<p>great question.</p>

<p>There are a few factors that will give your coffee the flavor and such that you want.  To fully answer your question, we also need to understand some of your preferences and the answer may change slightly depending on your those.  </p>

<p>One General question is when you say "bitterness", do you mean "acidity" of the bean, or potentially a taste associated with the water (hard or soft water taste, possibly acidic water or akaline water)?  You may not know or be able to pinpoint what I mean.  I get two different flavor results from when I brew at work versus when I brew at home in the same french press with the same beans. </p>

<p>I personally find that some of the bitterness is caused by the process of brewing, which has a few factors.<br>
I personally enjoy the French Press, which not everyone has the availability or patience to do that.  I found that the French Press makes the taste stronger, but less bitter, and I can dial back the strength of the flavor based on the amount I use in the french press.<br>
Along those lines, the <strong>water</strong> you use can make a <strong>HUGE</strong> difference as well.  I try to make sure my water is always purified and from a clean container, and that the temperature is not too hot (personally between 180-190).  I worked at one place that had Keurigs, and some of them had the water container on the side.  I would have to wash those out and flush out the water inside before I got a "clean" non-bitter tasting cup of coffee, although they were used all day.  The company eventually switched to having an in-line water supply and filter for the Keurigs which greatly helped (when the water filter was clean).  Another company I worked for only had the "Bunn-O-Matic" and the bitterness was also caused by a build up of calcium inside the brewer as well as too hot of water (200F+).  I adjusted both of those things and would clean out the brewer weekly and people flocked to the coffee station after that.</p>

<p>Coffee type I think can be a factor depending on your method and your preference as well.  A few friends like lighter roasts so they don't get the acidity of the roast / coffee, which they consider to be the bitterness.  Some of those friends will also swear by "flavored" beans/grounds, as typically those are lighter roasts and the flavor will some of that bitterness they are referring to.  </p>

<p>I have also tried <a href="https://www.mysticmonkcoffee.com/" rel="noreferrer">Mystic Monk Coffee</a> and I find them to not be bitter for both their regular blends and their flavored blends.</p>

<p>Last suggestion, I have another friend and his wife both love Columbian coffee because of the flavor and it doesn't have the acidity, but it has some bitterness with the coffee flavor. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-05T14:17:33.473Z
Another possible suggestion, I have heard but not tried and possibly someone can elaborate, try __Cold Brew__ coffee.  I remember an old manager of mine would cold brew coffee overnight in a french press and he said it wasn't bitter.  He sometimes would have it cold, sometimes with cream, and sometimes would heat it up.
Keith E. Truesdell
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-05T18:00:00.303Z
Thanks for your answer. You ask about "acidity", but I'm unsure what this means, because to me acidity is what you find in lemons and vinegar (which I enjoy). My objection is to bitterness itself: the taste of beer and tonic water. Regarding water quality, my wife (a coffee lover) makes coffee at home with filtered water, and I still find it bitter - so I'm pretty sure it's not simply a question of changing the water. Thanks for suggesting Mystic Monk: reviews mention lack of bitterness, so it sounds interesting - although I'd have to order it all the way from the USA(!) :)
Chris Melville
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-05T18:04:42.023Z
Furthermore, I have looked up "Cold Brew Coffee", and it also looks promising. 2 questions though: some sources say it has "half the bitterness" of regular coffee. Can you confirm whether it's possible for Cold Brew to have *zero* bitterness? As "half" is still too much for me. I really am that sensitive to anything bitter. Secondly, is it possible to warm up the drink so you can drink it hot - but still retain whatever lack of bitterness it possesses? Or would heating it up suddenly turn it bitter again?
Chris Melville
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-05T18:42:20.277Z
Regarding "Cold Brew" coffee, I also want to clarify that this is not "Cold Coffee" or "Iced Coffee".  There is a process to actually brew it with cold water.  In my experience, and this could be my delusion as I haven't researched it, but brewing at higher temperatures (regardless of water quality) affect the acidity.  So possibly ask your wife (if possible) to brew at lower temps? Not sure your method, kettle, keurig, or something else that you might not have control over.  __However__ heating it up shouldn't turn it bitter again, based on what I remember from my old manager.
Keith E. Truesdell
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-05T18:47:06.220Z
Regarding the "acidity" and "bitterness"...instead of lemons, I think of the twinge of vinegar (clear not apple cider).  Vinegar is acidic.  Bitterness would be more like the hops of a good beer, though those could also be acidic.  __It sounds like__ you are correct in the bitterness.  I often hear people complain about the bitterness when they mean acidity, or vice-versa.
Keith E. Truesdell
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-05T18:48:57.487Z
Also, shoot Mystic Monk an email, they are a bunch of monks who are dedicated to their craft and may have another group somewhere else or know of someone else.  
Last, it might be a __combination__ of things to get the bitterness to where you like it.  Cold Brew, with Mystic Monk, heated up, light roast, possibly flavored.
Keith E. Truesdell
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-06T16:46:51.533Z
Thanks again Keith. Yes, I understood the point about cold brew not being the same as iced: I just wanted to ensure you *could* heat it up again to drinking temperature. Re bitterness: you mentioned hops in beer. This matches [this link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supertaster#Specific_food_sensitivities), where I match most of the foods/drinks in that list! Yes, it is definitely the bitter chemical to which I am especially sensitive, to the point of rejecting foods which contain it.
Chris Melville
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-06T17:35:06.780Z
Thank you Chris for all that.  I am really sorry you have this issue and sensitivity in general.  Overall, I know I can be verbose and I just wanted to make sure that others do understand what I am talking about, especially if they don't know that much about coffee and such.  Thank you for your responses!
Keith E. Truesdell
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-06T17:40:35.910Z
Nothing to be sorry about! It's just curiosity over coffee, mainly :) I enjoy most foods immensely, including lovely strong flavours of spiciness and sourness. It's only the bitterness I can't take. Thanks again.
Chris Melville
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-10-01T15:39:12.463Z
Coming back to this after some time, I have experimented more with Cold Brew in a French Press and found that the bitterness does dissipate dramatically.  I can't tell if its entirely gone though as some of it would still could be the natural and artificial flavor of the coffee and the roast.  I tried a Cold Brew Dark Roast and a Light Roast flavored to taste like a White Russian, and both I couldn't tell any bitterness.  I also did heat up both and they tasted the same, just hot, and couldn't detect any bitterness.  Again, that could be my taste, but compared to McD's coffee there was no bite
Keith E. Truesdell
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-05T14:03:18.883Z
2018-04-05T14:03:18.883Z
Keith E. Truesdell
<p>To answer this shortly, no there is no coffee that has no bitterness. Bitterness in coffee is determined by different factors on which I will elaborate a bit now.</p>

<p>First of all there are bitter substances naturally in coffee. The most obvious and widely known one would be caffein. However in truth only around 15% of the bitterness in coffee comes from caffein. There are hundreds of active substances in coffee, some of which are bitter. Most importantly are chlorogenic acids. They contribute most to the bitterness. So it is unlikely that you will ever find a coffee that has no trace of bitterness at all.</p>

<p>There are however some influenceable factors that contribute to bitterness. I want to address first the roasting process, bean type and origins and then preparation methods and some tweaks that might help.</p>

<h2> 1. <a href="https://www.livescience.com/9514-chemists-find-coffee-bitter.html" rel="noreferrer">Roasting</a></h2>

