Why Coffee Tastes Burnt:
A few words of advice from one coffee consumer to another: never tell your barista that the coffee they’ve served tastes burnt. Experienced cuppers, roasters, and baristas of third-wave establishments will never intentionally serve you a brew using over-roasted or burnt coffee beans. That would be a shameful waste of the sacred bean. Instead of burnt, we might be confusing this flavor with bitterness.
How to avoid bitter or acidic coffee:
Coffee flavor falls on a spectrum with acidity on the far left and bitterness on the far right. The aim of coffee professionals is to find the perfect balance between the acidity (fruity, spicy) and the bitterness (nutty, chocolaty) of each coffee. Too much acidity means the espresso was under-extracted and it will taste sour. Too much bitterness means the espresso was over-extracted and it will taste, well… bitter. If your coffee beverage is tasting a little on the sour side, politely ask the barista to brew it a few seconds longer, conversely, a few seconds shorter for slightly bitter coffee.
Now, go out and impress people with your random coffee knowledge! And as always, thank you for reading and joining me on this #internationalcoffeejourney
