Dunkin’ Donuts is my choice.
The Dave-Guy
“since my daughter’s only half-Jewish, can she go in up to her knees?” J.H. Marx
Folgers was the top rated coffee for taste & price.
If your coffeemaker steams when you make coffee, it means it needs cleaning. Just pour in some vinegar & run it thru as if you were making coffee, then run some clean water thru.
One OCD guy had a 36 step process for each cup of coffee he made. Unbelieveable but true.
You use a coffee maker?? No wonder it’s not good coffee…
The Correct Way To Make Coffee…
equipment:
One filter cone
One package of paper filters
One kettle of filtered(Brita works fine) water
One (coffee) pot.
One Coffee grinder
One package coffee beans(whatever blend you like. Colombian with a touch of expresso is my favorite)
(optional)One tablespoon of baking cocoa
::::::
Method.
Bring water to a near-boil(just before it begins to boil)
Place filter in cone, place on top of coffee pot.
Grind coffee beans(approx. 1 tablespoon per 6 oz of water used) for(depending on the grinder) 15-30 seconds until it is rather grainy, approximately the consistency of sand.
(optional) Stir in Cocoa.
Place coffee in filter(that is in cone)
Pour water through cone.
Serve warm, with sugar if desired.
Of course if you happen to have an expresso machine, then it’s an entirely different story…
Do NOT use cheap coffee filters! You didn’t mention your brand, but store brand coffee filters will always give you a crappy bitter cup of coffee.
Melitta (tm, r, etc) filters, on the other hand, trap those nasty bitter oils and make the coffee taste much better - I can actually taste the difference if I skimp and buy cheapo filters. I can get Melitta filters in the grocery store as well.
A lot depends on the quality of your coffee maker and the quality of your coffee. If you use an automatic machine, make sure it has a cone-type filter, not a basket-type one. The cone ones make WAY better coffee.
Also, get the freshest, best quality beans you can. I usually buy from a coffee house. I can buy from the grocery store, but the beans are usually old, and they tend to be more bitter.
If you have problems with bitterness, it’s pretty much because you’re using old bean or low quality coffee. Forget all these additives (eggshells, cinnamon, etc) - get some GOOD COFFEE and it won’t be bitter, no matter how strong you make it.
Also, it’s usually hard to make high quality coffee when you’re trying to make half a pot. I can do it with my machine, but the proportions are a little different. Try getting it right when you’re making a full pot, then experiment with half a pot (if that’s what you want…)
In my area filtering the water is not enough. I use Reverse-Osmosis treated water from a “Glacier” machine, 25 cents a gallon. The longer the water and the coffee are in contact the more the bitter flavors develop, for a great cup of coffee you should use an espresso machine or a “bistro”, plunger-style coffee maker. Good beans are a given.
