Can't get it just right

[victorb17]

Hi everyone. I am a coffee connoisseur of sorts! lol I go to great lengths to try and get a good cup. I buy only in small amounts from a specialty store in whole bean form. I grind right before a use, and I brew with a keurig single cup unit so I don't have any sitting for a long time, it is always fresh.

However I have never been satisfied with the coffee I brew myself. It always taste almost bitter and just not great like I think it should be. I have always been impressed with olive gardens house blend. But even when I buy that from them and brew it myself it is not the same.

My question here is what am I doing wrong. I try different types of water (tap, filtered, distilled, bottled). Tried adjusting amounts of grinds, and coarsness of grind. And even brew temp. Help a newbie please...Victor.

 

[PinkRose]

Hello "victorb17"

Welcome to the Coffee Forums! I'm sure as you start to explore the topics here, you'll find lots of information about how to brew an excellent cup of coffee at home.

Since you said that you like Olive Garden's House blend, I'm assuming that you prefer a medium roast coffee that's make by the drip method. It's possible that the coffee that you bought from Olive Garden wasn't as fresh as it could be. Was it whole bean or was it pre-ground?

There are so many factors that could influence the taste of your coffee, and there are lots of questions too. For example: What kind of grinder are you using? (spinning blade or burr grinder) Are you grinding the beans too fine or too coarse for your brewing method? Is the water that you're using hot enough? Are you using the right amount of water for the quantity of ground beans? etc., etc., etc.

I'm not familiar with the keurig single cup unit. However, if you continue to be unsatisfied with your coffee, I'm wondering if it would be a good idea for you to think about continuing your coffee exploration by using another kind of coffee maker to see if you'd get better results.

I'm sure many of the other forum members will have suggestions for you, too.

Again, welcome to the Coffee Forums. Keep on researching and keep on coming back!

Rose

 

[victorb17]

What types and brands of machines do you guys use? I have often wondered if it was the machine. I just hate to purchase another drip machine after the $160 keurig.

 

[shadow745]

Yeah you need to look to the grinder first. Exactly what make/model is it? People make the mistake of thinking only really good grinders are needed for espresso and can get by with whatever for other extraction methods. Read this: At my work (espresso bar) one of the owners was concerned about the drip not tasting just right. I didn't like it either, but it's her store not mine so I didn't say much. The beans are super fresh, the machine is pretty good but they were grinding with a blade chopper because it's a pain to dial the espresso-only grinder in for drip and then back to espresso consistency. In the basket there was mud and chunks and the coffee showed that. I told her I'd take my backup grinder Saturday (a Capresso Infinity) and she'd see a big difference in grind quality, taste, etc. and sure enough there was perfect grounds saturation in the basket, no fines, no chunks and we have had people buying bags of our beans based on a 1 oz. sample. The grinder is important. Now I'm not saying budget $400+ for a grinder, but something like the Infinity or Maestro will do fine for what you need. Later!