Why am I getting bitter
or weak coffee?

Bitter or weak coffee is simply due to over-extraction or under-extraction. During the coffee extraction process, once all the oils and essences of the coffee grounds have been extracted by the hot water, the only things that remain within the coffee grounds are bitter-tasting elements.

If the hot water is still within the filter basket once all the oils and essences have been extracted, it will also extract these bitter-tasting elements, thus resulting in a bitter tasting cup of coffee.

If the hot water has passed through the coffee filter before extracting all the oils and essences of the ground coffee, then the result would be a weak cup of coffee.

Love coffee? Here is some more "free stuff"! Learn more with this ebook (is free!)

How to make coffee without coffee machine?

V60 Pour Over 

How to use the Kopi Sock? 

How to use a French press as a coffee maker? 

Learn more about these methods at the free coffee courses online. 

The grind will determine how long the hot water makes contact with the ground coffee. Imagine the water flowing through either a layer of fine sand or a layer of stones.

The finer the grind is, the longer it will take for the hot water to seep through coffee grounds and flow through the filter. Likewise, the coarser the grind is, the less time it would take for the hot water to seep through the coffee grounds.

Therefore, if you’re getting bitter coffee, you should adjust your grind to a slightly coarser consistency. If you’re getting weak coffee, you should adjust your grind to a slightly finer consistency.

If you find that your coffee grinder can’t give you the level of coarseness and consistency that you need (i.e. still getting bitter or weak coffee), you might want to look up on some coffee grinder reviews.

Investing in a good grinder is just as important as getting a good coffee maker.

Other things to note to avoid bitter or weak coffee

Other than the above, you need to know and manage several other components in order to avoid bitter or weak coffee.

Ensure that the roasted beans is fresh prior to grinding so as to ensure the freshest brew.

A ratio of ground coffee to water that makes a great tasting cup of coffee is 2 tablespoons or 10 grams of ground coffee to six ounces of water.

This is a great starting point that you can adjust to your liking, depending on how strong you want your coffee to be.

If possible, always used filter water, as the chemicals in our tap water might lead to strange taste when brewing coffee.

Reading various reviews on coffee machines is a great way of getting your hands on a good coffee maker; however, brewing the best tasting cup possible with that coffee maker requires an understanding of how the coffee extraction process works, and how you can make the most out of the crucial components of the coffee extraction process.

Therefore, always remember to buy fresh beans, grind the sufficient amount of beans for one brewing cycle, and use filtered water, that should mitigate the issue of bitter or weak coffee.

About US | OCM Profile

OCM (OnCoffeeMakers.com) was started in 2007 with the first webpage about coffee machines. And for a number of years, we focused on helping people find their desired coffee machine (we still are helping folks with that! So, if you are looking for coffee machines for office or restaurants - check out the link). 

In 2010, we started getting enquiries on restaurant marketing and we start to help food and beverage brands with their marketing. Below are campaigns and events that we have done over the years: 

OCM's campaigns: F&B Marketing Ideas by OCM 

OCM's Events: F&B Industry events by or with OCM

Check out this restaurant marketing guide to learn more about the many campaigns and companies we have worked with. 

Since then, we have also created many marketing workshops and classes for the F&B industry. Many of these modules are still running in tertiary institutions such as Temasek Polytechnic Skillsfuture Academy and also ITE College East COC classes, below are some snippets of our lectures and workshops: 

OCM’s F&B workshops: Food and Beverage Marketing Lectures | Workshops - click to watch classes on customer journey map, JTBD and more. 

So, if you are looking for industry practitioners to help you scale your coffee or F&B businesses, do drop us a message or book an appointment. Do also check out our various social media platforms on regular F&B and coffee market updates: 

For regular coffee (F&B) related videos: OCM Youtube

For Daily Coffee Inspiration (fun coffee content): OCM IG

For insights into the coffee (F&B) industry: OCM LinkedIN 

PS: For the coffee lovers, we continue to share coffee articles (and videos) and have also started a free coffee class section (with free online coffee training supported by coffee partners).

OCM Recommends

Latest event/Webinar

Learn more about the event on The Power of Market Research organised by Alumni of Adelaide University. 

**Gain insights into Singapore Industry with a free F&B industry report valued at $495. 

See you on 24 August 1630 hr. (Sign up below)

Free tickets code: adelaide0823

Starting a coffee shop?: Free Cafe Setup cost Calculator

F&B Video Lectures

Free F&B Marketing

Featured coffee brewing method: How to prepare V60 Coffee? 

Previously: Making Coffee with a Coffee Sock. 

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