Why Does My Coffee Taste Bitter?
It's one of the questions I get asked most. A bit of bitterness is a normal part of coffee, but when it takes over the cup, something is usually off. There are three common causes, and one simple fix to try first.
1. The roast is too dark
If you're buying a dark roast, that alone will push your cup toward bitterness. As coffee is roasted darker, its acidity fades and bitterness increases. There's a lot of chemistry behind that, but the short version is that dark roasts taste more bitter.
If you're drinking Transcend coffee, this isn't the issue. We don't roast dark. Our coffees are roasted in and around first crack, so none of them are inherently bitter. When we label a coffee like our Micepa from Costa Rica as "Dark Brown", we're describing its flavour profile, such as dark chocolate, marshmallow and spice. It doesn't describe how dark the roast is.
2. Your coffee is over-extracted
Most of the time, bitterness comes from over-extraction. When you brew, water dissolves solids out of the coffee grounds. Pull out too much and bitterness starts to dominate.
The most common culprit is a grind that's too fine.
Try this on your next brew:
- Make your grind somewhat coarser.
- Keep the amount of coffee the same.
- Keep the amount of water the same.
- Brew and taste.
If the bitterness starts to fade, you know it was the grind and not the coffee. This is the opposite of the fix for sour coffee, where you'd grind finer. Our Coffee Grinding Guide has more on finding the right setting.
3. Old beans or dirty equipment
Coffee that's past its best, especially beans that look oily, can taste bitter. Oily beans also usually point to a dark roast. Coffee oils are persistent too. They build up on grinders, brewers and carafes, even mine, and that residue affects flavour.
Ask yourself two questions:
- Is your brewing equipment clean?
- Do your beans look oily?
Where to start
If you're brewing Transcend coffee and it tastes bitter, start with your grind. Go a little coarser, keep everything else the same, and taste the difference.
Have a coffee question you'd like answered? Ask me. It could be the next video.
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