I finally stopped rushing my morning pour over after one blunt comment

My roommate watched me make coffee one day and said, "You're just dumping water on beans, not actually brewing." I was pouring the whole thing in 45 seconds and wondering why it tasted bitter and thin. She showed me to take 2 minutes doing slow circles with a gooseneck, and now I actually taste the blueberry notes she kept talking about. Has anyone else had a simple fix from someone that totally changed a daily routine?

2 comments

2 Comments

derek_brown2817h ago

My buddy Mike was the same way with his French press. He'd just pour boiling water in, mash the plunger down after barely a minute, and drink this muddy, bitter sludge. His wife finally stepped in and made him wait four full minutes before pressing, and that was it. Now he actually talks about the "chocolate and cherry" notes like some kind of coffee sommelier (which is hilarious because he used to just call it "brown.") It's crazy how one little timing tweak can flip the whole thing.

diana15510h ago

Push back on that a little, because I actually think rushing the press can be better for a certain kind of coffee drinker. I've got a buddy who's totally opposite of Mike: he steeps his French press for like seven or eight minutes, and the result is this syrupy, over extracted mess that tastes like burnt dirt (or maybe I just have a bad palate, who knows). Meanwhile, I do the one minute mash and drink that "muddy" brew, and to me it's got a bright, sharp bite that wakes me right up, no delicate fruit notes needed. If you actually like bitter, strong coffee, cutting the time short gives you that punch without the weird floral aftertaste. So maybe Mike wasn't wrong, he just had the wrong wife for his coffee style.