Most people can say that they have had a coffee that did not taste great, either it was lacking in flavour or too bitter. Whilst using a cafetiere some problems may occur, so it is important to be aware of these common cafetiere mistakes so that you can avoid them in the future.
Using Too Much Force
By pressing down too hard on your cafetiere you may cause internal damage within it the cafetiere. Pushing down too hard could cause the bitter granules to break through into the top of the cafetiere and will cause your pressed coffee to become bitter and grainy. All you need to do is slowly press down onto your cafetiere and be patient, this will give you a greater chance of better tasting coffee.
Using Boiling Water
This one could be a shock to some as a lot of people will pour boiling water into their coffee every day and may not be aware of the problems that this causes. Pouring boiling water into your cafetiere can lead to over-extraction from the coffee grounds, this causes bitter unwanted oils to seep through into your coffee and spoil it. It is very simple to avoid making this mistake, all you need to do is wait for around a minute for the water in your kettle to cool from boiling to hot. This is because the optimised coffee flavour is extracted from a temperature of around 90 degrees. Allowing your kettle to cool for a minute will prevent the water from ruining your coffee.
Over-Brewing
This common cafetiere mistake will lead to the same outcome as the one prior to it as over-brewing will lead to bitter tasting coffee. The ideal and recommended time to brew your coffee is around four minutes, over-brewing causes the coffee to release those bitter chemicals that will then lead to you may get an over-powering taste. Of course, if you are someone that prefers a stronger coffee then by all means leave it for as long as it suits you for, our recommendations at Espresso @ Home are not strict rules, and we realise everyone has different opinions on coffee.
Pouring Coffee Grounds Down Your Sink
This should be an obvious point for cafetiere owners, as pouring anything down your sink and drains that is not a liquid will increase the chances of a blockage. With factors like hair, grease and oils already being a threat to your drains, it is vital that your coffee grains are instead put into a bin. An ideal location for coffee grounds would be to put it into the compost as they are great for growing plants as well as being recycled into biodegradable plastics. Recycled coffee grounds also release nitrogen into the air as they are decomposing. Nitrogen is a great booster for seedlings as well as being a key factor in producing richer compost.
Looking for ways to recycle your coffee grounds? Check out our recent blog post about recycling coffee grounds.
Contact Espresso @ Home for Coffee Machine Repairs
If are having trouble with repairing your coffee machine or wanting to buy one, you can contact our team at Espresso @ Home and will be sure to give you the best service! Get in touch with one of our engineers using our contact form or give us a call.