Why does my coffee taste watery?
In this brief guide, we are going to answer the question “Why does my coffee taste watery” with an in-depth analysis of the reason lying behind the watery coffee. Moreover, we are going to discuss the effect of roasting on the flavor of coffee and the proper way to store coffee.
So without much ado, let’s dive in and figure out more about it.
Why does my coffee taste watery?
There can be several factors responsible for watery coffee.
Improper coffee to water ratio
So the most common reason behind the watery coffee is the improper coffee to water ratio, which means that you are not adding an adequate quantity of ground coffee.
It should be kept in mind that different coffee-making techniques require a different amount of coffee to be used. For instance, in the case of the french press, it is recommended to add 2 tbsp of coffee per 6 oz of water. While in the case of the automatic drip brewer, you have to add 1-1.5 tbsp of coffee per 6 oz of water.
Not brewing the coffee long enough
Now the coffee has two main ingredients: water and ground coffee and it is the time you give water and ground coffee to interact with each other and the temperature along with the quantity of ground coffee used that impact the overall quality of the outcome (brewed coffee) that you will get.
So if you are not giving enough time for the coffee to release all its flavors in the water, then you are under-extracting it and the result (brewed coffee) that you will get would be weak in flavor. Thus not giving enough time for the coffee to brew can result in weak and watery coffee.
The water is not hot enough
Now comes the third factor that affects the quality of your brewed coffee and that is none other than the temperature of the water. If your water is not hot enough, it won’t be able to extract the flavors out of the ground coffee and your brewed coffee will be weak and watery. While on the other hand, if you use too much hot water it can result in over-extraction of ground coffee and can result in a bitter taste.
So you always have to brew the coffee at the optimum temperature. It is recommended that the temperature of your coffee brewing water should be around 195-205 °F.
Your coffee grounds are of the wrong size
Last but not least, if the size of your coffee grounds is not right, you will either get a weak coffee or a bitter one. There are different methods to brew coffee and each of these methods requires different sizes of your coffee ground. For instance, in the case of the french presses, you can go for the coarse grind (having the same size as that of sea salt).
The drip coffee technique requires medium ground coffee while the pour-over method requires a really fine grind (having texture and size comparable to granulated sugar).
Stale grounds make for stale coffee
The older your coffee beans are, the more are they subjected to oxidation and the less will be their flavor. Thus you won’t be able to get that characteristic coffee aroma and flavor with old coffee grounds.
So you should use fresh coffee beans to get more flavorsome and aromatic coffee.
Other FAQs about Coffee which you may be interested in.
What does butter in coffee taste like?
Does a latte have coffee in it?
Does green coffee bean extract have caffeine?
Does roasting have an impact on the flavor of coffee?
So the more time you give to roast the coffee beans, the darker will be the roasted coffee that you get and the stronger will be its overall taste and aroma. So to which extent the coffee beans had been roasted also affects the overall quantity of the coffee they can make.
You can read about different coffee roasts here.
How to keep your coffee fresh for a long time?
You can keep your coffee fresh in the fridge by considering the following quick tips
- Use an airtight container or bottle to store the coffee so that it will not pick the smell of other foods placed in your fridge as no one will ever want to consume melon scented brewed coffee, right?
- Coffee loses its characteristic taste and aroma when it comes in contact with the air owing to the oxidation reaction. Therefore to seal the freshness of coffee for quite a long we recommend you to store it in air-tight containers.
- If you want to make your coffee last longer in the fridge then it is advised to store it in the fridge as soon as you brew it to preserve its flavor and aroma.
Conclusion
In this brief guide, we answered the question “Why does my coffee taste watery” with an in-depth analysis of the reason lying behind the watery coffee. Moreover, we discussed the effect of roasting on the flavor of coffee and the proper way to store coffee.
