Need a Better Brewing Method

[Effa]

I grew up in a southern household where coffee was made twice a day. Even as a child I had coffee with breakfast. It was so good.
Now, for some reason, I am not able to brew a decent cup no matter what method I use.
I have a percolator and a French press.
I use whole bean water method decaffeinated dark roast.
When I couldn't get a good cup from the press I switched back to the percolator method.
Still, it tastes watery and not very flavorful.
Have even used one and a halt times the amount of freshly ground beans than suggested.
Any advice?

 

[bullet08]

Your palate has changed? COVID? When did you noticed the change? Was it fine, and coffee just started tasted not as good? What was the last changed made before the issue? Changed brand of coffee?

 

[shadow745]

One thing quite often overlooked is the coffee itself as it's an agricultural product and will vary crop to crop. What you recall from even a few yrs ago might be drastically different now. Sense of taste can/will change as well.

You mentioned decaf and I will honestly tell you that some people don't realize that decaf has a very short window of opportunity as in it degrades about twice as fast as 'standard' based on my use in the past. Let it sit too long and it will be flat/boring regardless of any changes made.

 

[Effa]

Your palate has changed? COVID? When did you noticed the change? Was it fine, and coffee just started tasted not as good? What was the last changed made before the issue? Changed brand of coffee?

No, no palate changes. Before the French Press I purchased in 2020, I would use ground instant. If it wasn't hearty enough I could just add more grounds to the cup. I really thought using the freshly ground beans would be the way to go. I have tried different brands during the past three years.

 

[Effa]

One thing quite often overlooked is the coffee itself as it's an agricultural product and will vary crop to crop. What you recall from even a few yrs ago might be drastically different now. Sense of taste can/will change as well.

You mentioned decaf and I will honestly tell you that some people don't realize that decaf has a very short window of opportunity as in it degrades about twice as fast as 'standard' based on my use in the past. Let it sit too long and it will be flat/boring regardless of any changes made.

I didn't realize the shelf life would change faster with the decaf.
Can you tell me if it is true that coffee shouldn't be stored in the freezer? I don't purchase large quantities, though.

 

[shadow745]

I didn't realize the shelf life would change faster with the decaf.
Can you tell me if it is true that coffee shouldn't be stored in the freezer? I don't purchase large quantities, though.

Absolutely false as freezing is a great way to slow the staling process somewhat. There are a few things to keep in mind that some tend to overlook. First, the coffee needs to be quite fresh otherwise you're just putting stale coffee in to freeze then blaming the process. Second, a deep freeze is definitely best as you won't have temp swings, but if I had to use a typical freezer/fridge I would. I used to buy roasted to order in 5 lb bags, would let it mellow out 4-5 days post roast, then vac seal in Mason jars, then deep freeze. Would simply thaw out a jar as needed and use it up. Not good to get a batch out of the freezer then put it back in as that will lead to moisture. Bit over 7 yrs ago I decided to home roast and will gladly say that buying quality in bulk, then deep freezing/thawing as needed is the next best thing to have quality and save money.

I will mention that decaf being frozen made a believer out of me. Yrs ago we operated a mobile setup and had very few decaf customers, so I never bought much to begin with and often tossed out more than actually served/sold, so I tried deep freezing. That particular decaf hit it's peak in the 3-8 day post roast range, then faded rapidly. Used for espresso which is far more demanding than all other methods... I left 1 lb in deep freeze for about 6 weeks and it extracted just like it would at 3-4 day range, so call me impressed.

 

[sam_l]

No, no palate changes. Before the French Press I purchased in 2020, I would use ground instant. If it wasn't hearty enough I could just add more grounds to the cup. I really thought using the freshly ground beans would be the way to go. I have tried different brands during the past three years.

It's worth noting that instant coffee and ground coffee are completely different things.

Instant coffee is just drinkable coffee dried and condensed. So you're drinking 100% of what's in the spoonful.

Ground coffee is mostly plant fiber. By weight, only a small percentage of the "stuff" in a spoonful of ground coffee goes into a coffee cup. That means you need way way more ground coffee to make the same amount of coffee drink.

If your coffee is weak, these are some possibilities:

• Not enough coffee grounds relative to water
  • The darker the roast, the less flavor there is left in the bean, so you often need more beans for darker roasts.
• Water not hot enough
• Not enough time exposed to the hot water
• Too coarsely ground

So let's address all four of these. How much coffee and water are you using? How hot is the water? In the french press, how long do you wait before pressing? What is the grind like (do you grind yourself or buy it ground?)

 

[jtroyer]

Something else to consider is your water supply. Has it changed? Water has a large effect on the flavor of coffee as well as the things mentioned above.