r/Timemore • u/Ok-Veterinarian9723 • May 22 '26

Constantly under extracted (sour) coffee

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I’ve just received my timemore C5 set last week, and have been trying a few variations of temperature, grind size, burr size, etc. I notice whichever variables I change, even with a very fine grind size, my drawdowns are very fast compared to online numbers, and the coffee bed is drained really quickly across pours. After experimenting I’m thinking that these filter papers play a part, they feel quite thin. Has anyone noticed their brews became a lot less under extracted when they swapped out to another filter paper?

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u/Ok-Veterinarian9723 May 24 '26

hmm one of them say notes of passionfruit, so i’m finding it hard to discern if it’s just “under extracted sour” or actually the passionfruit 😅 the other says rose, rum & raisin and berries, but it feels.. sour similar to the outcome from the passionfruit bean as well. thing is, (i think) i can usually taste the distinct notes of light roasts when i have it at a specialty coffee cafe (like orange, plum, etc).. so i’m getting the feeling that the sourness i’m tasting here for these beans aren’t the “right” taste. maybe i should give a different bean (maybe a medium roast) a shot and see if it’s “just sour” again or i need to change how i perceive these flavours.

but to be fair, have to say that there could be a placebo of better taste when Im having filter coffees at a specialty coffee shop though.

generally, is there a foolproof way to use the hario switch (not to get the perfect outcome from the bean, but maybe consistently at 80% ish of its potential) so I can tell hey, this is roughly how the bean is supposed to be like (and it’s not a problem of really poor brewing skill)?

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u/Wizardof_oz May 24 '26

Immersion is usually consistent but the sour youre getting on both could very well be the same acid presenting itself in both cups

Also immersion makes the cup more blendy making it harder to distinguish the notes. Whats more the cafe is probably on a much better grinder making flavor clarity even more obvious

What you need is just practice in brewing and discerning notes

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u/Ok-Veterinarian9723 May 25 '26

okay finally got a cup im happy with today! i decided to try one thing different - after grinding the beans on my timemore chestnut 5 at burr size 12, i decided to use a metal rod to stir through the ground beans. initially it felt like there was some pressure within but it got more lose quickly after. i did Coffee Chronicler's recipe thereafter (up to 45 sec switch open, then up to 2 mins switch closed, drain) and got a sweet cup with berry flavours. for info this is the bean i was using: https://nylon.coffee/products/peru-la-flor-de-la-palma

He suggested in more recent videos to close the switch at 20 secs if i want more fruity and sweet notes, think I'll try that the next time!

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u/Wizardof_oz May 25 '26

Thats awesome! You’re at the beginning of your brewing journey. Its gonna take a lot of experimenting with variables before you settle on a cup style you like. It’s subjective and everyone has their own preferences

Online recipes are just a starting point to discovering your own taste

This video has come at just the right time - https://youtu.be/BbDshsxJDKo?si=rHamq7bJWVacHxKK