Some people make their morning java every day without ever realizing how much better it could taste if they were to avoid some common mistakes. For any method of making coffee, it is easy to mess it up if you don’t know what you’re doing. These are the top five coffee brewing mistakes made most often.
One of the worst things you can do, and something that most people are guilty of, is to skimp on the grounds. A certain proportion of grounds to water is necessary for a great cup, even for people who say they like their coffee weak. When water flows through the grounds, it extracts the desirable flavors first. When those are tapped, it continues to extract the more bitter components. Using more grounds avoids this problem by making sure that only the desirable flavors make it into the beverage.
Going the other way and using too many grounds can also make for a bad cup. The beverage will become way too highly concentrated and bury the flavor. A happy medium is around one heaping tablespoon for each cup brewed. A little experimentation can help you figure out your own personal flavor preference.
Another extremely common mistake is using grounds that are stale. Coffee grounds actually go stale within in a small amount of time. Exposure to light accelerates this process, so grounds should be stored in opaque containers. A cool, dry storage place is also important for keeping grounds fresh. Even if you store your grounds correctly, they will not stay fresh for long. It is best to purchase them more often, in smaller quantities, instead of holding on to a big container forever.
Leaving a freshly brewed pot on a burner or hot plate is another common mistake. Freshly brewed coffee goes stale after about 45 minutes, no matter if it is kept warm or not. Leaving it to sit on a hot plate is also likely to cause it to burn to the bottom, making it have a burned taste and causing a mess that will require scrubbing to clean.
Another common mistake is to overdo the additives. Milk, sugar, and other products can be a good complement to the flavor of a cup of java. If overdone, however, they will overpower that flavor.
These coffee brewing mistakes are easy to make, and most people do not even know that these are incorrect practices. With a few minor adjustments to your technique, however, you can begin making an exceptional brew. Avoiding the five problems outlined above will go a long way toward that goal.
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