The best way to start the day is with a good cup of coffee. But for some people, coffee can have a bitter taste. Especially if you are not a regular coffee drinker. This is not a reason to avoid coffee altogether and miss out on its benefits. And it doesn’t have to mean an immediate call for adding sugar to your coffee. There are alternative ways that you can make coffee less bitter without adding sugar.
You can make coffee less bitter without sugar by changing the type of coffee you buy, adjusting your brewing method, or adding other sweeteners and milk to it. Cinnamon, nutmeg, artificial sweeteners, and even salt can make your coffee taste less bitter. You can stay away from sugar and still find ways to enjoy your cup of coffee!
Let’s dig a bit deeper as to how each of these methods makes coffee less bitter without using sugar.
Changing The Type Of Coffee You Buy
The first step is buying the right type of coffee. If you prefer a less bitter cup of coffee you should stay away from a dark roast. Choose a medium roast instead. As opposed to dark roast coffee, medium roast is roasted for a shorter period, and at lower temperatures.
This gives the medium roast coffee higher acid levels and less bitterness. Darker roast has a more bitter taste. So the next time you are shopping for coffee, check the label for ‘medium roast’. It is an easy fix that will bring you one step closer to a less bitter coffee without adding sugar.
Stronger coffee will have a more bitter taste. So go for weaker coffee blends to make a less bitter cup. You can try different strengths to see which one you prefer.
You can also try buying decaf coffee. Decaffeinated coffee has a less bitter taste than regular coffee. So if you don’t mind the ‘no caffeine’ part, you might try switching.
Author Note: Another thing you might want to take into consideration is staying away from instant coffee. A cup of instant coffee is more bitter than a regular brew and it is usually made from a dark roast coffee.
Adjusting Your Brewing Method
The next step to getting a less bitter cup of coffee is adjusting your brewing method. Did you know that just by adjusting a few things such as water temperature or brewing time, you can get a significantly less bitter cup of coffee?
Let’s start with the water temperature. The water you use for brewing coffee doesn’t have to be boiling. A good practice would be to leave the water for a few minutes to cool down a bit (after you have boiled it in the kettle) and then use it to make coffee. If the water is too hot, the coffee will taste bitter.
That is the most common reason why home-brewed coffee has a bit of a bitter taste. It is not recommended for the water to exceed the temperature of 210 degrees Fahrenheit or 98 degrees Celsius. Instead, you should aim more for temperatures between 195 degrees Fahrenheit or 91 degrees Celsius and 205 degrees Fahrenheit or 96 degrees Celsius.
Again, this doesn’t have to be a complicated process. The only thing you need to do is leave the boiling water for a few minutes to cool off in the kettle, and only then use it for making coffee.
If your brewing method includes using a French Press or an AeroPress you can try brewing for a shorter time. This will reduce the bitterness of the coffee. You can shorten the time by about 15 seconds and see how much it will affect the bitterness.
Adding Things To Your Coffee
By now you have bought and made your cup of coffee following our last couple of tips to get a less bitter taste. The third and final step would be adding things to your already made cup of coffee to further reduce the bitterness. But what can you add that would work, and it is not sugar?
Adding Milk To Your Coffee
This is the obvious choice. Adding milk or cream to your coffee will reduce bitterness. Both milk or cream have fat in them that will cut the bitter taste of the coffee. It is an easy solution to your problem. Even if you have a bitter cup of coffee, just by adding milk you will find the taste to be more neutral. This is a great fix, especially if you are a fan of white coffee.
If however, you are not and prefer to drink your coffee black, don’t worry, even a small amount would help with the bitterness. You can start by adding just a spoonful of milk or cream to your coffee and go from there. If one spoon doesn’t do the trick, try two and so on.
Adding Salt To Your Coffee
This one might sound a bit weird, but hear me out. Just a dash of salt can help with the bitter taste of the coffee. Don’t worry we are talking about a minimal amount of salt, that will not result in you drinking a salty cup of coffee.
Author Note: Table salt, or regular salt that we all use and have in our house, has sodium chloride. Sodium chloride makes the sodium in coffee more distinct. This will reduce the bitterness in coffee.
Keep in mind that you do not need to overdo it. Just a tiny amount of salt to a freshly brewed coffee is enough. This will by no means alter the flavor of the coffee or give you a salty taste to your coffee.
Adding Cinnamon To Your Coffee
Cinnamon is a great alternative for when you want to cut back on sugar. Not only does it smell great, but it also has a ton of health benefits. Adding cinnamon to your coffee will help reduce the bitter taste and it compliments to coffee taste well.
Another great thing is that cinnamon has very few calories, which makes it that much better than sugar. As with anything else, if you are not sure how you are going to react to the taste of it, start small. Add a dash of cinnamon and see how you like it. You can always add more.
Adding Honey To Your Coffee
Another great and organic alternative for sugar is honey. Adding honey to your coffee will not only sweeten it and cut the bitterness but will also add a delicious flavor to it. Not everyone enjoys additional flavors to their coffee, but if this sounds good to you, I suggest you try it.
You do not need to go overboard. A small amount of honey will do the trick in giving you a less bitter cup of coffee. But if you want to add a bit of sweetness to your cup, you might want to add a bit more.
Just remember, start small, and then add more. This is a good practice for any additional flavor you experiment with for your coffee. You don’t want to use too much in the beginning and make the whole experience off-putting for yourself.
Adding Butter or Coconut Oil to Your Coffee
In case you missed the trend of bulletproof coffee, adding butter or coconut oil to your coffee is a thing. And it is becoming more and more popular.
The fat from the butter or coconut oil (depending on your preference) can help you with cutting the bitter taste of the coffee.
A lot of successful people, athletes and public personal swear by it. And while they are praising the benefits, we are here to talk about making a less bitter cup of coffee. Have no doubt, this will help.
The only tricky thing is that bulletproof coffee should be made in a blender. It’s a method where you put the brewed coffee and the butter (or coconut oil) in the blender to make sure the mix is well blended and the fat doesn’t sit on the surface.
Conclusion
Author Note: Coffee is a great energizer and a perfect way to start the day. For some people, however, it can have a slightly bitter taste. This can be a bit of a problem, especially if enjoy a sweeter cup but you want to avoid sugar.
The bitterness shouldn’t be a reason for you not to enjoy coffee. There are ways to get a less bitter cup of coffee and not jeopardize the flavor.
The first step would be changing the type of coffee you buy. To achieve a less bitter cup of coffee, you need to start from the beginning. Next time you go shopping for coffee, look for labels that say medium roast.
Dark roast coffee has a more bitter taste, so make sure you stay away from it. You can also try decaf coffee, as it has a less bitter taste than regular coffee. And by all means, stay away from instant coffee. Instant coffee has a lot of additives and it has a significantly more bitter taste than regular coffee.
The next step would be adjusting your brewing method. Avoid using water that is boiling when making your coffee. If the water is too hot, the coffee will have a more bitter taste. A good practice is to leave the boiling water to cool off for a few minutes, before actually using it for brewing coffee.
If possible you cal also shorten the brewing time to achieve a less bitter cup of coffee. This can be done if you are using an AeroPress or a French Press.
And the last step is adding things to your coffee. You can add milk or cream to your cup to cut the bitter taste. You can also add a dash of salt, honey, cinnamon, or even coconut oil. There are plenty of options.
Stay caffeinated friends!