Many coffee enthusiasts prefer professional cafe-made coffee over the one made at home, simply because the homemade ones don’t taste like the former. Your homemade coffee not being up to your satisfaction might be because of some common mistake that most of us make while brewing our coffee. So, to help you identify those mistakes and help you get as close to that perfectly brewed, a professional cup of coffee, here are our top 6 well-read guesses on what you must be doing wrong!
6 Common Coffee Brewing Mistakes to Steer Clear Of!
1. Keeping your coffee pre-grinded
The shelf-life of pre-grounded coffee is around one week which is way less than that of coffee beans. Once broken down into granules it gets exposed to air and moisture, as a result getting stale and losing its flavor. Thus, it’s important to ensure that you grind it fresh every time you make coffee. Investing in a good coffee grinder can solve this issue easily.
Read Also: How To Keep Coffee Beans Stay Fresh And Last Longer ?
2. Using the Wrong Grind Size
Coffee making isn’t something you want to apply the one-size-fits-all logic to. For every brewing method, there’s a grind size that will give the best results in terms of flavor extraction. Picking the grind size according to your brewing method will negate the chances of over or under extraction and give you the perfect brew that you are opting for.
3. Using Freshly Boiled Water
One very common blunder that most of us do while home-brewing our coffees is, pouring freshly boiled water into it. The boiling high temperature causes the flavors to be extracted too quickly, giving a very bitter brew as a result. Similarly, adding water that has a sub-optimal temperature will result in under-extraction. Therefore, it’s best to let the boiled water sit for 1- 2 minutes so that it reaches the optimal 90-96°C, before pouring it into the coffee.
4. Using any random filter paper
Many coffee drinkers tend to underestimate the importance of filter paper when it comes to making coffee. The portion of water that will seep through as well as how much sediment will be there in your coffee, both depend on the type of filter paper used. So, make sure to be thoughtful of the filter paper next time!
5. Picking the Wrong Coffee Roast-Brew Method combo
Coffee roasts come in light, medium, and dark categories. While the lighter roast gives a mild, pleasant taste; the darker one offers a more robust note. The type of roast will vary according to the brewing technique you employ. Therefore, it’s important to pair your roasts correctly as it has a strong impact on the taste of your coffee. A simple search regarding the ideal roast-brew pair can help you avoid blunderous results.
6. Avoid Using Tap Water
Are you someone who uses any type of water for making coffee? If yes, then it’s high time you correct this blunderous habit. The quality of water you’re using has a huge bearing on the coffee’s taste. The dissolved minerals or residual chlorine after treatment in tap water can alter the flavor of your brew and make it unpleasant. Therefore, for garnering the best coffee results, it’s important to use only filtered water that is free of any such agents. Also, the consistent pH of filtered water will ensure your cup of coffee tastes consistently good every time you make it!
With all these major No-Nos summed up, we have tried to ease up your journey towards the perfect home-brewed cup of coffee. You can identify more such blunders that you might be making and target them to master the art of coffee-making!
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