What Makes a Coffee Tasty? Tips to Make Coffee Taste Better
Suppose you enjoy a couple of cups of java every day. In that case, you may notice that some coffee tastes meh, while sometimes, the coffee tastes much better. Ever wondered why? What makes a cup of coffee tasty?
Factors that may make your cup of coffee tasty include suitable coffee types, fresh and high-quality coffee beans, and clean water. Other factors such as proper brewing technique, adding flavors, and enjoying your coffee with someone special can make your coffee much tastier.
This article explores what makes a cup of coffee tasty, specifically the factors that make them so. On top of that, we also explore some of the X factors that make coffee taste extra special.
What Makes A Coffee Tasty?
Tasty coffee goes down to several factors, the coffee itself, your brewing technique, water, and flavorings. The key is to adjust these factors to your taste until you find the right taste for your tastebuds.
What makes coffee tasty? Many factors may determine these, but generally, it goes down to using the right ingredients, executing the brewing to perfection, and adding the right flavoring to your coffee, if you like that.
Some also like to add the X factors into the coffee taste, which may not directly relate to the coffee itself, but more to the experience. For example, enjoying coffee with someone you love or if you sip a warm cup of coffee on a cold morning.
Master these, and your coffee should taste divine every time you take a sip.
Suitable Coffee Types
Coffee comes from many regions and may be prepared differently. These result in so many variations to coffee, not all will appeal to your taste buds.
When exploring coffee types you may enjoy drinking, there are many variations to consider. These factors include:
Regions: There are three major coffee-producing regions in the world:
- The Americas,
- Africa and the Middle East
- South East Asia.
Within these regions, some subregions produce specific coffees. For example, Colombian or Blue Mountain coffee is a popular variety in the Americas.
Each coffee region and type may have different aromas and tastes, which appeal to different drinkers.
Suppose you enjoy your coffee with a hint of sourness. This means you may find Colombian coffee enjoyable since they are more acidic. There are also other coffee flavors, such as flowery (Ethiopian coffee), herbal (Sumatran), and many more.
Processing: Coffee beans may be processed differently, which helps to yield different tastes. There are two major processing methods, washed vs natural.
Washed coffees usually are more consistent in taste and highlight the taste of the bean itself. Natural coffee may take in flavors from the coffee fruit, which means they may taste flowery or berry.
Roasting: Coffee beans are roasted to different levels of darkness, which helps to produce a different kind of taste. Light roast coffees are roasted quickly, which may help to accentuate the coffee’s natural flavor.
Dark roasts stay inside the roaster the longest, which makes the coffee bold and full-bodied and delivers a punch. Medium roasted coffee balanced between both.
Blends/Single Origin: Coffee may be in single origin or in blends, just like whisky. Single-origin coffee means the coffee is from a particular maker, which means you can taste the best example of that coffee type.
However, coffee houses such as Volcanica or CoffeeBros also produce coffee blends. These blends may create a special taste profile that you may find enjoyable.
To discover the coffee types you enjoy drinking, consider joining coffee-tasting sessions. You can also try out new coffee types when you shop.
Fresh, Quality Coffee Beans
Now that you have discovered a coffee taste that you find enjoyable, the next step is to source high-quality coffee and keep them fresh.
Start by buying coffee from high-quality roasters. You may find these coffee makers online or by looking into independent coffee shops near you. They may be more expensive than your usual grocery store aisles, but they taste much better, which makes your money worth it.
When possible, purchase coffee beans instead of grounds. Coffee beans stay fresh longer, which means you get a full taste of your coffee even weeks after opening it. Coffee grounds lose freshness faster, so you may want to avoid that.
With beans, you only ground them down right before brewing them. This means you will need to invest in a coffee grinder. Make sure to grind down the beans to the brewing method you choose.
Good, Clean Water
The next step is ensuring you have a good water source to make your coffee. Water is 98% of coffee, meaning how your water tastes will greatly affect your coffee.
As a start, brew coffee with clean water that is as PH-neutral as possible and does not smell. Tap water is the bare minimum for decent coffee, but if you want to ensure the best flavors, consider one of the three below:
Filtered: Filtered water is tap water that has undergone some filtration. This water usually removes nasties, smells, and impurities while keeping the minerals intact.
