You have been using the same coffee brand and the same brewing method since ages – however, one day you wake up and suddenly you realize that your Keurig coffee doesn’t taste good anymore. That is certainly not a very good feeling.
It rather tastes bland and watery and you are pretty sure that your Keurig coffee tastes sour – which can actually spoil not just your mood but your entire morning. And no one wants to have a bad day because of bad coffee.
We all love our mornings to start fresh and full of energy. The reason we like to start our day with coffee is not only because of its energy boosting properties, but due to the fact that coffee is a treat for our taste buds, too.
Keurig Coffee Brewers & Coffee Taste
The Keurig brewing system is a pod-based coffee appliance and has dominated most of the households as well as offices.
Even though it minimizes preparation time as well as cleaning up time in this ridiculously fast moving and stressful world, many critics agree that these machines produce mediocre if not terrible tasting coffee.
There is a reason why coffee tastes terrible. By the time it gets to the consumer, it has already become out-of-date.
The reason is that it has been ground for days or maybe even weeks before we even drink it. If its pre-ground and packed into vacuum-sealed pods then the consumer experiences an ultimate convenient brewing experience.
Make Stronger Coffee With Keurig My K-Cups
In order to take your everyday coffee game up a notch, you can use the Keurig my K-cups for the rich, aromatic taste. Keurig K-cup is a brewing system designed to brew a single cup of coffee, it can also brew any other hot or cold beverage.
You can use dark, medium and light roasted K-cups, it all depends on how you want your coffee. If you want your coffee bold and strong, then dark roasted K-cups are appropriate as they brew stronger coffee.
Medium roast coffee is less strong than the dark roasted K-cup but tastes great. If you want to have weak/mild coffee, then light roast should be your go to K-cup.
There are a lot of reasons why your coffee doesn’t taste the way it should. Let us look at the ways via which you can make your Keurig coffee taste better, thus indulging in the rich aroma.
1 – Choose Water Mindfully for Better Tasting Coffee
Another tip on how to make keurig coffee taste better is choosing the right amount of water. In fact, a good, rich and strong cup of coffee is largely dependent on water amount.
The water tank of the machine must be refilled every morning. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you waste water and subsequently money. If you are using bottled water and have a reservoir of 80 ounces, then you must not fill it all the way up.
It also depends on the number of cups you brew every day. Let’s suppose you brew 4 cups a day, then you can add up to 40 ounces in the reservoir and pour the fresh water next day when it’s time for your next coffee dose.
The preferred water to use is bottled or filtered water. If you use tap water in Keurig, then its advised to use a water filter. However, this filter must be replaced every couple of month or so. Distilled water should not be used in Keurig and the sensor in its water reservoir fails to detect distilled water.
2 – Using Reusable K-cup
If you are an avid coffee lover who prefers a strong 8 oz. cup of coffee, then you need about 2 full table spoons of coffee. This makes about 14-15 grams of coffee. Most of the reusable K-cups cannot contain this much coffee.
A convenient way to get a strong cup of coffee is to use dark roasted coffee. You can brew it at 8 or 6-ounce setting.
Fill the filter basket with the coffee, ensuring it’s not filled past the top of the mesh. Its more convenient with the 2.0 K-cup filter as it has a visible Max fill line.
All you need to do is fill the filter with the ground coffee and ensuring you do not fill past the Max fill line.
Now gently tap the filter on the counter and level the top. Do not press the coffee. For best results, brew at 6 or 8-ounce cup setting.
3 – Perfect Coffee for Better Tasting Keurig K-cups
Choosing the right ground coffee plays the most vital role while drinking coffee from reusable Keurig K-cups.
If you prefer your coffee to be strong or you drink coffee in large cups, then dark roast would be the appropriate choice for you. In this case, buy coffee labelled dark or French roast.
If you prefer light coffee, then breakfast blends would work well for you. They do taste watery and diluted when poured in large cups, not making them everyone’s favourite choice.
4 – Adding a Hint of Salt
If you are running out of time to run your most important chores, and cannot drink the bitter coffee either, then you can neutralize the taste a bit with little bit of salt. Keep in mind that only a very small amount does the trick and you don’t have to put in large quantity as it will make the coffee undrinkable for you.
You need to just put enough amount to neutralize the acidity and make sure to bring coffee’s natural bold flavours.
5 – Choose Smaller Ounce Settings
Regardless of the size you select which is 6 oz, 8 oz or 10 oz. The amount of coffee grounds used is the same. Bigger size would indicate that the coffee would be watery. It is better if you opt for the 6-ounce or 8-ounce cup.
You will get a noticeable boost in flavour, aroma and taste just by making this small change.
6 – Keurig Hacks
Once you have a K-cup and you still want stronger brew, you can take the reusable filter by inserting a used K-cup’s body into it. This will create a double chamber for you.
This will keep the water in for longer time and increases the extraction process. This hack is for those who love their coffee bold and strong.
7 – Pre-heat the Machine for Better Flavour
Most Keurig machines don’t heat water to high temperature which is optimum for the perfect taste. They are set to brew coffee at 192 degrees Fahrenheit default temperature, but as per the National Coffee Association, optimum temperature for brewing is between 195 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit.