<p>As I've said before, key to how bitter coffee tastes are the kind of chemical compounds found in it. And the roasting process determines exactly this. When the beans are heated chlorogenic acids are broken down into first acid lactones and later in the roast process into phenylindanes. Chlorogenic acid itself is not bitter, but the compounds it breaks down into are and especially phenylindanes. As they appear later in the roasting, darker roasts tend to be more bitter than light roasts. So my advice here would be to try very light roasted beans. Here's another <a href="https://www.perfectdailygrind.com/2017/12/bitterness-coffee-always-bad-or-not/" rel="noreferrer">source</a> that also refers to some of the other points I'm making.</p>

<h2>2. Bean type and origin</h2>

<p>There are two main types of Beans, Arabica and Robusta with Robusta containing both much more caffein as well as chlorogenic acids. Thus stay clear of Robusta or mixed coffees, since it will add extra bitterness to your cup. Also in my experience light roasted african coffees, e.g. ethiopean or kenyan coffees are the mildest coffees when it comes to bitterness, but do have more acidity than central or south american coffees. </p>

<h2>3. Preparation methods</h2>

<p>First of all, avoid espresso. Because of the pressure applied to the coffee much more bitter compounds are extracted. A general rule of thumb is that with higher extraction you will extract more bitter compounds, that quickly dominate the flavor of the coffee. The bitter compounds are usually extracted at later stages of the extraction process, thus the shorter your extraction the less bitterness. I would suggest you try pour overs, as extraction can be controlled very well and they are just by design made for a cup of coffee with a brighter, more acidic flavor. V60 or even better a Chemex are your best options. The thick Chemex paper will filter more of the bitter compounds and leave more of the acidic, fruity, floral flavors. There are plenty of instructions on youtube or also here in the forum. Avoid overextraction due to a too small grind size, too high water-grounds contact time and too hot water (around 94°C would be perfect, you can go a bit lower however). Additionally make sure you have a good grinder that produces a consistent particle size. If the variation is too big (the downward variation in this case) and if the grinder produces too many fines (very small coffee particles), they will be over extracted and add bitterness.</p>

<h2>4. Possible tweaks</h2>

<ul>
<li>Adding a pinch of <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/coffee-add-salt-not-sugar-better-flavour-taste-cup-caffeine-bitterness-sodium-a7675916.html" rel="noreferrer">salt</a> to your coffee reduces bitterness.</li>
<li>Use freshly roasted whole bean coffee from your local specialty coffee shop (you can recognize them because they usually offer a variety of pour over methods and have a generally kind of hipstery look) as preground packs of coffee tend to be over-roasted to mask the low quality.</li>
<li>Grind fresh, with a good grinder and even filter out the fines (just sift it through a fine mesh filter)</li>
<li>Lastly you could look for a specialty coffee shop that offers whole light roasted decaf beans. Although caffein only plays a secondary role, it still is bitter and removing it might help reduce bitterness.
Of course there are other factors such as the water for example. However the answers there are not as straightforward and the influence arguably less than the above mentioned ones.</li>
</ul>

<p>I hope this can help you in your quest for finding a coffee that you like. I suggest you also go to some local roasters and talk to them. They might be able to help you, suggest coffees etc. and who knows, maybe you can even interest one of them in experimenting with roast profiles that minimize bitterness.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-16T17:33:16.547Z
avocado1 - I heard the "pinch of salt"  trick before and I have tried it before.  I think this will work to a small degree, and more dependent upon the roast and freshness as you have stated.  A few friends in the military have said they use that, mostly because they don't have access to fresh coffee and it helps that.  I worked in a factory and a few departments would do the salt trick as well, also because of the potential quality of the coffee and water going into it.  I think the salt trick works to scale the bitterness back if you know its going to be bad, but I don't think it stops it
Keith E. Truesdell
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-16T17:34:05.620Z
also, that is great formatting of the answer and how you have it broken down.  Keep it up!
Keith E. Truesdell
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-16T17:49:11.133Z
No, a pinch of salt alone will not stop bitterness. But as I've also stated, there will always be some bitterness in coffee. That's just the way coffee is like by definition and in the end there's nothing that can fundamentally change that. However I think applying all the suggestions I made can definitely help minimize bitterness. If it's still to better after following all the suggestions, it's probably time to quit and switch to alternatives like green tea. There you can reduce bitterness through proper preparation basically to zero and only get the desired umami and grassy taste.
avocado1
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-09T15:38:43.733Z
2018-04-16T17:55:49.733Z
2018-04-16T17:55:49.733Z
avocado1
<p>When reading about coffee roasting and searching around for espresso brewing, I have over the years learned that extracting coffee for too long will add bitterness to the coffee.</p>

<p>My experience also tells me that the roast of the particular bean makes a big difference in the bitterness. Currently, I roast Costa Rica Tarazzu Cumbre halfway between the first and second crack and do not find bitterness in my cup.</p>

<p>I started in the wrong order and bought an espresso machine as the first part but didn't find the coffee I liked. Then I bought a grinder (Rocky) but still didn't find what I was looking for. Lastly, I got a roaster and the magic showed.</p>

<p>Basically, once you start roasting your beans, you will find that you will get the truest coffee taste and least bitterness. From here on, it is a matter of finding the bean that is your favorite. The above mentioned is surely one of the least bitters I have had.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-07T15:55:34.917Z
And btw, roasted beans start to lose their flavor quite fast. So the coffee flavor of pre-roasted beans has a higher chance of giving you a bitter coffee. 
The optimum time for a coffee extraction is around two days after it is roasted. From then on it starts to lose those wonderful flavors and preserves the bitterness.
rule of thumb: 
green beans last around 2 years.
roasted beans last around 2 weeks.
ground coffee last around 2 hours after being in contact with oxygen.
(seem to remember reading this in "Home Coffee Roasting")
Michael
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-04-10T18:55:43.633Z
I have heard, but never tried, home roasting.  People using air popcorn poppers to more professional machines and everything in between.  So its interesting to hear the suggestion and ideas from that perspective.  
Do you think that self-roasting will change the bitterness and acidity based on the brew style (besides cold brew)?
Keith E. Truesdell
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-07T15:51:43.947Z
2018-04-07T15:51:43.947Z
Michael
<p>Look up Swedish Egg coffee! Egg coffee is DELICIOUS! The egg takes all of the bitterness away and you’re left with a smooth almost velvety texture.  Hands down best coffe I’ve ever tasted but it is a bit time consuming and you will need a French press. </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-04-10T18:56:44.303Z
thank you for that tip, I will have to try it.  Do you have any links or suggestions where to buy it?  Is there a tip on what to do with it or a certain way?
Keith E. Truesdell
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-09-02T16:15:41.667Z
2018-09-02T16:15:41.667Z
Erika
<p>You can reduce the bitterness of coffee, but maybe not to a level that you'll like.</p>

<p>(One friend said he couldn't stand bell peppers, explaining that if they tasted 10x as strong, I probably wouldn't like them, either. I've since asked people if there's a particular flavor they don't like, and heard a variety of surprising responses.)</p>

<p>Judging by the coffee at many cafes, lots of people must not mind bitter coffee or covering it up with sugar and cream. I think good coffee should be good black.</p>

<p>It's possible to buy tasty 100% dark chocolate from some artisan chocolate makers. They have to start with suitable beans and use well-tuned processes. Sloppy won't cut it.</p>

