Can coffee beans be inherently bitter?

Kudzu

Member
Dec 5, 2014
168
3
Pawleys Island, SC
Visit site
Recently, when leaving to visit a family member in a distant city, I forgot to take coffee beans from my usual local roaster. We bought a pound of coffee beans from a coffee shop where we had enjoyed drinking good coffee.

The first morning, the person I was staying with brewed the coffee and it was quite bitter. I found that she was brewing at a much higher water to coffee ratio, less ground coffee per ounce of water, than I use. The next morning, I brewed the coffee using my usual ratio, 16 to 1, and the coffee was bitter again. Not as bitter as the first day, but still bitter. Within a couple of days, a bag of coffee from my roaster at home arrived and life was good again.

The problem definitely seemed to be the beans. That was the only difference I could identify between the bad coffee and good coffee. Can beans be inherently bitter?
 

ensoluna

Banned
Apr 29, 2014
2,822
1
Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
Visit site
I have never come across "inherently bitter flavor" from quality beans.
however, in your coffee batch, there might be some defective beans that cause the bitterness. (please check the roasted beans..)
or some of Robusta beans can be bitter, but I do not think that could be the case here
 
Last edited:

Kudzu

Member
Dec 5, 2014
168
3
Pawleys Island, SC
Visit site
I have never come across "inherently bitter flavor" from quality beans.
however, in your coffee batch, there might be some defective beans that cause the bitterness. (please check the roasted beans..)
or some of Robusta beans can be bitter, but I do not think that could be the case here

I had never encountered that before, or even heard it mentioned by anyone else. Your idea to check for defective beans makes sense. I am ashamed to say, I did not think of that. And, it is too late, now; when new beans arrived from my regular source, we pitched the "bad" beans. Will probably never know what the problem was.
 

clipart125

New member
Jan 30, 2016
12
0
Visit site
Mee too also never feel this.Coffee from quality beans does not have the bitter taste.So saying this that coffee beans taste bitter is not the question.:coffee:.but i think i should personally try this again to check the parameters you say Thanks !
 
Top