9 Coffee Brewing Mistakes You're Probably Making

Rich and flavorful, with a seductive aroma and essential caffeine quotient, coffee is reason enough to roll out of bed in the morning. In fact, for diehard coffee lovers, nothing—neither matcha, nor English Breakfast tea—can replace that first eye-opening cup.

But sometimes that first sip is too weak, too sludgy, or not hot enough, failing to satisfy your cravings. What went wrong? Those java transgressions probably point to several factors, from your coffee beans to your coffee maker. We spoke with two coffee experts to get the lowdown on brewing blunders you may be making. Luckily, they’re all easy fixes!

Pre-Grinding Your Coffee Beans

While your coffee beans may smell like heaven when you grind them in the store, the taste will be compromised when you're ready to get brewing. As to pre-packaged bags of ground coffee? Just say no. "Rule number one: Always grind your beans fresh. Ground coffee starts to lose flavor two minutes after it is ground—imagine what it tastes like two weeks later," says Jonathan Rubinstein, the founder and CEO of Joe Coffee, a New York City-based coffeeshop chain with a roastery that offers coffee classes.

Opt for a conical or flat burr grinder and once the beans are ground, measure the coffee properly to obtain the desired strength. For example, if you're making coffee in a French press, use 2 tablespoons of coarse-ground coffee to 1 cup of hot water, adding more for a stronger cup.

Using Old Beans

Stale beans also miss the mark. Generally, beans that have been roasted within the past three weeks make memorable coffee, so check the roasting date. Old coffee oxidizes and loses its aromatic compounds, says Kaleena Teoh, who co-founded Coffee Project New York, a coffeeshop outfit with a training lab and roastery, alongside ChiSum Ngai. "It will taste almost like cardboard. You can still drink it, but it won't taste as good as when it's fresh," she says.

Storing Beans in the Freezer

While it may seem logical to stow your roasted coffee beans in the freezer (what could keep them fresher?), it's ultimately a mistake. Your trusty appliance impacts the bean' moisture levels, wreaking havoc on the original intense flavors. "It is best to store your beans in a container that shields it from air and moisture," Rubinstein advises. "Most coffee you would purchase in a 12-ounce bag already comes in the perfect container to store it." The idea that the freezer keeps coffee beans fresher for longer is an old wives' tale, he adds.

Still, there may be exceptions to the freezer rule. While freezing a whole bag of coffee (and constantly opening and closing it with each brew) results in deterioration, it's okay to divide the coffee into vacuum-sealed individual doses and remove each one from the freezer at brewing time, says Teoh.

Using Poor Quality Water

Coffee is 98 percent water, says Rubinstein, so it's a key component of the brewing process. If your water tastes funky, so will your java. But generally, if you live in an area where the local water tastes good or neutral, filtered water isn't necessary, he says.

Overlooking the Temperature

To brew flavorful coffee, the water should be at 202 degrees Fahrenheit, explains Rubinstein (a few degrees cooler or hotter is fine, so long as it's in the 200 to 208 degree zone). When the temperature is too low, your coffee will be under-extracted and taste sour, says Teoh. Conversely, if it's too high, it will be over-extracted and taste bitter.

A good-quality electric coffee brewer will already be programmed to brew at just the right temperature. If you're making pour-over coffee, consider a kettle with a thermometer. "You can also pull a kettle off the flame when it boils and count to 30—at that point, you'll have just about the right temperature," says Rubinstein.

Drinking From a Hard-to-Hold Mug

Your mug matters. The pleasure you get from your coffee cup can be highly subjective—your partner's preference for a café au lait bowl might not be your own. "For home users, I would suggest getting a mug that is comfortable to hold and makes you happy when you are using it," says Teoh. "The shape of the mug is important to capture the aromatic compound in the coffee competition world, but when you are at home, use a mug that is easy to clean and not too hot to hold."

Using a Dirty Coffee Pot

Make sure that you throw away used filters and coffee grounds, and rinse the equipment thoroughly before you brew the next pot. "Coffee oil will tend to stay in the pot and it will taste like rancid oil when not cleaned properly," says Teoh.

Forgetting to Descale Your Machine 

Proper maintenance also affects the finished product. So when your pot starts to smell like old coffee or develops a brown buildup, it's time to descale it.

To do so, mix together 1 cup of distilled white vinegar and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in your pot and fill the rest with water. Pour it into the reservoir, turn the coffee maker on, and run it through a brew cycle, then discard. Rinse it by running it through again with clean, cold water.

Storing Coffee in the Wrong Pot

Have you ever poured yourself a second cup, only to find that it's gone cold or bitter? The container may be the culprit. "Once coffee is brewed, it is better to store it in a metal carafe that is airtight, rather than a glass carafe that has a large opening," says Rubinstein. If your coffee machine comes with a metal carafe, you're already one step ahead of the game.