03 Mar 2014 Is your morning coffee too bitter? This might help
It appears we may have been opting for the wrong condiment. As this video from the American Chemical Society shows, a tiny pinch of salt in your coffee can help make your coffee taste less bitter.
It also includes other tips that demonstrate how the power of chemical reactions can make our everyday lives that little bit easier – including how to ripen bananas and easily remove rust from your pans.
Video courtesy of The American Chemical Society
Three reasons why your cup of coffee tastes bitter
Have you ever had a cup of coffee that tasted bitter? Chances are that as long as you are buying quality coffee, the bitterness was ‘created’ by your coffee-making technique.
A lot of research has gone in to what is responsible for reports of bitterness among some coffee drinkers.
According to Thomas Hofmann, a professor of food chemistry and molecular sensory science at the Technical University of Munich, while many people blame caffeine for coffee’s bitterness it really only accounts for 15 percent of the experience.
His research has shown that there are two chemical compounds developed in coffee as a result of roasting that lead people to ascribe bitterness to this beverage but they are also the antioxidants; something that attracts people toward coffee.
A seperate review of research, Coffee Bitterness, in “Developments in Food Science”, found that Robusta beans had higher levels of these compounds than Arabica beans.
This review also pointed the finger at brewing techniques for amplifying these natural qualities in roasted coffee.
So, what’s making your coffee bitter? Coffee experts agree that the following three principles will cause coffee to taste bitter:
- Over-extracting your coffee
- Using water that is too hot
- Using the wrong grind size