How to make bitter coffee taste better with a surprising ingredient

Brewing coffee is a science and an art, and there's a fine line between too bitter and just right. Coffee is inherently bitter due to its caffeine content. In general, children don't like coffee for that very reason. But as we grow into adulthood, many of us learn to override the bitter flavors to cash in on the benefits. We like the energy boost a cup of coffee can provide, the aroma of brewing beans, and the social aspects of sharing a warm drink in a convivial atmosphere. All that being said, there are boundaries. And an excessively bitter cup of coffee is likely to prompt pursed lips in the most ardent coffee drinker.

Watch the video to learn how to make coffee less bitter

Why is my coffee so bitter?

Only 10-15 percent of coffee's bitterness comes from caffeine. Indeed, if the bitterness of your coffee is unacceptable, the problem may well be low-grade beans or a bad brewing technique. Buying low-quality beans will inevitably affect the taste of your brew. Beans that are a mixture of ripe and unripe coffee cherries, defective beans damaged by things like fungus or insects, or beans that are just too old, can all produce an intolerable degree of bitterness.

Of course, the higher the grade of coffee you use, the less the chance of your cup of Joe being bitter. However, even top-quality coffee can become unpalatable if you don't get the science right. Mistakes include:

• Using the wrong sized beans. Grinding coffee beans changes how the flavor compounds dissolve. If they're too finely ground, the result may be a bitter-tasting brew.

• Brewing your beans for too long, essentially overcooking them.

• Making the water too hot. According to the National Coffee Association, 195°F to 205°F is the ideal temperature for optimal extraction.

• Using dirty coffee-making equipment so that all the nasties that accumulate inside affect the taste of your drink.

How does salt make coffee less bitter?

Bitter coffee can be fixed to a certain extent by adding a dash of salt to your brew. The salt essentially acts as a masking agent. The bitterness itself doesn't actually go away, but the salt inhibits our ability to detect it. That's an excellent band-aid solution. But of course, as with everything, when it comes to bitter coffee, prevention is better than cure.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How to make bitter coffee taste better