Coffee Troubleshooting

1 article in this category.

Diagnostic guides for when a brew doesn't taste right. Weak and watery. Harsh and bitter. Sour on the finish. Each problem maps to a small set of causes, and knowing which one is at fault means the next brew fixes it instead of introducing a new problem.

Most bad cups come from one of three variables being off: grind size, ratio, or water temperature. The trick is knowing which one to change based on what the cup tastes like. These articles work through the diagnostic tree in the same order a professional would: taste, identify what's missing or dominant, change one variable, retest.