This means that one needs to be careful of the brewing temperature as anything under 195 degrees F leads to flat and under-extracted coffee. Later models give you the option of selecting the temperature, but don’t get close to the optimum temperature.
8 – Double the K-cups
If you are the kind of person who essentially functions on coffee and can barely go without it, then you might be prone to drinking large size cups to get the perfect doze of caffeine.
However, as mentioned above, large size cup actually means weak and watered-down coffee. What you can do to get the maximum and strong flavour of your liking is to brew two cups instead of one K-cup to get the most out of your coffee.
This way, you can get the stronger coffee but in the same size that you feel is appropriate for you to kick start your day.
9 – Less Brewing Time
The amount of time that the coffee beans are in contact with water is imperative. This is another potential problem with Keurig and other coffees.
Even though Keurig takes pride in the fact that it gets you a hot cup of coffee quickly and easily, but as they say, good things come to those who wait. So, a good cup of coffee must not be rushed either.
As per the National Coffee Association (NCA), the contact time between hot water and ground coffee beans should be about 5 minutes. Whereas Keurig brews coffee in a matter of seconds.
The less than optimum contact time combined with the water temperature leads to a watery and weak flavoured coffee.
10 – Pulling Out in Time
You heard it right… but we are referring to removing the coffee mug before the water drops get inside.
To make it simple and clear, the last few drops contain hot water only as the K-cup has already been used. This means that the ground coffee has been roasted into the cup already.
So instead of waiting for the flow to stop altogether, it is much more logical to pull the cup out of the machine when it has been brewed instead of just letting it sit there which only adds drops off water to it to give it a watery and weak flavour.
You need to be careful and not burn yourself during the process of pulling out.
11 – Disassemble your Keurig
If your Keurig is still brewing slowly, is clogged and you seem to have tried every trick there is, then there is a possibility that you might have to take it apart. Otherwise you won’t experience the rich taste that you normally do.
By taking it apart we mean you need to disassemble the machine to look for possible causes that might be causing the slow dripping. However, you need to have mechanical skills as well as technical and analytical mind in order to disassemble the machine.
You can also find detailed user guides on how to disassemble a Keurig machine.
12 – Brew Your Coffee After Grinding the Beans
Once the grinding process happens, it immediately exposes coffee beans to oxygen, this exposure to oxygen triggers a chemical reaction that annihilates the flavour and aroma. The aromatic compounds degrade via process called oxidation.
For best results, you should brew your coffee shortly after grinding the coffee beans.
13 – Cleaning Your Keurig K-cup Coffee Maker
When your Keurig coffee tastes burnt, then it’s a sign for you to clean your machine. If you keep ignoring it then you will not enjoy your morning with a fresh and aromatic cup of coffee.
You need to thoroughly clean the K-cup holder. An unpleasant aftertaste means that oil must be building up inside the machine. It is of utmost importance that the dirt and coffee grounds are cleaned thoroughly as they come in contact with the coffee on a daily basis.
At least once a month, the K-cup holder must be washed thoroughly to your satisfaction. The cleaning process takes 10 to 15 minutes, so it’s neither tiring nor a time-consuming process.
Coffee grounds around the K-cup holder should also be cleaned. A soft brush or paper towel can be used to clean any dirt or coffee grounds around the filter holder.
The water reservoir can grow slimy stuff if it’s not cleaned on a regular basis. It must be washed at least once a week. Once its cleaned your coffee smells better and fresher.
14 – Descaling Keurig K-cup Coffee Machine to Restore Taste
The most effective way to descale Keurig machine is using white vinegar. It is a disinfectant, has acidic properties to dissolve the residue accumulating within the machine.
Fill the water reservoir with vinegar and keep brewing till it runs out. After this process, run a few cycles with water to get rid of the smell of vinegar. If the smell of vinegar is too strong for you, then you can use water and lemon juice for the descaling process.
In order for the machine to work efficiently and effectively, it is recommended to descale it every 3 months. It helps clean the minerals, germs, bacteria and the residue accumulating in the machine which refrain it from performing at its optimum.
You need to know that usually coffee brewed in a Keurig tastes bad after descaling especially if it is due to the acidic build-up after cleaning with vinegar. It can leave a pungent smell which can make the coffee taste stale and sour.
A Quick Wrap Up on Understanding Your Coffee Taste
Remember that simple problems have simple solutions. If you are wondering why your Keurig coffee doesn’t taste good anymore, you do not need to worry too much as fixing it is quite doable and quick.
In order to drink coffee that is not sour, does not taste bitter, it’s better to use Keurig K-cups. These single cups of coffee will give you fresh and strong flavored coffee with your specific taste with no leftover waste.
The Keurig K-cups easily solve the problem of weak coffee, but one must keep in mind that they don’t come cheap – a single serving can cost you around $0.80 and for 1 pound, around $30.
Follow the aforementioned tips to improve a perfectly brewed cup of Joe from your Keurig coffee brewer.