Although coffee is associated with being bitter, it shouldn't be.
Some of us prefer slightly bitter coffee (often a dark roast), but the bitterness shouldn't be so overwhelming that you cannot enjoy your morning coffee. We will share with you how to fully embrace your coffee experience, but it's important to note that this is all a journey of experimenting.
To find your perfect coffee, we would recommend that your experiment with different methods and techniques to discover your ideal recipe. It's all about forming a recipe that works for you.
1. The Espresso Machine and Over-Extracting:
Arguably, one of the most technical methods. If your coffee tastes bitter after using the espresso machine, it could be because you are over-extracting. When brewing an espresso, aim for a 2:1 ratio. For example, if you prepare 18g of grounds, you would expect 36g of espresso. This is crucial to avoid over-extracting, and to achieve this, invest in a good grinder!
With our coffee beans, we recommend brewing the espresso for 40 sec, to achieve this, it's essential to have a fine grind. Experimenting with finding the right grind and your sweet spot in how long you brew the espresso. However, the 2:1 ratio should remain constant- aim for 36g of coffee when using 18g of coffee grounds, and yes, we recommend you stick with 18g.
Although this is quite technical, it is the best part of the process! We love experimenting with our espresso recipe! Remember to keep your equipment clean to achieve consistency in your recipe
2. Bean Origins:
Arabica vs Robusta, the debate of the century. Speciality coffee always uses Arabica beans because they are sweeter and smoother. Robusta beans, on the other hand, are a lot harsher and more bitter because due to their caffeine content. This is where personal preference comes in to play, as some may enjoy this bitter taste, but if you are trying to avoid it, we recommend sticking with Arabica!
Also, single origin is important. Speciality coffee always uses single-origin coffee, meaning it all comes from one farm and is not mixed with different bean species. This allows for consistency in the beans and the coffee.
The last point to consider is the altitude. Speciality coffee is often grown on a high altitude to allow the coffee to thrive and the complex sugars to develop. This gives the coffee a deep flavour and avoids bitterness.
Although there is a lot to consider when purchasing coffee beans, we would recommend building your recipe on three crucial concepts; Arabica, single-origin, and high altitude.
3. Hot Water
This is definitely the least technical point. It's important to avoid using boiling water because it can scorch the coffee and burn it. We all want to get straight to our coffee in the morning, but a little patience goes a long way.
We recommend staying between the range of 90-96 °Celsius (195°f and 205°f ).
