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I finally figured out why my French press coffee was always bitter
So I watched this video from James Hoffmann last night where he mentioned grinding way coarser than I thought and using a 4 minute steep instead of 6. Tried it this morning with my usual beans from Happy Mug and the difference was crazy. Has anyone else had this happen where a simple change in technique totally flipped your coffee game?
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taylor9574h ago
My buddy tried that same trick and finally stopped brewing coffee that tasted like an ashtray.
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Yeah man, that James Hoffmann video basically rewired how I make coffee. I was doing the exact same thing, grinding too fine and letting it sit way too long thinking it needed the extra time. Switched to a coarser grind and cut my steep to 4 minutes flat and the bitterness disappeared almost overnight. The trick that sealed it for me was giving it a gentle stir after the initial pour and then skimming off the foam before plunging. Now I actually get those fruity notes from my beans instead of just burnt tasting dark water.
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the_alex3h ago
I must have watched that Hoffmann video half a dozen times before it finally clicked. My first batch after switching things up I was so excited I forgot to stir at all and ended up with half the grounds floating on top like a sad little raft. Took about three tries before I remembered the foam skimming step, and even then I managed to spill hot water down my arm because I was rushing. Pretty sure my neighbors think I'm running some kind of weird science experiment with all the grinder adjustments and frantic timing. But man, when it works it really works.
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