<p>Similarly, <strong>it is possible to make coffee that's not (very) bitter.</strong> It requires selecting suitable beans <em>and</em> applying a good process.</p>

<p>I don't know how to find suitable beans in general, but <strong>try 100% Kona coffee.</strong> (If it doesn't say “100%” then it’s heavily diluted.) I've found some other excellent beans from Mexico and Colombia. I think all of these were medium roast.</p>

<p><strong>Brewing technique is critical.</strong> Try using an AeroPress because it gives lots of control over the brewing variables, it limits extraction by brewing with a portion of the water (dilute it after brewing), and immersion methods are more forgiving.</p>

<p><a href="https://angelscup.com/blog/taste/coffee-extraction-sour-vs-bitter/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">This page on Angels’ Cup</a> has a helpful introduction to brewing variables and experimentation. To summarize from that and other sources:</p>

<p><strong>Over-extraction</strong> during brewing will cause bitter results. You can adjust that via: <strong>coarser grind,</strong> or <strong>shorter brewing time,</strong> or <strong>cooler brewing water</strong> [Angels’ Cup says hotter but other sources say cooler], or <strong>less agitation</strong> (stirring), or adjust the coffee:water ratio. These recommendations assume you're close, but any variable can be off in either direction.</p>

<p>All these adjustments <strong>can make the brew more sour,</strong> or too strong or weak, or otherwise unbalanced. There's a careful balance to achieve. They say temperature affects the sour notes more than the bitter notes.</p>

<p>(Heating the coffee afterwards should not make it more bitter, or not much, since it's no longer in contact with the grinds.)</p>

<p>Experiment! Start with adjusting the grind size. Finer grind makes for more bitter brew. Coarser grind makes for more sour brew. In between should be a happy trade-off.</p>

<p>Brewing is quite sensitive to grind size. <em>If you don't get an even grind, you'll have some large particles and some small particles, which makes for some bitter notes and some sour notes together.</em></p>

<p>Therefore you'll need <strong>a good burr grinder.</strong> (I took recommendations from <a href="https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/the-best-coffee-grinder/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this Sweethome review</a>.)</p>

<p>This <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/17/science/coffee-freeze-beans-grind.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">NY Times article</a> adds:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>… water extracts flavor from smaller coffee grounds faster than bigger ones. An inconsistent grind means sour taste from the small grains, and a bitter one from the big, all at the same time.</p>
  
  <p>… the colder the bean [when grinding], the more uniform particles it produced, and the more even the flavor.</p>
  
  <p>… put the beans in the freezer — just keep them packed air tight to avoid staleness and moisture.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>(However, the Baratza grinder is not designed for grinding frozen beans.)</p>

<p>Some tips to wrap up:</p>

<ul>
<li>Clean the grinder often (monthly?) and clean the brewing equipment daily so they don't accumulate rancid oils.</li>
<li>Try decaf. The decaffeination process reduces bitterness.</li>
<li>Try medium and light roasts.</li>
<li>Start with the AeroPress manufacturer's recipe, but don't stir 10 times. Put in the grinds, pour in the hot water up to #2, dab it with the stir stick a little to help it all get wet, wait 10 seconds, stir gently 2-3 times, then press.</li>
<li>Use a thermometer to get the water temperature right.</li>
<li>Use a scale to measure out the coffee.</li>
<li>Start with grind size #14 if you're using the Baratza Encore grinder. With 40 grind size steps, adjusting by ±1 step makes a noticeable taste difference.</li>
<li>Don't bother with inverted (upside down) methods--those tend to produce more bitter coffee, and they risk a mess with hot water.</li>
<li>A paper filter produces "smoother" tasting coffee than a bamboo filter does.</li>
<li>Don't bother pre-wetting the filter, at least not until you've experimented with more important variables. Pre-wetting will mainly let your water cool down.</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-10T22:33:53.303Z
There are some errors. Bitter compounds are less soluble than the acidic ones. Thus hot water extracts them faster. To decrease bitterness you should use cooler water.
The NY Times article also gets the extraction wrong. The smaller the grind the easier bitter compounds are extracted (which you say, but then you cite the NY Times). Thus a coarser grind can help reduce bitterness. The problem is that the coffee won't be balanced, it will be underextracted and taste somewhat sour. However it seems that this is what Chris prefers and it is the only way to reduce bitterness to a minimum.
avocado1
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-11T18:13:39.730Z
@avocado1 are you saying that hot water extracts bitter compounds faster than cold water does, or faster than it extracts acidic compounds? The recommendation to use hotter water comes from the referenced Angel's Cup page, but I do wonder if their “hotter water” recommendation is backwards. Do you have a good source for that? Which part of the NYT article is wrong on extraction?
Jerry101
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-12T11:14:01.297Z
That is exactly what I'm saying, since hotter water extracts faster in general and bitter compounds are extracted later in the extraction process. Acids are more soluble than the bitter compounds, thus they will also be extracted and in the cup, but the bitter flavors start dominating at some point. You obviously want some bitterness in coffee in general, the trick is to balance acidity, bitterness and body. The part where they speak of particle size. They state the right facts but draw a wrong conclusion. Smaller grind size, faster extraction, more bitterness (where they say more acidity).
avocado1
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-07T06:28:55.227Z
2018-04-16T06:32:26.263Z
2018-04-16T06:32:26.263Z
Jerry101
<p>Of course! </p>

<p>The main variable here are the beans; the process is of less importance. The main source of bitterness generally arises from beans that have been over roasted and have most of the flavor cooked out of them, unfortunately this is the case for many beans in popular places such as Starbucks and Peet’s. One quick way to tell is if the beans seem oily in the hopper; even worse if they have to chisel them off the sides of the grinder in order to grind them (not at all uncommon with these places). </p>

<p>I’m not affiliated with any of these shops, they’re opinions but backed by something factual. Here are some suggestions. </p>

<ol>
<li><a href="https://bluebottlecoffee.com/store/coffee" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Blue Bottle</a>’s beans are... never over roasted whether you’re in their Tokyo shop or San Francisco, or just buying their beans and making them at home. The <a href="https://bluebottlecoffee.com/store/costa-rica-lourdes-de-naranjo-vista-al-valle?product_type=perfectly_ground" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Costa Rica Lourdes de Naranjo Vista al Valle</a> is a personal favorite, you might not think it’s even coffee at first. </li>
<li><a href="https://shop.artiscoffee.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Artis Coffee</a> is also usually pretty good w.r. to the roasting quality. </li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-04-18T20:14:17.440Z
2019-04-18T20:14:17.440Z
ofey73
<p>I am afraid that <em>for you</em>, the answer may be “there isn’t”. </p>

