Why Your Drip Coffee Tastes Bitter (And How to Fix It)
By John | Charleston, SC
There is a specific humidity that hangs over Charleston in the morning. If you live here, you know it—it’s that heavy, salt-air thickness that greets you the second you step onto your porch. In this climate, coffee isn't just a caffeine delivery system; it’s a grounding ritual. It’s the one thing I can control before the Lowcountry heat takes over.
My name is John. I’m not a barista champion, and I don’t own a roastery. I’m just a guy who got tired of spending $6 on a pour-over that tasted like battery acid. I started Dr. Drip Coffee to document my descent into the rabbit hole of extraction theory.
The truth is, most people treat drip coffee like a microwave meal: push a button and walk away. But if you want a cup that actually tastes like the "notes of blueberry and jasmine" promised on the bag, you have to respect the chemistry.
1. The Grind Consistency (The Burr Imperative)
If you take nothing else away from this site, let it be this: Throw away your blade grinder.
Blade grinders don't grind coffee; they shatter it. You end up with a mixture of fine dust and large boulders. When you pour hot water over that mess, the dust over-extracts instantly (creating bitterness), and the boulders under-extract (creating sourness). Your cup becomes a confused, muddy mix of both.
To get clarity in the cup, you need a conical burr grinder. You want particles that are uniform in size so they all cook at the same rate. Think of it like baking cookies—you wouldn't put a golf-ball-sized dough chunk next to a dime-sized one and expect them to finish at the same time.
2. Thermal Stability & The Bloom
Most cheap automatic drip machines fail because they can’t keep the temperature stable. They cough out water at 185°F, then surge to 210°F. Coffee needs stability—ideally between 195°F and 205°F.
Whether you are using a V60, a Chemex, or a high-end Technivorm, you must watch the bloom. Wet the grounds just enough to dampen them, wait 45 seconds, and watch the bubbles rise. That is the flavor unlocking.
3. Water Chemistry
Coffee is 98.5% water. Here in Charleston, our tap water can be a bit heavy on chlorine or mineral content depending on where you are in the city. If your water tastes like a swimming pool, your coffee will too.
You don't need distilled water (in fact, you need some magnesium to bond with flavor compounds), but you do need filtered water. A simple charcoal filter makes a massive difference. If you want to get geeky, we can talk about Third Wave Water packets later, but for now, just stop using water straight from the tap.
4. The Golden Ratio
Stop eyeballing it. "One scoop per cup" is a lie because roast densities vary. A scoop of light roast weighs more than a scoop of dark roast.
Get a kitchen scale. The golden ratio is 1:16. For every 1 gram of coffee, use 16 grams of water.
- 30g Coffee = 480g Water (Standard mug)
- 60g Coffee = 1000g Water (Full pot)
This ratio provides the perfect balance of strength and extraction yield. It’s not magic; it’s math.
Stick around. I'll be reviewing local roasters here in SC and breaking down more brewing methods soon.
