Five mistakes that can ruin a good cup of coffee

Good coffee can be ruined in the kitchen. The most common mistakes have nothing to do with the bean and everything to do with five details of brewing, and all five can be fixed without buying anything.

1. Using the wrong grind

Every method needs its own grind. Fine for espresso, medium for a chorreador or drip maker, coarse for a French press. If your coffee tastes bitter and harsh, it is probably too fine for the method. If it tastes thin and watery, too coarse.

It is the adjustment that changes the cup the most, and the first one to check.

2. Not measuring coffee and water

Eyeballing means no cup resembles the last one. Without a fixed reference there is no way to tell whether what changed was the coffee, the grinder or your hand.

An ordinary kitchen scale solves this. Nothing special is needed.

3. Using poor water

The drink is more than ninety per cent water. If the water tastes of chlorine or carries a lot of mineral, that reaches the cup. Temperature matters too: water straight off a rolling boil scorches the coffee and pulls out bitterness.

Let the water rest for thirty seconds to a minute after boiling before you pour.

4. Brewing with dirty equipment

Coffee oils build up and go rancid. A press, a chorreador or a portafilter with old residue adds a stale flavour that no good bean can cover.

Rinsing after each use and washing thoroughly once a week is enough.

5. Storing the coffee badly

Air, humidity, light and heat are the enemies. Keeping coffee above the stove, next to the heat, or in a clear jar on the windowsill shortens its life far more than people think.

Method and recommended recipe

These recipes are starting points. Adjust them to your grinder, your equipment, your local water and your taste.