<p>From your latest comments you are a supertaster, who will always perceive bitterness a lot stronger than the average consumer who will appreciate some bitterness as part of the full package of flavors. Here are a lot of good approaches to <em>reduce</em> the bitterness, but none will remove it entirely, at least not to a degree where you don’t perceive it as “too much”. Maybe you have to stick to coffee chocolate and keep enjoying the scent.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-10-15T21:16:35.933Z
Interesting; but my intuition (based on analysis of my own experience, but which nonetheless may be wrong!) is still that the situation is not hopeless. Bitterness plays a central role in the full package of flavours of chocolate - at least, certainly normal milk chocolate (maybe not white chocolate). Therefore, I would expect that if someone is incapable of enjoying in any form a package of flavours that includes the bitterness present in coffee, they would also have at least some difficulty enjoying chocolate (except maybe white chocolate).
Julian Newman
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-10-15T21:26:17.907Z
To clarify: I fully agree that most people's suggestions of "less bitter coffees" or ways to "reduce the bitterness" will reflect a lack of ability to easily empathise with those who do not share their own enjoyment of a strong bitter coffee. But nonetheless, imagine something like a fairly weak caffè latte, with a large proportion of the milk replaced by sweetened condensed milk: I think this could work! (I would probably choose to have this as iced drink rather than a hot drink.) Something along these lines can occasionally be found in Chinese restaurants, and it's really nice.
Julian Newman
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-10-17T22:32:43.707Z
(Sorry, I realise my sentence "I fully agree..." came out different in tone than genuinely what I intended. First, it's *not* any criticism of other people's nice and informative replies on this page: "most people" was not specifically targeted to people active on this post. Second, I did *not* mean people who love the bitterness of especially strong coffee and "can't empathise" with others who don't. I mean people who love the overall flavour package of what *I* [and presumably Chris Melville] consider a very bitter drink, without perceiving this level of bitterness as any kind of hindrance.)
Julian Newman
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-10-20T16:08:04.780Z
@JulianNewman No offense taken. Taste is always subjective, but there are in fact people who are hyper-sensitive to specific flavor compounds (typically bitterness) to a degree that what the average consumer may not even recognize as “bitter” is still too much for these individuals. And “masking” won’t work the way we average users are used to - the “good” flavors would be masked out even more.
Stephie
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-10-21T14:13:00.217Z
Thank you. As in my own (maybe not so clear) reply, what I am picturing is not *masking*, but something very different: *transforming* how bitterness is perceived within the overall package of flavours. I still suspect that someone who is able to enjoy milk chocolate - which is probably intensely bitter-tasting if you remove all the sugar - may also be able to enjoy the flavour of coffee, if this flavour is similarly brought out in such a manner that bitterness is no longer harsh but pleasantly supported by the other flavours [e.g. cream/milk + a lot of sugar, in well-chosen ratios].
Julian Newman
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-10-03T09:44:26.433Z
2019-10-03T09:44:26.433Z
Stephie
<p>I too, seem to be perpetually searching for the perfect coffee. I am not looking for sweetness, but I want the least bitter-tasting coffee. I am not at all familiar with coffee terminology, but I think of a light tasting coffee, when I think of non bitter. </p>

<p>I have yet to find a light tasting coffee that does not linger in mouth, I think I mean less aftertaste. However, I recently tried Bullet Proof brand of coffee and I was surprised by the lighter, less bitter taste of the "original" BF brand. I don't own a grinder so I don't buy whole bean, and I am referring to "black" coffee, nothing added. So I am continuing my search for the grail of coffees; but so far, the original Bullet Proof brand of coffee best meets my own requirements for the least bitter coffee.</p>

<p>Good luck on your own coffee journey </p>

<p>I can not say it is not bitter tasting at all, but it is less bitter than everything else I have tried, and I believe I have tried most Starbucks brands 
and BP original is the least bitter without adding any sugar,cream or other modifiers. I have tried adding 1/2 tablespoon clarified butter, to BP, and if I use a whisk and aerate it well; it is not bitter at all to me. </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-04-05T17:23:02.950Z
Thanks for the recommendation. Is "Bullet Proof" bitter *at all*? Or is it just less bitter than other coffees? I find that many people will recommend a coffee which they claim isn't bitter - however to my own hypersensitive taste, the bitterness is still very apparent.
Chris Melville
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-04-05T17:11:09.863Z
2019-04-05T18:26:49.853Z
2019-04-05T18:26:49.853Z
k raffieed
<p>I have only read through some of the answers. I am no coffee expert. I too was searching for non-bitter coffee, which is what brought me to this page. I know exactly what you mean by non-bitter coffee. I was visiting Hawaii and tried the Hualalai Coffee. And it wasnt bitter! I bought some there and on the back they even state: "without the bitter aftertaste (...) of many brews." But unfortunately I live in Canada and shipping it here would cost a ridiculous amount. So I just started googling for non-bitter coffees as well (not sweet just not bitter). Anyhow, if you're ever in Hawaii I suggest giving the Hualalai coffee a try. Cheers! </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-28T18:56:26.010Z
2019-07-28T18:56:26.010Z
2cute2btrouble
<p>Maybe try a light or medium roast honey sun processed coffee with a cold brew or pourover. 
e.g:
<a href="https://purecoffeeclub.com/honey-process-coffee/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://purecoffeeclub.com/honey-process-coffee/</a></p>

<p>BTW i am talking theory here. Some people have tastebuds which are extra sensitive to certain compounds and even minimal amount of that compound can taste overwhelming.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/body/articles/senses/supertaster.shtml" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/body/articles/senses/supertaster.shtml</a></p>

<p>Best of Luck.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-10-19T21:57:26.213Z
Please try to format your links. Perhaps add a little quote which can be format using the `>`.
JJJ
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-10-18T13:11:47.820Z
2019-10-18T13:11:47.820Z
Umesh
<p>Apologies, this is not actually an answer to your question [it's too long for a comment] - but it may be <strong>more</strong> useful to you than the answer to your question:</p>

<p>Crazy as this might sound given everything you've said, I would still suggest that the bitterness may be an integral part of what gives coffee the flavour that you enjoy smelling and having infused in chocolate - it's just that the bitterness needs to be within the right "flavour context". Like you, I love the coffee flavour, but cannot empathise with the love of a strong bitter cup of hot coffee that so many people have.</p>

<p>If you wish to enjoy that same coffee flavour on your tongue that you enjoy in your nose, I think the story is basically <em>exactly the same</em> as with chocolate: Pure cocoa has a gorgeously chocolately smell, and yet tastes overwhelmingly bitter; but when the cocoa is thoroughly submerged within a background of <em>both</em> rich dairy-creaminess <em>and</em> high sweetness -- just as in a good bar of milk chocolate -- the bitterness harmonises with the other flavours in such a manner as no longer to be harsh but actually to provide a gentle and pleasant effect, just like the pleasant smell. In this way, the wonderful flavour of cocoa that one can smell can also be tasted on the tongue, in a much clearer manner than if one were just to drink a hot cup of dissolved cocoa powder.</p>

<p>So likewise with coffee. There is simply no version or variant of the standard "morning cup of coffee" that you will be able to enjoy the taste of. Rather, you will need it in a different form where it is not only not too strong, but is also blended with a good non-watery dairy flavour and a lot of sweetness. Some possible suggestions:</p>

<p>Certain iced/refrigerated coffee drinks:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>Many supermarkets sell a drink by Starbucks called "Starbucks Doubleshot Espresso" - the potentially misleading name makes it sound like it should be your worst nightmare, but actually you might really like it and not find it bitter-tasting.</p></li>
<li><p>A lot of oriental restaurants serve "iced coffee", made with sweetened condensed milk. Sometimes (especially in Thai restaurants) the concentration of coffee is quite high, in which case it might still be too bitter for you; but I've been to some Chinese restaurants where the ratios are perfect and it does not feel at all bitter-tasting.</p></li>
<li><p>Some (larger) supermarkets will sell refrigerated "cappuccino" drinks made by German manufacturers. For German manufacturers of refrigerated coffee drinks, "cappuccino" typically means a good mixture of coffee and chocolate. These can taste really nice. [Edeka's version, if you ever encounter it, is particularly delicious.]</p></li>
</ul>

