I was grinding my beans way too fine for my drip machine for years

It hit me last month when I friend came over and watched me make a pot. He just said, 'Man, that looks like espresso powder.' I was using a setting of 3 on my Baratza Encore, which is what I'd always done. The coffee was always bitter and kind of hollow, but I just thought that was how my beans tasted. I switched it to a 15, which felt crazy coarse to me, and brewed a new bag of beans from a roaster in Austin. The difference was insane. It was sweeter, had more fruit notes, and actually had a body to it. I was basically choking my machine and getting all the bad stuff out. How did you figure out your right grind size? Was it a taste thing or did someone have to point it out?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_julia16d ago

Saw a video about the "fines" causing bitterness.

jenny_carr5216d ago

Yeah that video about fines causing bitterness is interesting. I read a coffee blog that explained how those tiny particles over-extract super fast and make the whole cup taste harsh. They said using a finer filter or letting the grounds settle before pouring helps a lot.