It really does cut down on the bitterness, neat.
It’s supposed to be bitter
It doesn’t magically remove the bitterness. It cuts it down a little. Perhaps by enhancing the other flavors?
It’s a good trick for work/bad coffee, where the alternative is no coffee at all.
Salt alters the perception of other flavors, reducing bitter/sour and increasing sweet/savory. You only need a lil pinch though, and only in darker roasts or badly made coffee like you said, because roasting/overextraction/staleness are what create the bitter compounds in the first place.
Back when i had time to actually brew coffee i would add small amounts of smoke salt, cardamom, cocoa powder, and turmeric. Call me a heretic but i will never apologize for how good it was.
You could try drinking specialty coffee with a light roast. It actually tastes good instead of bad.
Disclaimer: this costs more, so you’ll have to drink it less often or spend more.
the cost isn’t too bad if you roast it yourself, green coffee can be had for around $5 per pound, but you’d have to invest in a roaster, a good air roaster is about $200, and then learning to roast, which is pretty easy to be honest
Yeah, I’ve always wondered what commodity green coffee could taste like if it wasn’t roasted to death like the mass produced stuff.
I really should invest in a roasting setup because I would have a lot of fun learning to roast.
A Behmor roaster can be had for a couple hundred. Keep your place well ventilated and avoid the naturally processed coffees if you can, as personal roasters tend not to dispose of chaff particularly well. I’m spoiled in having several specialty roasters in my town, so I find it pretty easy to get my hands on a solid medium or light roast. Feel free to come to me for coffee questions. I’m no James Hoffman, but I know a lot more than most people.
I roast my coffee in a wok with a wooden spoon, then shake it outside in a strainer. If you just wanna taste it, it doesn’t have to be expensive. It will be better with an actual roaster, but the jump in quality is worth it even with just a basic pan. You need a hood or some good ventilation though fyi, it smokes.
If you buy whole bean, see if you can have a coffee shop grind it for you, they will have better grinders = less bitter cups out of the same beans
the types and amount of minerals dissolved in the water for making coffee can make quite a difference in how it tastes. you can even brew with distilled water and add the minerals afterwards to compare. if you want to experiment further you should try with tiny amounts baking soda, epsom salt, or both.