<p>Solid/dessert forms:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>In my experience, coffee mousse often has a good coffee flavour without feeling bitter-tasting.</p></li>
<li><p>Likewise for coffee gelato (although sometimes this is made with quite a high concentration of coffee, such that it might be too bitter).</p></li>
</ul>

<p>Hope this is useful to you and to future similarly paletted readers of this post!</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-05-07T18:52:36.133Z
Or just add cream and sugar to the coffee.  :-)
fixer1234
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-05T01:18:29.270Z
2018-05-05T01:18:29.270Z
Julian Newman
<p>I love the smell of coffee. I enjoy eating coffee chocolate. However I am unable to drink straight coffee, because it is so unbearably bitter for me.</p>

<p>Obviously, no-one is compelled to drink coffee - and I'm perfectly fine without it. However so many people enjoy this drink so much, and it would be nice if I could experience the same pleasure. The fact that I like the <em>flavour</em> of coffee (as when eating a coffee-flavoured sweet) tells me that if only I could find a variety of the drink which did not include the bitterness, then I would enjoy it.</p>

<p>I have asked this question of several people over the years, who have suggested that I try latté, for example - however the fact that the coffee is diluted by a large amount of milk does not solve the problem. It means less flavour - and yes, less bitterness - but the bitterness is still there.</p>

<p>The other day I was recommended to try an Ethiopian coffee called Bukeela. I was told that this was especially weak, and that I might be able to take it. So.. I tried it. I added lots of sugar. However it was still too much for me. Yes, the coffee was weak - but that just meant that the flavour was weaker. The bitterness was still present, and still made me unable to drink it. The sugar did not help. It simply meant that I had two tastes in my mouth simultaneously: sweet: but still bitter.</p>

<p>Edit: the related question on this site regarding "sweet coffee" does not address my question. Sweetness isn't the same thing as non-bitterness. As stated here, even if I add lots of sugar, I just get 2 tastes simultaneously: sweet and bitter. The bitterness is still there. That other question doesn't mention bitterness at all.</p>

<p>It seems that my taste buds are <em>especially</em> sensitive to anything bitter. I can not drink beer, and I dislike certain vegetables like broccoli and Brussels sprouts, because of their bitterness.</p>

<p>So the question for all you coffee experts is: does there exist a variety of coffee which retains the yummy flavour, but which has <em>no trace</em> of the unpalatable bitterness?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-05T08:11:50.067Z
Not a full (or even really partial) answer, but googling [Non bitter coffee](https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=non+bitter+coffee&rlz=1C1VSNE_enGB716GB716&oq=non+bitter+&aqs=chrome.0.0j69i57j0l4.2591j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8) provides quite a few answers
caird coinheringaahing
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-05T12:09:39.257Z
Possible duplicate of [Does sweet coffee exist?](https://coffee.stackexchange.com/questions/2424/does-sweet-coffee-exist)
MTSan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-05T13:55:32.710Z
I saw the question about sweet coffee already. It doesn't answer my question. It's not a duplicate. The other question involves relative sweetness, but makes no mention of bitterness. Sweetness isn't the same thing as "not bitter": as stated in my question, even if I add lots of sugar, I just get 2 tastes: sweet AND bitter. I want no bitterness at all.
Chris Melville
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-05T13:58:16.893Z
Googling "non bitter coffee" provides tips on how to make coffee LESS bitter, in the context of people who normally enjoy coffee but want to avoid the "over-bitter" burnt taste. I haven't yet found another site which mentions any coffee which isn't bitter AT ALL, for people like me who find ANY bitterness repulsive.
Chris Melville
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-05T14:00:16.893Z
By the way - if the answer to this question is simply "all coffee is bitter to some degree: a completely non-bitter coffee does not exist" then that's fine. But please don't seek to close my question because it hasn't been understood what I'm asking - thanks :)
Chris Melville
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-06T12:58:04.053Z
Have you looked into very light roasts?
Ivan Kapitonov
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-07T06:54:00.847Z
I got your point Chris. Still, keep the other question as a reference in the comments as they're quite related.
MTSan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-09-30T08:10:16.297Z
If it’s not only coffee‘s bitterness but other bitter foods that give you trouble: You may qualify as [supertaster](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supertaster)?
Stephie
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-10-01T09:37:52.343Z
@Stephie - yes, I am a supertaster. All the foods with the chemical “PROP” in are ones I dislike. I also can’t drink beer, as the bitterness makes it foul to me.
Chris Melville
<flavor><bean-varieties><tasting>
Does there exist a coffee which is not bitter?
Chris Melville
# Does there exist a coffee which is not bitter?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-04-04)

I love the smell of coffee. I enjoy eating coffee chocolate. However I am unable to drink straight coffee, because it is so unbearably bitter for me.

Obviously, no-one is compelled to drink coffee - and I'm perfectly fine without it. However so many people enjoy this drink so much, and it would be nice if I could experience the same pleasure. The fact that I like the *flavour* of coffee (as when eating a coffee-flavoured sweet) tells me that if only I could find a variety of the drink which did not include the bitterness, then I would enjoy it.

I have asked this question of several people over the years, who have suggested that I try latté, for example - however the fact that the coffee is diluted by a large amount of milk does not solve the problem. It means less flavour - and yes, less bitterness - but the bitterness is still there.

The other day I was recommended to try an Ethiopian coffee called Bukeela. I was told that this was especially weak, and that I might be able to take it. So.. I tried it. I added lots of sugar. However it was still too much for me. Yes, the coffee was weak - but that just meant that the flavour was weaker. The bitterness was still present, and still made me unable to drink it. The sugar did not help. It simply meant that I had two tastes in my mouth simultaneously: sweet: but still bitter.

Edit: the related question on this site regarding "sweet coffee" does not address my question. Sweetness isn't the same thing as non-bitterness. As stated here, even if I add lots of sugar, I just get 2 tastes simultaneously: sweet and bitter. The bitterness is still there. That other question doesn't mention bitterness at all.

It seems that my taste buds are *especially* sensitive to anything bitter. I can not drink beer, and I dislike certain vegetables like broccoli and Brussels sprouts, because of their bitterness.

So the question for all you coffee experts is: does there exist a variety of coffee which retains the yummy flavour, but which has *no trace* of the unpalatable bitterness?

**Tags:** flavor, bean-varieties, tasting

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Not a full (or even really partial) answer, but googling [Non bitter coffee](https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=non+bitter+coffee&rlz=1C1VSNE_enGB716GB716&oq=non+bitter+&aqs=chrome.0.0j69i57j0l4.2591j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8) provides quite a few answers  
> **username_2**: Possible duplicate of [Does sweet coffee exist?](https://coffee.stackexchange.com/questions/2424/does-sweet-coffee-exist)  
> **username_0**: I saw the question about sweet coffee already. It doesn't answer my question. It's not a duplicate. The other question involves relative sweetness, but makes no mention of bitterness. Sweetness isn't the same thing as "not bitter": as stated in my question, even if I add lots of sugar, I just get 2 tastes: sweet AND bitter. I want no bitterness at all.  
> **username_0**: Googling "non bitter coffee" provides tips on how to make coffee LESS bitter, in the context of people who normally enjoy coffee but want to avoid the "over-bitter" burnt taste. I haven't yet found another site which mentions any coffee which isn't bitter AT ALL, for people like me who find ANY bitterness repulsive.  
> **username_0**: By the way - if the answer to this question is simply "all coffee is bitter to some degree: a completely non-bitter coffee does not exist" then that's fine. But please don't seek to close my question because it hasn't been understood what I'm asking - thanks :)  
> **username_3**: Have you looked into very light roasts?  
> **username_2**: I got your point Chris. Still, keep the other question as a reference in the comments as they're quite related.  
> **username_4**: If it’s not only coffee‘s bitterness but other bitter foods that give you trouble: You may qualify as [supertaster](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supertaster)?  
> **username_0**: @username_4 - yes, I am a supertaster. All the foods with the chemical “PROP” in are ones I dislike. I also can’t drink beer, as the bitterness makes it foul to me.  

