Coffee tastes burnt and disgusting!?
I have a Mr. Coffee maker and every since the first pot, always makes burnt tasting coffee. Not only does it taste burnt, but as it brews, it reaks of burnt coffee. I obviously can’t take it back, but what could be the problem?
I’ve used all different kinds of coffee, I’ve cleaned it with vinegar, and I use cold water. The coffee at coffee shops is so amazing, but I can’t seem to make it at home! This is my second coffee maker (2 different brands) and both made gross coffee. Help! My espresso maker is the same way too.
Tagged with: coffee maker • coffee shops • cold water • different kinds • espresso maker • mr coffee • pot • vinegar
Filed under: Cold Brewed Coffee
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I’ve found most automatic drip coffee makers can’t make the water hot enough, so I gave up on them.
Here are some relatively inexpensive ways to make delicious coffee:
1- French press (aka press pot $40-80); put in appropriate amount of coffee grounds, add hot water, put on lid, wait 4 minutes, press & pour.
2- Moka pot ($25-120); add water in bottom, add fresh coffee in the middle, screw on top, put on stove, remove when you hear it make gurgling noise, pour.
3- Manual drip (Chemex $40-80); put in filter, load with coffee grounds, pour hot water, remove filter with used grounds & pour.
The water should be right off the boil. The coffee should be as fresh as possible (ground right before brewing). Buy the means whole, sealed in bags with a vent (vacuum packed means stale – no cans or jars). I recommend a good burr grinder (blade grinders make too uneven a grind), they give better control of grind size (controls extraction) and won’t burn the bean with blades causing too much friction.
Espresso is very touchy. It can take a lot of experimenting with grind (requires a VERY fine grind – can’t be done with a blade grinder at all), pressure & time, plus any machine under $700 probably will be very inconsistent, so forget those $50 ones or the $300 all-in-ones. I have a good machine, a good grinder, and I do everything right, but sometimes something doesn’t always work. Plus I have to tweak my methods every time I try new beans.
It could be the water you are using. Try using some nice filtered water first after a thorough cleaning. All the coffee shops use filtered water.
My advice is to go out and buy another coffee maker. I have dealt with many a cheap coffee maker and have learned that the best thing to do is buy a good quality semi-expensive one that will last you for a few years.
This saves money from continuing to buy the cheap 20 dollar ones every few months.
Its close to impossible to make the coffee they make at the coffee shops, it has nothing to do with the brand of coffee you buy. It has to do with the temperature the coffee maker is able to the coffee.
Cheap coffee makers can not heat the coffee to the capacity that coffee makers at coffee shops can.
Good luck with your coffee!
if money is tight try going low tech & focus on the coffee, forget about cheap espresso machines: there is no such thing (as other people have already suggested below)
what do i mean by that?
get yourself a cheap blade grinder off ebay or wherever you fancy, wallmart/whatever
then get yourself an original swissgold filter or an aerolatte or a plunger or any other inexpensive easy to use device
then hunt out a really good local roaster of great coffee, there are plenty around in most places & tell them what kind of taste you enjoy & what you intend to use to make the coffee in
then take it home & i think you will find you have great coffee. spend the money on the coffee if you want great tasting coffee, not all the toys & equipment. ok, it wont be espresso, but i will be very nice coffee
oh, and finally, make sure you clean it all the moment you tip the coffee into your cup. otherwise it dries on and forms a tar like substance over time that is much more difficult to remove & will taint your coffee, as you have discovered already
let us know what you decide & how you get on
reiss.