Why does my coffee keep tasting sour!?

[KillerKat]

I cleaned it out using vinegar and running a brew and then just plain water. I've used different filters too. I drink Folgers Dark Silk. Nothing added to it, black. Sometimes the coffee tastes great, but most of the time it's sour. It has a setting for Strong and Regular. I thought it was because I kept it on Strong. So after switching to Regular, the first couple cups were pretty good. Now I got the sour taste again. Any suggestions? Thinking about just buying another coffee maker. This one is frustrating. BTW, it's a Mr.Coffee machine.

[Doc Holiday]

Could be the water, does you water tast normal? compared to charlotte where I live now has horrible city water and my Coffee is always sub par, but I guess i dont have much of a choice for a while but to deal with it

[88 Bronco]

I came in this thread to make a Starbucks joke. Try filtering your water. You can buy one that fits on the faucet. My tap water is heavily chlorinated, so I have to use a filter or my coffee tastes awful. 

[KillerKat]

even if the water tastes fine by itself?

[2jakefansinva]

go buy a couple bottles of water and try it....still sour?

 

go get another bag of coffee and try that.....still sour?

 

throw coffee maker away.

[Jase]

it's possible that your coffee maker just isn't getting the water hot enough anymore.

[chknwing]

could just be you

[mr beauxjangles]

There could be a number of possible explanations. First, though, is understanding the difference between bitter and sour. Most people mean bitter when they say sour, although you can have sour coffee.

 

Holding the ratio of coffee to water constant - that is to say, assuming you brew one tablespoon to every five ounces every time (or some other ratio) - then the following things have the biggest impact on the relative bitterness, sourness, and general flavor of the coffee:

 

1) The grind. If you grind your own coffee, a really fine grind (like espresso) will produce a more bitter coffee. A very coarse grind will produce a more sour coffee. This comes from over (too fine) and under (too coarse) extraction. You want a nice medium grind. Plenty of pictures online.

 

2) The quality of the coffee. Poorly roasted coffee beans will often leave a lot of excess moisture in the bean and this results in a relatively high level of quinic acid in the beans (acids taste sour, not bitter). Try to buy whole bean coffee that has just been roasted in the last few days. If you aren't in a decent size city with access to a good coffee shop, order online from Counter Culture (based in Durham). You will not be disappointed.

 

3) The temperature of the brew. As Jase said, a crappy machine is probably brewing at too low of a temperature. If the coffee is being brewed at less than 180 degrees, it is probably going to taste sour. This results from underextraction (the same principle that occurs when you have too coarse of a grind).

 

4) Your equipment. Try a drip brew instead of a machine. Google Chemex. This is related to point #3 about temperature but also it's about the filter. Chemex filters are incredible for such a low cost. They remove a lot more of the oils that produce bad notes, although some aruge that they also remove more of the flavorful oils you want. You won't see any of that oily mess on the top of your cup that makes you think you're drinking gasoline. It also removes ALL sediment, no matter how fine your grind. Those mesh filters that come with a lot of machines are awful. Don't use those.

 

In short, ditch the auto machine, get a Chemex or other drip, and buy high-quality, whole bean coffee that you can grind yourself. Control the whole process. Yes, it takes a little extra time (5-10 minutes).

 

But of course, that may not be an option or you just might not care about it THAT much. If that's the case, try as many of the following as possible: 1) buy whole bean and grind yourself 2) get a new machine to to make sure you are brewing at a proper temp (around 200 degrees), and 3) get some higher quality paper filters to go with the new machine.

 

[mmmbeans]

put a little salt in it before you brew.  seriously.

[Jangler]

All I could think about...sorry.

 

 

[Anybodyhome]

It's all about the water temp the machine makes to brew the coffee. Mr. Coffee heating elements are rather crude and elementary and when they start to go, so does your coffee.

[Jase]

I would say that you're finally tasting the piss I put in your coffee every morning.  But how can that be?  My piss tastes sweet.