---

## 11 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2018-04-05. Score: 6 | Accepted answer

great question.

There are a few factors that will give your coffee the flavor and such that you want. To fully answer your question, we also need to understand some of your preferences and the answer may change slightly depending on your those.

One General question is when you say "bitterness", do you mean "acidity" of the bean, or potentially a taste associated with the water (hard or soft water taste, possibly acidic water or akaline water)? You may not know or be able to pinpoint what I mean. I get two different flavor results from when I brew at work versus when I brew at home in the same french press with the same beans.

I personally find that some of the bitterness is caused by the process of brewing, which has a few factors.  
I personally enjoy the French Press, which not everyone has the availability or patience to do that. I found that the French Press makes the taste stronger, but less bitter, and I can dial back the strength of the flavor based on the amount I use in the french press.  
Along those lines, the **water** you use can make a **HUGE** difference as well. I try to make sure my water is always purified and from a clean container, and that the temperature is not too hot (personally between 180-190). I worked at one place that had Keurigs, and some of them had the water container on the side. I would have to wash those out and flush out the water inside before I got a "clean" non-bitter tasting cup of coffee, although they were used all day. The company eventually switched to having an in-line water supply and filter for the Keurigs which greatly helped (when the water filter was clean). Another company I worked for only had the "Bunn-O-Matic" and the bitterness was also caused by a build up of calcium inside the brewer as well as too hot of water (200F+). I adjusted both of those things and would clean out the brewer weekly and people flocked to the coffee station after that.

Coffee type I think can be a factor depending on your method and your preference as well. A few friends like lighter roasts so they don't get the acidity of the roast / coffee, which they consider to be the bitterness. Some of those friends will also swear by "flavored" beans/grounds, as typically those are lighter roasts and the flavor will some of that bitterness they are referring to.

I have also tried [Mystic Monk Coffee](https://www.mysticmonkcoffee.com/) and I find them to not be bitter for both their regular blends and their flavored blends.

Last suggestion, I have another friend and his wife both love Columbian coffee because of the flavor and it doesn't have the acidity, but it has some bitterness with the coffee flavor.

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: Another possible suggestion, I have heard but not tried and possibly someone can elaborate, try __Cold Brew__ coffee.  I remember an old manager of mine would cold brew coffee overnight in a french press and he said it wasn't bitter.  He sometimes would have it cold, sometimes with cream, and sometimes would heat it up.  
> **username_0**: Thanks for your answer. You ask about "acidity", but I'm unsure what this means, because to me acidity is what you find in lemons and vinegar (which I enjoy). My objection is to bitterness itself: the taste of beer and tonic water. Regarding water quality, my wife (a coffee lover) makes coffee at home with filtered water, and I still find it bitter - so I'm pretty sure it's not simply a question of changing the water. Thanks for suggesting Mystic Monk: reviews mention lack of bitterness, so it sounds interesting - although I'd have to order it all the way from the USA(!) :)  
> **username_0**: Furthermore, I have looked up "Cold Brew Coffee", and it also looks promising. 2 questions though: some sources say it has "half the bitterness" of regular coffee. Can you confirm whether it's possible for Cold Brew to have *zero* bitterness? As "half" is still too much for me. I really am that sensitive to anything bitter. Secondly, is it possible to warm up the drink so you can drink it hot - but still retain whatever lack of bitterness it possesses? Or would heating it up suddenly turn it bitter again?  
> **username_5**: Regarding "Cold Brew" coffee, I also want to clarify that this is not "Cold Coffee" or "Iced Coffee".  There is a process to actually brew it with cold water.  In my experience, and this could be my delusion as I haven't researched it, but brewing at higher temperatures (regardless of water quality) affect the acidity.  So possibly ask your wife (if possible) to brew at lower temps? Not sure your method, kettle, keurig, or something else that you might not have control over.  __However__ heating it up shouldn't turn it bitter again, based on what I remember from my old manager.  
> **username_5**: Regarding the "acidity" and "bitterness"...instead of lemons, I think of the twinge of vinegar (clear not apple cider).  Vinegar is acidic.  Bitterness would be more like the hops of a good beer, though those could also be acidic.  __It sounds like__ you are correct in the bitterness.  I often hear people complain about the bitterness when they mean acidity, or vice-versa.  
> **username_5**: Also, shoot Mystic Monk an email, they are a bunch of monks who are dedicated to their craft and may have another group somewhere else or know of someone else.   Last, it might be a __combination__ of things to get the bitterness to where you like it.  Cold Brew, with Mystic Monk, heated up, light roast, possibly flavored.  
> **username_0**: Thanks again Keith. Yes, I understood the point about cold brew not being the same as iced: I just wanted to ensure you *could* heat it up again to drinking temperature. Re bitterness: you mentioned hops in beer. This matches [this link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supertaster#Specific_food_sensitivities), where I match most of the foods/drinks in that list! Yes, it is definitely the bitter chemical to which I am especially sensitive, to the point of rejecting foods which contain it.  
> **username_5**: Thank you Chris for all that.  I am really sorry you have this issue and sensitivity in general.  Overall, I know I can be verbose and I just wanted to make sure that others do understand what I am talking about, especially if they don't know that much about coffee and such.  Thank you for your responses!  
> **username_0**: Nothing to be sorry about! It's just curiosity over coffee, mainly :) I enjoy most foods immensely, including lovely strong flavours of spiciness and sourness. It's only the bitterness I can't take. Thanks again.  
> **username_5**: Coming back to this after some time, I have experimented more with Cold Brew in a French Press and found that the bitterness does dissipate dramatically.  I can't tell if its entirely gone though as some of it would still could be the natural and artificial flavor of the coffee and the roast.  I tried a Cold Brew Dark Roast and a Light Roast flavored to taste like a White Russian, and both I couldn't tell any bitterness.  I also did heat up both and they tasted the same, just hot, and couldn't detect any bitterness.  Again, that could be my taste, but compared to McD's coffee there was no bite  

---

### Answer by username_6 on 2018-04-09. Score: 10

To answer this shortly, no there is no coffee that has no bitterness. Bitterness in coffee is determined by different factors on which I will elaborate a bit now.

First of all there are bitter substances naturally in coffee. The most obvious and widely known one would be caffein. However in truth only around 15% of the bitterness in coffee comes from caffein. There are hundreds of active substances in coffee, some of which are bitter. Most importantly are chlorogenic acids. They contribute most to the bitterness. So it is unlikely that you will ever find a coffee that has no trace of bitterness at all.

There are however some influenceable factors that contribute to bitterness. I want to address first the roasting process, bean type and origins and then preparation methods and some tweaks that might help.

