bitter

Coffee tastes bitter when your water is too hot, the grind is too fine, or you let the coffee run through for too long. Dirty equipment or very dark-roasted beans can also produce an unpleasant, bitter flavour. The good news is that the fix is often simple: a few small changes and you'll be brewing a delicious cup again.

What causes the bitter taste in coffee?

A bitter taste in your coffee is usually down to over-extraction. That's when you draw too many compounds out of the coffee, leaving an astringent aftertaste. This can have several causes:

• Grind too fine: this slows the water flow through the coffee, so it picks up too many bitter compounds.
  
  
• Flow time too long: the longer the water stays in contact with the coffee, the more bitter the taste.
  
  
• Water temperature too high: water above 96°C extracts not just the aromas, but unwanted bitters too.
  
  
• Dark-roast or cheap beans: Robusta beans in particular are naturally more bitter than Arabica.
  
  
• Dirty equipment: oils and coffee residue in