I don't like acidic coffee...
We've heard it time and again. "I prefer chocalatey or nutty coffees". I don't like acidic coffees. What can you recommend us?
At Round Boy Roasters, we've had the unique vantage point to observe a range of customers start their coffee starting experiences with us. And in almost 90% of the cases where a customer states they don't prefer acidic coffee, it stems from a bad experience consuming a poorly made cup of coffee.
Upon continuing their journey with us, they will usually try one of our "sour" filter coffees and remark what a balanced and intriguing cup of coffee we have provided them with. Is this magic? No.
It's partly acquired taste and partly improvement in brewing technique.
A poorly made cup of coffee will most often have little to do with the coffee beans that someone used to make your coffee but rather with the method that he/she brewed your coffee with. You see, extraction plays a huge role in coffee flavor.
Under extracting coffee produces sour flavors and over extracting coffee produces bitter flavors. Someone in the center when you get the grind size, and temperature, and brew duration right, you get a perfect balance of sour and bitter which tricks the mind into thinking it's sweet.
So here's a very quick guide to solve basic problems in any brew methodology.
Too sour? Increase extraction. You can do this through one or a combination of several methods. Increase the temperature of the water. Decrease the size of the grind. Agitate the coffee and liquid mixture more during the brewing phase. Increase the contact time of water and coffee.
Too bitter? Decrease extraction. Again, use one or a combination of methods. Decrease temperature of the water. Increase grind size. Agitate less. Decrease contact time of water and coffee.
There's far too much technique and coffee science to discuss in one article but I hope this basic guide will help you drink better coffee.
See this link for a more advanced write up on coffee grind particle size and extraction.