## 1. [Roasting](https://www.livescience.com/9514-chemists-find-coffee-bitter.html)

As I've said before, key to how bitter coffee tastes are the kind of chemical compounds found in it. And the roasting process determines exactly this. When the beans are heated chlorogenic acids are broken down into first acid lactones and later in the roast process into phenylindanes. Chlorogenic acid itself is not bitter, but the compounds it breaks down into are and especially phenylindanes. As they appear later in the roasting, darker roasts tend to be more bitter than light roasts. So my advice here would be to try very light roasted beans. Here's another [source](https://www.perfectdailygrind.com/2017/12/bitterness-coffee-always-bad-or-not/) that also refers to some of the other points I'm making.

## 2. Bean type and origin

There are two main types of Beans, Arabica and Robusta with Robusta containing both much more caffein as well as chlorogenic acids. Thus stay clear of Robusta or mixed coffees, since it will add extra bitterness to your cup. Also in my experience light roasted african coffees, e.g. ethiopean or kenyan coffees are the mildest coffees when it comes to bitterness, but do have more acidity than central or south american coffees.

## 3. Preparation methods

First of all, avoid espresso. Because of the pressure applied to the coffee much more bitter compounds are extracted. A general rule of thumb is that with higher extraction you will extract more bitter compounds, that quickly dominate the flavor of the coffee. The bitter compounds are usually extracted at later stages of the extraction process, thus the shorter your extraction the less bitterness. I would suggest you try pour overs, as extraction can be controlled very well and they are just by design made for a cup of coffee with a brighter, more acidic flavor. V60 or even better a Chemex are your best options. The thick Chemex paper will filter more of the bitter compounds and leave more of the acidic, fruity, floral flavors. There are plenty of instructions on youtube or also here in the forum. Avoid overextraction due to a too small grind size, too high water-grounds contact time and too hot water (around 94°C would be perfect, you can go a bit lower however). Additionally make sure you have a good grinder that produces a consistent particle size. If the variation is too big (the downward variation in this case) and if the grinder produces too many fines (very small coffee particles), they will be over extracted and add bitterness.

## 4. Possible tweaks

* Adding a pinch of [salt](https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/coffee-add-salt-not-sugar-better-flavour-taste-cup-caffeine-bitterness-sodium-a7675916.html) to your coffee reduces bitterness.
* Use freshly roasted whole bean coffee from your local specialty coffee shop (you can recognize them because they usually offer a variety of pour over methods and have a generally kind of hipstery look) as preground packs of coffee tend to be over-roasted to mask the low quality.
* Grind fresh, with a good grinder and even filter out the fines (just sift it through a fine mesh filter)
* Lastly you could look for a specialty coffee shop that offers whole light roasted decaf beans. Although caffein only plays a secondary role, it still is bitter and removing it might help reduce bitterness.
  Of course there are other factors such as the water for example. However the answers there are not as straightforward and the influence arguably less than the above mentioned ones.

I hope this can help you in your quest for finding a coffee that you like. I suggest you also go to some local roasters and talk to them. They might be able to help you, suggest coffees etc. and who knows, maybe you can even interest one of them in experimenting with roast profiles that minimize bitterness.

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: username_6 - I heard the "pinch of salt"  trick before and I have tried it before.  I think this will work to a small degree, and more dependent upon the roast and freshness as you have stated.  A few friends in the military have said they use that, mostly because they don't have access to fresh coffee and it helps that.  I worked in a factory and a few departments would do the salt trick as well, also because of the potential quality of the coffee and water going into it.  I think the salt trick works to scale the bitterness back if you know its going to be bad, but I don't think it stops it  
> **username_5**: also, that is great formatting of the answer and how you have it broken down.  Keep it up!  
> **username_6**: No, a pinch of salt alone will not stop bitterness. But as I've also stated, there will always be some bitterness in coffee. That's just the way coffee is like by definition and in the end there's nothing that can fundamentally change that. However I think applying all the suggestions I made can definitely help minimize bitterness. If it's still to better after following all the suggestions, it's probably time to quit and switch to alternatives like green tea. There you can reduce bitterness through proper preparation basically to zero and only get the desired umami and grassy taste.  

---

### Answer by username_11 on 2018-05-05. Score: 5

Apologies, this is not actually an answer to your question [it's too long for a comment] - but it may be **more** useful to you than the answer to your question:

Crazy as this might sound given everything you've said, I would still suggest that the bitterness may be an integral part of what gives coffee the flavour that you enjoy smelling and having infused in chocolate - it's just that the bitterness needs to be within the right "flavour context". Like you, I love the coffee flavour, but cannot empathise with the love of a strong bitter cup of hot coffee that so many people have.

If you wish to enjoy that same coffee flavour on your tongue that you enjoy in your nose, I think the story is basically *exactly the same* as with chocolate: Pure cocoa has a gorgeously chocolately smell, and yet tastes overwhelmingly bitter; but when the cocoa is thoroughly submerged within a background of *both* rich dairy-creaminess *and* high sweetness -- just as in a good bar of milk chocolate -- the bitterness harmonises with the other flavours in such a manner as no longer to be harsh but actually to provide a gentle and pleasant effect, just like the pleasant smell. In this way, the wonderful flavour of cocoa that one can smell can also be tasted on the tongue, in a much clearer manner than if one were just to drink a hot cup of dissolved cocoa powder.

So likewise with coffee. There is simply no version or variant of the standard "morning cup of coffee" that you will be able to enjoy the taste of. Rather, you will need it in a different form where it is not only not too strong, but is also blended with a good non-watery dairy flavour and a lot of sweetness. Some possible suggestions:

Certain iced/refrigerated coffee drinks:

* Many supermarkets sell a drink by Starbucks called "Starbucks Doubleshot Espresso" - the potentially misleading name makes it sound like it should be your worst nightmare, but actually you might really like it and not find it bitter-tasting.
* A lot of oriental restaurants serve "iced coffee", made with sweetened condensed milk. Sometimes (especially in Thai restaurants) the concentration of coffee is quite high, in which case it might still be too bitter for you; but I've been to some Chinese restaurants where the ratios are perfect and it does not feel at all bitter-tasting.
* Some (larger) supermarkets will sell refrigerated "cappuccino" drinks made by German manufacturers. For German manufacturers of refrigerated coffee drinks, "cappuccino" typically means a good mixture of coffee and chocolate. These can taste really nice. [Edeka's version, if you ever encounter it, is particularly delicious.]

Solid/dessert forms:

* In my experience, coffee mousse often has a good coffee flavour without feeling bitter-tasting.
* Likewise for coffee gelato (although sometimes this is made with quite a high concentration of coffee, such that it might be too bitter).

Hope this is useful to you and to future similarly paletted readers of this post!

> **Comments:**
> **username_16**: Or just add cream and sugar to the coffee.  :-)  

---

### Answer by username_7 on 2018-04-07. Score: 4

When reading about coffee roasting and searching around for espresso brewing, I have over the years learned that extracting coffee for too long will add bitterness to the coffee.

My experience also tells me that the roast of the particular bean makes a big difference in the bitterness. Currently, I roast Costa Rica Tarazzu Cumbre halfway between the first and second crack and do not find bitterness in my cup.

I started in the wrong order and bought an espresso machine as the first part but didn't find the coffee I liked. Then I bought a grinder (Rocky) but still didn't find what I was looking for. Lastly, I got a roaster and the magic showed.

