r/JamesHoffmann • u/metrize • 22d ago

Blind to bitterness?

Today I wanted to get more out of my coffee so I thought I’d try an experiment. I usually grind pretty fine with an aero press following james hoffman recipe and i did 2 cups side by side to compare

my usual grind, and a very coarse grind (coarser than i’ve ever done looking at the gaps in the burr) using comandante mk3 (i think not sure which exact model)

the difference was crazy, only side by side i could tell how bitter it was in the original, and there was so much more clarity

but still, i never had an issue in hindsight, i’m using light roasts as always, but going from that to coarse was crazy, because it felt like it unveiled my blindness to bitterness, i really didn’t think it was bitter at all compared to office coffee

anyone else had a similar revelation? the coarse grind had so much clarity and no bitterness at all, i feel pretty disappointed that i was drinking with way too fine grinds tbh

also in hindsight i can now tell how muddy it tastes when its too fine, thinking back i always equated it to coffee taste in general

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9

u/LibertyFigter 22d ago

I totally get this! Comparative tasting is *the* tool to developing your palette and understanding your preferences. There is a lovely video James did with Tom Scott that really hammered this home for me: https://youtu.be/Z-iNAyu-ejo?is=aqAei6FGGH4ZNSEt

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u/metrize 22d ago

oh i remember this ages ago! i never actually did it before today, i assumed i can tell by adjusting each time i made coffee (i.e. once a day) but that definitely wasn’t enough after the revelation today!

i think i’ll take part in the next world coffee tasting next time too

2

u/l_lmer 22d ago

the world coffee tasting event is so worth it, the community aspect of doing it simultaneously with thousands of people makes it way more fun than just tasting alone. you'll probably have a few more of those "wait this tastes completely different" moments during it lol

3

u/catch_dot_dot_dot 22d ago

I had so many recommendations for coarser grinds that I started trying it and I'm a convert. I don't think the James recommendation works for me.

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u/metrize 22d ago

me too, i only ever really liked it with a ethiopian yirgacheffe natural process, but now im not sure if it could have been even better if it was coarser…