A cup of coffee is undoubtedly the best way to start your day. It gives us a much-needed energy boost. However, not all of us are regular coffee drinkers. For such people, the taste of a regular cup of coffee might not be the best thing in the world as it can taste bitter.
A bitter taste should not be a reason to give coffee up. There are many different ways in which you can change how coffee tastes. Sugar is the immediate answer that comes to mind, but it shouldn’t be the only way. There are many different alternatives to sugar that can help make your coffee taste less bitter.
Surprisingly, you can make your coffee less bitter by adding salt to your coffee. Salt will reduce the bitterness in your coffee and make it sweeter. Moreover, using different coffee beans, brewing methods, and with the help of a few additives, you can make your coffee less bitter without sugar.
By the end of this article, you’d know how to make a less bitter coffee without adding sugar and why coffee is bitter.
What Makes Coffee Bitter?
Naturally, when extracted, coffee beans have somewhat of a bitter taste to them as well.
Bitterness can be a result of two things
- The brewing process
- The coffee beans themselves.
Low-quality coffee beans or improper brewing processes can make your coffee taste bitter.
Everyone does not enjoy bitter coffee, and the good news is that you can make your coffee taste less bitter with a few simple and easy methods.
Making Your Coffee Taste Less Bitter
There are several different ways by which you can make your coffee taste less bitter. We have developed a three-step solution to most effectively ensure your coffee tastes less bitter.
1. Changing The Type Of Coffee You Use
Your coffee’s taste is affected by how much it’s roasted. A stronger roast will extract more flavor and increase bitterness. On the other hand, a medium roast compared to a dark roast will have higher acidity levels and less bitterness.
Changing to decaf can also help lower the bitterness of your coffee. However, you will be losing the “caffeine” in your coffee. So before making that decision, you might want to compare the pros and cons.
2. Make Changes To Your Brewing Method
Making slight adjustments in the way you brew your cup of coffee also has a significant impact on its bitterness.
One of the most effective changes you can make is to lower the temperature of water you use.
Using boiling water will give your coffee a bitter taste. Instead, we recommend letting the water cool down for a while after boiling it.
If you brew your coffee using a french press, reduce the brewing time. For example, you can reduce the time by 15-20 seconds. Reducing the brewing time will help make your coffee less bitter as well.
3. Add-ons For Your Coffee
After following the first two steps, your coffee should already start feeling less bitter. Adding different materials to your coffee can also help reduce bitterness.
There is a range of additives out in the market, but which should you use and which should you avoid?
We have mentioned some of the best additives available below:
● Add Milk to Your Coffee
Adding milk to your coffee is one of the easiest ways to reduce bitterness in your coffee. In addition, milk or milk-related products such as cream have fat, which helps cut down the bitterness.
The quantity of milk to use depends on whether you like your coffee white or black. If you are a black coffee fan, you can still add a few spoons of milk or cream to your coffee. A few spoons of milk or cream will be enough to make your coffee taste less bitter.
● Add Cinnamon
Cinnamon is one of the best additives you can use in coffee. It smells incredible, but it also has multiple health benefits and is an excellent replacement for sugar.
Cinnamon is a low-calorie food item as well. So for health-conscious people who are avoiding sugar, this is one of the best options!
● Add Some Salt
Yes, we know it sounds weird. However, adding just a bit of salt is a great way to reduce bitterness in coffee. This is because salt contains sodium, making the sodium already present in the coffee more prominent.
We aren’t talking about a spoonful of salt. Just a pinch or less is enough. So don’t worry about your coffee tasting salty.
● Add a Spoon of Honey
Honey is a superb organic alternative to sugar. Just a tiny amount of honey can work magic in making your cup of coffee taste less bitter. However, if you’re looking for more sweetness, you might want to add more. Just remember to start small.
However, if you are someone that does not like additional flavors in their coffee, you might want to skip using honey.
● Use Butter and Coconut Oil In Your Coffee
We are sure you have heard about “bulletproof coffee.” This is a new trend that is being endorsed by many celebrities. Like milk, the fat in butter or coconut oil can help cut the bitter taste in coffee.
The only downside is that you need to have a blender to make this work. Both butter and your brewed coffee are placed in a blender and mixed to make sure they blend well.
Learn more about using buttermilk in your coffee.
Takeaway
Just because your coffee tastes bitter does not mean you should stop drinking coffee.
Just follow the steps we have given above, and you will have a less bitter cup of coffee without jeopardizing the taste as well.