Do I have unsophisticated taste in coffee??

BGrubb

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Nov 16, 2016
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Hi - I'm a brand new member. I joined partly to see if I'm alone in my current frustration.

I've always loved coffee - since I was in late elementary school. As with other things, such as wines, beer and often food, I gravitate toward bolder flavers. So I have always liked darker, bolder coffee with what I call a classic coffee taste.

Recently I bought a really good coffee maker (a MochaMaster by Technivorm). The first batch of coffee I brewed was awesome, but it was just the same old beans from Sprouts that I'd been buying. I decided to do some experimenting with really good beans to discover where my taste truly lies. So I went to my locall coffee geek place, Kean Coffee in Tustin, CA (owned by the great Martin Diedric) to start. I asked for a roast in the medium/light range and thought I would go up one small step each week in boldness (or whatever term I should use) to find my sweet spot. I haven't enjoyed a cup of coffee very much since. I'm about five weeks into the process and every coffee has had a thin, vegetable/fruit flavor and bitterness that I don't like. I'm almost to the top of their range now and willing to keep going, but I'm a little frustrated. By the way, I am measuring my coffee to 60g per 1 liter of filtered water which I have read is supposed to be ideal.

The other day I was at the Portola Coffee Lab, another known coffee snob stop and bought a bag of beans (Heza Mutana from Kayanza Province - Burundi). No bueno. Even thinner and lighter.

So here's my dilemma and frustration. I like to learn how to appreciate things that I love to the nth degree. I like knowing that I have learned the process of how things are made and how to pull out the nuances that make them good. I keep hearing coffee geeks say how Starbucks has ruined the American pallet by over-roasting the beans, etc. I have been lead to believe that roasting coffee darker ruins it and I wanted to teach my pallet to like "better" coffee. But so far all I'm doing is spending a lot more on coffee and not enjoying my mornings as much.

Am I alone and suffer from a malformed pallet?
 

ensoluna

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Apr 29, 2014
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welcome.
you live right around the corner from me. I live in Los Alamitos, CA
First, do not deprive yourself of a fine darker + bolder coffee that you have been drinking and enjoying for years. Because the best coffee is the coffee you like the most! (including instant and capsule, for some people)

then, buy yourself a pour over (these are very low cost and simple to operate. Target has below photo pour over at $20.00 or less. And Youtube can teach you) along with freshly roasted (mid/dark) and start experimenting with tastes.
Buy different varietals (Pacamara, Caturra, Geisha...etc) and different process (washed, Natural, honey...etc) with medium roast. then, use your pour over and keep experimenting, tasting, comparing the aromas, flavors...etc.

That is the fun part.

you do not have to sacrifice your perfect morning coffee. But when you are in the "coffee" mood for different aromas, flavors,...etc, just do different things with different coffees.
then, few weeks later.. .. Viola! something wonderful will happen.

15847595.jpg
 

BGrubb

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I have maintained a ratio of 60g of coffee per 1L, or 34oz of water. However, I don't need to drink a liter of coffee in the morning so I have been backing the coffee and the water down by one third, so I am going 40g of coffee for 22oz of water.

In order to try to enjoy it more, I have ramped up the coffee the last couple of days but it doesn't seem to make it taste better.
 
Mar 28, 2011
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You are using WAYYYYYYYYYYYYY too little grounds to water ratio. That is why your coffee tastes thin and bitter. I use about 5 tablespoons coffee per 10 oz of water. That would equate to around 230 grams for your 34 oz of water. Try that and go from there. By the way, I use a Technivorm Moccamaster too.

Len
 

BGrubb

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Musicphan - That's pretty much the ratio I described - 1 liter (about a thousand grams) of water to 60 grams of coffee. I cut them both by a third to make the amount of coffee I want - the ratio stays the same. About 40g coffee to 22oz water. Or am I missing something?
 
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BGrubb

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Coffeeroastersclub - I think there's some kind of mistake. You're talking about a half a pound of coffee for 2/3 of a liter of water. I'm using 40 grams now, which I believe I read is supposed to be ideal. Your 5 tbsp coffee / 34oz water seems like about what I'm doing.
 
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ScooterDog

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I use a Technivorm too, I agree with Musicphan on the finer grind. Also, about 1/2 way through the brew cycle, I will give the grinds a quick stir. Some times I notice with really fresh coffee the bloom doesn't get fully saturated with water.
 

Musicphan

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May 11, 2014
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Musicphan - That's pretty much the ratio I described - 1 liter (about a thousand grams) of water to 60 grams of coffee. I cut them both by a third to make the amount of coffee I want - the ratio stays the same. About 40g coffee to 22oz water. Or am I missing something?

Sorry... too many late nights at the roaster :) Your ratio is appropriate..

What coffee did you buy from Keen?
 
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Mar 28, 2011
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I was mistaken. I measured today; I actually use 7 level tablespoons (not 5) of ground coffee per 10 oz of water. Whatever that equates into grams I do not have a scale to measure that. The coffee is perfect, I really do not consider it any stronger than a starbucks coffee and it tastes a hell of alot better.

Len
 

Musicphan

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May 11, 2014
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I was mistaken. I measured today; I actually use 7 level tablespoons (not 5) of ground coffee per 10 oz of water. Whatever that equates into grams I do not have a scale to measure that. The coffee is perfect, I really do not consider it any stronger than a starbucks coffee and it tastes a hell of alot better.

Len

Len... that's almost a 1/2 cup of coffee... are you sure your not using teaspoons? Typical ratio is roughly 2 tablespoons per cup of coffee.
 

BGrubb

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Yes, I found this, too. I always give it a stir and sometimes I find that the grinds in the center are not saturated. I give it a quick, vigorous stir to make sure all the grinds are suspended.
I use a Technivorm too, I agree with Musicphan on the finer grind. Also, about 1/2 way through the brew cycle, I will give the grinds a quick stir. Some times I notice with really fresh coffee the bloom doesn't get fully saturated with water.
 

BGrubb

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I have purchased about six of them, beginning with a light/medium roast and moving darker each week. I can't remember them all, but there were a couple of the Kenyans, Mexico - Finca La Cuesta, Guatemala - Huehuetenango and something from Costa Rica.
Sorry... too many late nights at the roaster :) Your ratio is appropriate..

What coffee did you buy from Keen?
 
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