Reasons Your Coffee Might Taste Bad

5 Reasons Why Your Coffee May Taste Bad

A bad cup of coffee can really ruin your day. Bitter, burnt coffee is something that nobody wants. If you’re one of those people whose day doesn’t start until they’ve had a mug, starting with a bad one is the last thing you want. The art of coffee making can be difficult, and sometimes your coffee won’t be good. Depending on the roast type, milk or even the way you make it, your coffee could taste wrong. We’re here to help you identify why your coffee tastes bad, and what you can do to fix it.

Stale Beans

To keep your beans from becoming stale, keep them away from oxygen, light, moisture and heat. Roasted coffee beans oxidise when they come into contact with the air for too long. This means that you need to keep your beans stored in a cool, dry place to prevent them becoming stale. The perfect place to store coffee beans is an airtight container in a cupboard or pantry. Avoid leaving them on the kitchen side.

Try and buy whole coffee beans rather than pre-ground ones. Grinding your beans as and when you need them ensures the freshest taste possible for your coffee. Nobody wants stale coffee, so buy whole beans, and store them properly so they stay fresh!

Bad Quality Beans

In the US and the UK, we predominantly drink “dark roast” coffee. This coffee is uniformly bitter tasting. With light roasts, there are notable differences in quality between different beans. However, as beans get roasted more and more, the difference in taste between high- and low-quality disappears. This is why most coffee houses serve “dark roast”, as the beans whether high or low quality, start to taste the same due to the way they are roasted. If you feel like your coffee tastes burnt or charred, this could be why.

Burnt Coffee

Another reason why your coffee might taste bad is the fact that it’s burnt. Coffee burns if it is made with water anything over 96C. However, some roasts have a lower burn point of around 91C. This really just depends on the type of roast and beans you’re using and may take a process of trial and error to ensure the best taste. When you’re making a coffee, leave your kettle to cool for a minute or two before making your coffee. This should reduce the chances of you burning your beans! If you have a Billi boiling tap, however, you won’t even need to do this! Our water comes out of the taps at the perfect 96C degree temperature for making coffee. Plus, no waiting around for the kettle to boil then cool.

Old Coffee

If you make a pot of coffee in the morning and leave it on the warming plate of the coffee machine for hours, the flavour will change. Old coffee that has been sat in the pot all morning can taste distinctively different from fresh coffee. It might take a few more minutes, but if you think the coffee has been sat for hours, make a fresh pot. Your taste buds will thank you!

Poor Water Quality

Different areas have different water characteristics. Some taste more metallic, while some taste more sodium-rich. All these nuances in the flavour of your water can have a direct effect on the flavour of your coffee. The best way to reduce the effects of water flavour on your coffee is to use filtered water. Billi systems provide hot water that is filtered through our system, meaning it’s perfect for making coffee.

We hope this has been helpful in helping you figure out why your coffee might not taste great. Try and figure out which factor is making it taste bad, and hopefully have a much better cup next time.