8 Common Coffee-Brewing Mistakes And How To Avoid

Do you like coffee? Of course, you do. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here, right? Well, since that is the case, we’re sure you want to learn how to brew a perfect cup of dark, caffeinated goodness to start your day right.

To brew a perfect cup of coffee, the first thing you should do is avoid all the common mistakes people make. Once you do that, there will be nothing else left to do, but do it the right way. On that note, here are some of the most common coffee-brewing mistakes people make and how to avoid them.

1. Not Using Fresh Coffee Beans

It can be pretty tricky telling which beans are fresh and which are not. We’ll give you that. However, there are several things you can do to make sure you always brew your batch with fresh beans.

First of all, don’t buy a lot of coffee all at once. Sure, a 2-kilo pack of fresh coffee beans might be a better deal than 200 gram one, but unless you’re drinking ten cups per day, which we sincerely hope you don’t – you’re going to end up with old, stale beans and mediocre coffee by the time you drink half of it.

So, to prevent this from happening, you’re going to want to buy smaller packs or bags of coffee. That way, you’ll be able to drink it all before it goes stale. Also, make sure you keep your beans in a vacuum-sealed container to keep them fresh longer.

2. Buying Cheap Coffee

Although we do understand that saving money is quite important, some things are just not worth it. If you buy cheap coffee beans, chances are, you’re purchasing a low-quality roast. Those coffee beans tend to taste worse ten times out of ten. Now, we’re not saying you have to break the bank to get roasted coffee beans – we’re just saying you shouldn’t skimp when buying them.

3. Using Too Much Or Too Little Coffee

Depending on the roast or the type of coffee, you will have to use just the right amount of coffee to brew the perfect cup. It doesn’t matter whether you’re drinking espresso, filtered coffee or Turkish coffee – you have to use the right amount of beans and the right amount of water!

If you don’t, two things can happen. Either you’re going to end up with a watered-down coffee or a concentrated mess that you’re going to just pour down the drain. So, no matter how tired you are in the morning, take your time to brew your coffee the right way.

4. Not Respecting Brewing Coffee Methods

There are numerous ways to brew a perfect cup of coffee. However, every single one has a plethora of nuances that you have to be aware of if you want your cup to come out just right. Even if you’re drinking neat espresso, many things can go wrong, even though it might seem all you do is press a button a wait for the coffee to fill up your cup. Here are just some of the things that could be wrong when brewing a cup of espresso – the grind and/or grain could be off, the roast could be bad, your water could be too cold or hot, you could use too much or too little coffee, your cup could be cold etc.

We guess what we’re trying to say is – you have to respect the process. Coffee brewing is a methodical process, as you can so clearly see if you visit this website, and if you don’t do it the right way – you’ll end up with a lousy drink to start off your day, and you surely don’t want that.

5. Not Grounding Your Own Beans

Sure, pre-ground coffee is convenient and often cheaper, but then again, you’re losing so much when you don’t grind the beans on your own. Grinding the beans is as vital as any other part of the process. The beans could be perfectly roasted, and you could be the best barista known to mankind, and you’d still end up with a mediocre cup of coffee if it hasn’t been ground the right way or way too long ago.

During the grinding process, coffee beans release flavours, essentials oils and gasses that will bring that wonderful aroma to your drink. So we’d strongly suggest investing in a coffee grinder if you want your coffee to taste perfect every time you brew it.

6. Not Paying Attention To The Water Temperature

The water is an integral part of brewing the perfect cup, and if you don’t pay attention to it, you’re never going to do a good job. Unless the water is just right, you’re not going to extract all those aromas and flavours from your coffee.

Ideally, you’ll want your water anywhere from 91 to 96 degrees Celsius, depending on the roast. Make sure you take a look at the back of the packaging or do a little bit of research on the coffee you’re brewing to make sure you always heat up the water the right way.

7. Not Storing Your Coffee Properly

For some reason, many people believe that you should keep coffee in the fridge or the freezer to keep it fresh longer. We can’t emphasise enough just how wrong this is. Coffee does not belong in a fridge!

Instead, keep your coffee in the dark, vacuum-sealed package, and just place it in a cupboard or a shelf. There’s no need for you to chill your beans. If you do – you can just throw them away and get new ones.

8. Not Cleaning Your Coffee Maker

You have to maintain your coffee maker and keep it clean at all times. It doesn’t matter what kind of a coffee maker you’re using – you have to keep it clean.

Residue from previous brews will contaminate the flavour and quality of your fresh cup. But not only that, if you don’t clean your coffee maker, it is only a matter of time before bacteria and other contaminants start developing, and there’s no telling just how bad things can get from there.

Conclusion:

As you can see, there’s more than one thing people often do wrong when it comes to brewing coffee. Trust us, eight of these don’t even begin to scratch the surface of all the mistakes people make, but since these are the most common ones – we suggest you start by avoiding these.