PSA: That bitter taste in your french press might not be the beans.

My french press coffee was bitter every morning. I blamed the beans at first. Then I read about brew time online. I was leaving it for five minutes. That was too long for my grind. Four minutes fixed the problem completely. Now my coffee tastes smooth and good.

3 comments

3 Comments

the_jason2mo ago

Grind size actually matters more than time alone! A super coarse grind might need five minutes or more, but a fine grind could turn bitter in just three. Your four minute fix worked because it matched your particular grind setting. I use a coarse grind and go a full five minutes for my french press, and it comes out perfect every time. It's all about finding that balance for your own setup.

skyler_jones2mo ago

My own coffee crimes make @the_jason's point perfectly.

noah_patel1mo ago

Yeah I messed up my grind size last week and it was awful. Had it way too fine for my french press, only did three minutes and it tasted like bitter dirt. Switched to a coarse grind, waited the full five, and it was a total game changer.