Purified: Purified water removes everything from the water, including the good and bad things inside. Examples are reverse osmosis water. Your coffee will taste great here, but you may miss the minerals.
Distilled: Distilled water as well, distilled water. It is 100% water with no minerals, impurities, and everything else. They may be good for espresso machines since having no minerals means the water will not calcify the machine.
Suppose you insist on knowing the best water type for your coffee. We suggest purified water, although filtered and distilled water are just fine for great coffee.
Well Executed Brewing
Now that you have sorted out your coffee and water, the next step is to brew your coffee.
Brewing coffee can be a skill to master. Aside from using the right tools, you must time your brewing and use your eyes to tell things such as water temperature or brewing levels.
There are many ways of brewing the best cup of coffee, and it will be up to you to master the intricacies of each brewing method:
Drip Coffee Maker: This is the most popular and basic way to make coffee. Fill in water into the reservoir, put the coffee grind in the holder, turn on the switch, and watch it drip away. The key is to ensure you put enough ground coffee in the water.
Espresso Machine: This requires you to purchase an espresso machine that is not cheap. Fill the reservoir with water, and fill the handle with ground coffee. Tamp it slightly, fit it into the machine, and press away. You should get a nice cup of espresso.
Moka Pot: Moka pot comes in many sizes, which helps with portioning. You fill the bottom reservoir with water and the holder with ground coffee. Put it on a heat source, and watch the heated water come up the spout, as great coffee.
Aeropress: Aeropress is a simplified, less technical version of an espresso maker. You fill in the holder with ground coffee and then add hot water. Allow some time to brew before flipping the AeroPress, placing it on top of a cup, and then pushing the coffee out using a plunger.
French Press: French press is a quick way to make great-tasting coffee. You add in coffee grounds and mix with hot water. Allow brewing for several minutes before using the plunger to separate the ground and coffee, and pour the coffee out.
Proper Use Of Additional Flavors
Now that you have made your coffee, you can add additional flavoring to make the coffee tastier. People commonly add the following to their coffee, although it is also very common to drink your coffee black:
Sugar: Sugar sweetens the coffee and helps to take away some of the bitterness or acidity from the coffee. Brown sugar may be better than white ones. If sugar is an issue, consider replacement sweeteners such as Aspartame or Sucralose.
Milk: Milk helps to mellow down the taste of the coffee, making it less intense. Milk also helps to make coffee more velvety and smooth. Many coffee recipes such as Latte, Flat White, or Cortado are basically coffee with milk at different ratios.
Non-Dairy Creamer: Non-dairy creamers may be popular in certain parts of the world and may be a good option for those with lactose problems. They perform similar functions to milk and help to mellow down the coffee.
Spice: Some cultures enjoy adding spice to their coffee, with spices a must in some coffee, such as Arabic. Warm spices such as cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon are popular with coffee.
Cocoa/Chocolate: Cocoa and chocolate are also popular additions to coffee since it helps to bring out the additional flavor and mellow the coffee. Some coffee recipes, such as Mocha, use chocolate.
The key to these flavorings is to use them in the right amount. Overuse may overpower the taste of coffee, while not using enough may make the coffee not taste enough for you.
The X Factors
The X factors are when things become slightly beyond the physical realm. Some coffee drinkers believe their coffee can taste much better when the drinking experience is elevated.
This could be from things as simple as drinking coffee with people you love or waking up in the morning, smelling fresh coffee wafting down the hallway, and you get a cup on your bed.
Some may also find coffee tasting much better when they enjoy it looking at the sunrise or resting after a hard day’s work. Your X factor may be different, depending on what you enjoy. This means it will take some time to discover your X factors.
Final Thoughts
A tasty cup of coffee is a result of the careful selection of the best beans, the optimal roast, good quality water, and proper grinding and brewing.
It also involves understanding the nuances of the coffee beans and the subtle flavors that come out of the brewing process.
Remember that the differences between whole bean vs ground coffee also impact how tasty your coffee can be.
