coffee society journal — brew better
Bitter espresso is almost always one of three things: you pulled too much out of the grounds, your water is too hot, or the beans are old. Each one tastes a little different, so here's how to tell them apart and what to change.
01bitter and dry: over extraction
This is the common one. The shot ran long, the grind was too fine, or the dose was too small for the basket, and the finish comes out dry and chalky and sticks to your tongue.
The fix is to grind coarser, two steps at a time, and keep the dose the same. Stop the shot at 36 grams out for an 18 gram dose, then taste again.
02bitter and harsh: too much heat
Dark roasts and small home machines tend to run hot, and above about 94°C the roasty notes start to turn to ash. The shot tastes burnt rather than dry.
If your machine has a temperature setting, try dropping it to 92 or 93°C. If not, run a short flush before you lock in the portafilter. Lighter roasts want the heat, but darker ones don't.
03bitter and flat: stale beans
Old coffee loses its sweetness first, and what's left tastes bitter because there's nothing to balance it. If the bag has no roast date, this is probably your problem.
Buy coffee with a printed roast date and use it within a month. Ours is roasted to order and ships the next day, so give it five days to rest and then pull.
04common questions
That's usually channeling, where water finds a fast path through part of the puck and over extracts it while under extracting the rest. Distribute the grounds evenly and tamp level.
Yes. Roasting further trades acidity for bitterness, so if you want less bitterness, try a medium roast and a slightly longer ratio.
A little. Good espresso has bitterness the way good chocolate does, and it should be balanced by sweetness and a clean finish rather than dominate.
beans that pull sweet
Our americano and latte subs are chosen for espresso on purpose. Every lot is 85+, roasted to order in Berkeley, and shipped within 24 hours.
americano sub dial in espresso in ten minutes why fresh beans need to restcoffee society · specialty micro roaster · berkeley, ca · est. 2023