Have you ever followed the recipe on the bag of the delicious smelling pre-ground coffee you’ve just bought, only to make a bad cup of coffee? Were you left wondering what went wrong? 

Most likely, it was the recipe that went wrong. 

Generic recipes like those you find on the side of a bag of coffee bought at a supermarket don’t do a good enough job explaining some very important recipe elements. The recipes don’t explain how to adjust these key elements to help you get a better brew for your taste. 

(Side note: Speciality coffee is generally roasted for specific preparations and applications. This article is not about those types of coffees.)

Inconsistencies and generic recipes may lead to an unpleasant cup, which will always vary in strength and taste for the following 3 main reasons. 

Inconsistent Coffee Measurements

You’ve probably seen the typical description of how much coffee to add, for example, “add 1 – 2 tbsps.” or “add 1 heaped tablespoon”. 

The first issue with this instruction is that it is an inconsistent measure. Each spoonful will be slightly different every time you prepare your brew making repeatability challenging. 

The second issue is that strength is not considered. A cup of coffee brewed with one tablespoon of coffee is very different to a cup of coffee brewed with two. Which leads us to the next factor that must be considered.

Inconsistent Water Measurements

Most instructions don’t say much about the volume of water to add to your coffee grounds when brewing. They just say “add freshly boiled water”. While other instructions simply tell you how much water to add such as “a cup” of water. 

To the novice coffee brewer, a combination of “1 – 2 tbsps” to “a cup” of water seems simple enough. In my experience with using these recipes, I did not know exactly how I got the brew to taste the way it did. I could never figure out how to adjust it for taste. With the inconsistent method of measuring out the ingredients, I could never get a satisfying brew out of that bag of coffee.

Standard Brewing Times

Typically, the bag of coffee would provide instructions for 1 or 2 brewing methods for example, plunger or moka pot.  The assumption is that the grind size is optimal for that method of brewing however it probably is not. 

The brewing time may be incorrect for the grind in the bag. Too fine could mean a bitter, over-extracted coffee and too coarse could mean a sour, under-extracted coffee if the timing is not paired correctly. 

So even following the standard 4-minute brew time for a plunger coffee might not get you the taste you are looking for.

Taste is personal, so deciding if a cup of coffee is bad is really your decision to make. But following the instructions on the bag will more likely than not get you a bad cup of coffee.

So, what should you do? 

Firstly, adopt a standard approach to your coffee process based on your brewing method. Then decide on a recipe that suits your taste i.e. coffee to water ratio. Then after the first brew make minor adjustments until you get to the strength and taste that you were aiming for.

To do this you will need to understand ratios and extraction times.

Also track of all your brews by making notes for each different coffee and method you use, so that you can repeatedly make great coffee.

Here’s to your better brews!