Does your coffee taste bland and watery? There could be several reasons for this, so, why does my coffee taste watery?
Coffee can taste watery because of incorrect size or brewing. There are also some cases where the coffee grounds you are using are simply weak tasting, so you need to brew it for a longer period or use more for the taste to be stronger. Nevertheless, watery coffee is easy to fix.
Do you want to know more why your coffee tastes watery? Find out here!
Why Does My Coffee Taste Watery
You might not be able to fully enjoy the amazing flavors of your cup of coffee if it’s watery. But why is it watery in the first place? Here are the common reasons why your coffee taste watery:
Coffee is Not Brewed Long Enough
Coffee needs to saturate water for it to release its flavors fully. This is why the coffee will taste weak when it is brewed too quickly. On a side note, there is also a limit on how long brewed coffee will stay fresh.
Wrong Coffee Ground Size
Coffee ground size can significantly affect how flavorful your cup of coffee is. If it is too coarse, your coffee will taste acidic or water. However, if it is ground too finely, it might have a bitter aftertaste.
Weak Tasting Coffee
Another reason your coffee tastes watery is that you are using a bag of lightly roasted coffee beans. These types of beans typically have a weaker taste compared to dark roast. Perhaps you are reusing coffee grounds for a second cup and that is the reason your coffee is watery.
Not Enough Coffee
This might sound like a no-brainer, but a lot of people’s coffee tastes watery simply because they are not using enough coffee to begin with. You need to know how much coffee grounds or how many coffee beans to use per cup. This is why it’s important to pay attention to your coffee bean type and know the recommended amount to be used when brewing.
How to Make Coffee Less Watery
Don’t suffer from weak-tasting coffee. Instead, take note of the following tips to avoid it at all costs:
Brew it Longer
As mentioned above, one of the reasons why your coffee tastes water is probably because you didn’t brew it long enough. This is why you should know how long you should brew your coffee.
The duration of coffee brewing differs depending on the type of bean that you are using and the brewing method. To avoid watery coffee, it’s recommended to brew your coffee for 5 minutes if you are using a drip system. Meanwhile, if you are using a French Press, brew it for between 2 to 4 minutes.
You can get a stronger coffee flavorful if you brew it for a longer period. It needs to be said that, stronger coffee doesn’t mean more caffeine, despite what others say.
Use Dark Roast Coffee
Lightly roasted coffee has more delicate flavors. Meanwhile, dark roast coffee has more straightforward flavors. If your goal is to have a strong-tasting coffee, you should opt for a dark roast coffee.
Consider what you do with your coffee grounds, do coffee grounds clog sinks? is a question i get asked a lot – Check out that article to find out more!
Degass Your Coffee
If you prefer a strong, full-flavored cup of coffee, then you should not skip the process of degassing it. Coffee degassing might be an unfamiliar term. But, its concept is quite simple. It is the process of releasing gases from roasted coffee.
When roasting coffee beans, gasses such as carbon dioxide form inside it. If it isn’t degassed properly, these bubbles will affect the brewing process and make your coffee taste watery. This is because the carbon dioxide in it replies to water, making it less flavorful.
Does Weak Coffee Have Less Caffeine
There’s this idea going around that “weak coffee” is less caffeinated.
Here, “Weak coffee” refers to those that are less flavorful and watery rather than caffeine content. Although this idea is not entirely wrong because the strength of caffeine in coffee is mostly determined by its coffee-to-water ratio.
Check this related article on does strong coffee mean more caffeine, a similar topic that will help give you the answer you need.
When a cup of coffee has a lower coffee-to-water ratio, it tastes more water and contains less caffeine as well.
But, what exactly is the right coffee to water ratio? The golden ratio is 1 to 2 tablespoons of ground coffee for six ounces of water. With this, your coffee will not taste watery. But, you can adjust it according to your own personal preference.
The right amount of caffeine in your coffee can help you stay active and alert throughout the day. However, you need to make sure that you shouldn’t go over the tolerable limit of 400 milligrams of caffeine daily. Or else, you might experience the following adverse side effects:
- Headache
- Nausea
- Upset stomach
- Heart palpitation
- Restlessness
- Jitters
- Insomnia
Just like other things, coffee with caffeine should only be consumed moderately.
Why is my Keurig Making Watery Coffee
Keurig is one of those machines that will help make your life easier; it allows you to get a good cup of coffee without much effort. However, it isn’t perfect, and there are instances where you might feel like it’s making watery coffee. But why exactly is this happening? Here are some of the probably causes:
Keurig Needle Blockage
One of the reasons why your Keurig might be making watery coffee is because of the needle for the k-cup. Keurig machines typically have two needles that puncture the K-cup; one for the entrance and the other for the exit. Boiling water shoots out from the upper needle, but in some cases, this might have some blockage causing the water to leak out without coming in contact with the inside of the K-cup. When this happens, you get more water and less coffee, making it taste watery.
Keurig K-cup is Not Strong Tasting
Another reason why your Keurig is making watery coffee is probably because of the K-cup itself. You might have a k-cup which is mild tasting. If this is the case, the solution is simple; replace your K-cup with a stronger tasting one.
There are plenty of K-cup flavors that are full-bodied and compatible with Keurig machines. Try them out so that you can find the flavor that best fits your taste.
Final Words
We dived into, why does my coffee taste watery, because we all know a cup of aromatic and flavorful coffee can help set your day in the right direction.
The grind size, insufficient coffee for brewing might be to blame. Another reason is the coffee itself is simply not strong enough
Take some of the steps mentioned here and I’m sure your coffee will be less watery!