Basically, once you start roasting your beans, you will find that you will get the truest coffee taste and least bitterness. From here on, it is a matter of finding the bean that is your favorite. The above mentioned is surely one of the least bitters I have had.

> **Comments:**
> **username_7**: And btw, roasted beans start to lose their flavor quite fast. So the coffee flavor of pre-roasted beans has a higher chance of giving you a bitter coffee.  The optimum time for a coffee extraction is around two days after it is roasted. From then on it starts to lose those wonderful flavors and preserves the bitterness. rule of thumb:  green beans last around 2 years. roasted beans last around 2 weeks. ground coffee last around 2 hours after being in contact with oxygen. (seem to remember reading this in "Home Coffee Roasting")  
> **username_5**: I have heard, but never tried, home roasting.  People using air popcorn poppers to more professional machines and everything in between.  So its interesting to hear the suggestion and ideas from that perspective.   Do you think that self-roasting will change the bitterness and acidity based on the brew style (besides cold brew)?  

---

### Answer by username_8 on 2018-09-02. Score: 4

Look up Swedish Egg coffee! Egg coffee is DELICIOUS! The egg takes all of the bitterness away and you’re left with a smooth almost velvety texture. Hands down best coffe I’ve ever tasted but it is a bit time consuming and you will need a French press.

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: thank you for that tip, I will have to try it.  Do you have any links or suggestions where to buy it?  Is there a tip on what to do with it or a certain way?  

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### Answer by username_9 on 2018-04-07. Score: 4

You can reduce the bitterness of coffee, but maybe not to a level that you'll like.

(One friend said he couldn't stand bell peppers, explaining that if they tasted 10x as strong, I probably wouldn't like them, either. I've since asked people if there's a particular flavor they don't like, and heard a variety of surprising responses.)

Judging by the coffee at many cafes, lots of people must not mind bitter coffee or covering it up with sugar and cream. I think good coffee should be good black.

It's possible to buy tasty 100% dark chocolate from some artisan chocolate makers. They have to start with suitable beans and use well-tuned processes. Sloppy won't cut it.

Similarly, **it is possible to make coffee that's not (very) bitter.** It requires selecting suitable beans *and* applying a good process.

I don't know how to find suitable beans in general, but **try 100% Kona coffee.** (If it doesn't say “100%” then it’s heavily diluted.) I've found some other excellent beans from Mexico and Colombia. I think all of these were medium roast.

**Brewing technique is critical.** Try using an AeroPress because it gives lots of control over the brewing variables, it limits extraction by brewing with a portion of the water (dilute it after brewing), and immersion methods are more forgiving.

[This page on Angels’ Cup](https://angelscup.com/blog/taste/coffee-extraction-sour-vs-bitter/) has a helpful introduction to brewing variables and experimentation. To summarize from that and other sources:

**Over-extraction** during brewing will cause bitter results. You can adjust that via: **coarser grind,** or **shorter brewing time,** or **cooler brewing water** [Angels’ Cup says hotter but other sources say cooler], or **less agitation** (stirring), or adjust the coffee:water ratio. These recommendations assume you're close, but any variable can be off in either direction.

All these adjustments **can make the brew more sour,** or too strong or weak, or otherwise unbalanced. There's a careful balance to achieve. They say temperature affects the sour notes more than the bitter notes.

(Heating the coffee afterwards should not make it more bitter, or not much, since it's no longer in contact with the grinds.)

Experiment! Start with adjusting the grind size. Finer grind makes for more bitter brew. Coarser grind makes for more sour brew. In between should be a happy trade-off.

Brewing is quite sensitive to grind size. *If you don't get an even grind, you'll have some large particles and some small particles, which makes for some bitter notes and some sour notes together.*

Therefore you'll need **a good burr grinder.** (I took recommendations from [this Sweethome review](https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/the-best-coffee-grinder/).)

This [NY Times article](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/17/science/coffee-freeze-beans-grind.html) adds:

> … water extracts flavor from smaller coffee grounds faster than bigger ones. An inconsistent grind means sour taste from the small grains, and a bitter one from the big, all at the same time.
>
> … the colder the bean [when grinding], the more uniform particles it produced, and the more even the flavor.
>
> … put the beans in the freezer — just keep them packed air tight to avoid staleness and moisture.

(However, the Baratza grinder is not designed for grinding frozen beans.)

Some tips to wrap up:

* Clean the grinder often (monthly?) and clean the brewing equipment daily so they don't accumulate rancid oils.
* Try decaf. The decaffeination process reduces bitterness.
* Try medium and light roasts.
* Start with the AeroPress manufacturer's recipe, but don't stir 10 times. Put in the grinds, pour in the hot water up to #2, dab it with the stir stick a little to help it all get wet, wait 10 seconds, stir gently 2-3 times, then press.
* Use a thermometer to get the water temperature right.
* Use a scale to measure out the coffee.
* Start with grind size #14 if you're using the Baratza Encore grinder. With 40 grind size steps, adjusting by ±1 step makes a noticeable taste difference.
* Don't bother with inverted (upside down) methods--those tend to produce more bitter coffee, and they risk a mess with hot water.
* A paper filter produces "smoother" tasting coffee than a bamboo filter does.
* Don't bother pre-wetting the filter, at least not until you've experimented with more important variables. Pre-wetting will mainly let your water cool down.

> **Comments:**
> **username_6**: There are some errors. Bitter compounds are less soluble than the acidic ones. Thus hot water extracts them faster. To decrease bitterness you should use cooler water. The NY Times article also gets the extraction wrong. The smaller the grind the easier bitter compounds are extracted (which you say, but then you cite the NY Times). Thus a coarser grind can help reduce bitterness. The problem is that the coffee won't be balanced, it will be underextracted and taste somewhat sour. However it seems that this is what Chris prefers and it is the only way to reduce bitterness to a minimum.  
> **username_9**: @username_6 are you saying that hot water extracts bitter compounds faster than cold water does, or faster than it extracts acidic compounds? The recommendation to use hotter water comes from the referenced Angel's Cup page, but I do wonder if their “hotter water” recommendation is backwards. Do you have a good source for that? Which part of the NYT article is wrong on extraction?  
> **username_6**: That is exactly what I'm saying, since hotter water extracts faster in general and bitter compounds are extracted later in the extraction process. Acids are more soluble than the bitter compounds, thus they will also be extracted and in the cup, but the bitter flavors start dominating at some point. You obviously want some bitterness in coffee in general, the trick is to balance acidity, bitterness and body. The part where they speak of particle size. They state the right facts but draw a wrong conclusion. Smaller grind size, faster extraction, more bitterness (where they say more acidity).  

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### Answer by username_10 on 2019-04-18. Score: 3

Of course!

The main variable here are the beans; the process is of less importance. The main source of bitterness generally arises from beans that have been over roasted and have most of the flavor cooked out of them, unfortunately this is the case for many beans in popular places such as Starbucks and Peet’s. One quick way to tell is if the beans seem oily in the hopper; even worse if they have to chisel them off the sides of the grinder in order to grind them (not at all uncommon with these places).

I’m not affiliated with any of these shops, they’re opinions but backed by something factual. Here are some suggestions.

1. [Blue Bottle](https://bluebottlecoffee.com/store/coffee)’s beans are... never over roasted whether you’re in their Tokyo shop or San Francisco, or just buying their beans and making them at home. The [Costa Rica Lourdes de Naranjo Vista al Valle](https://bluebottlecoffee.com/store/costa-rica-lourdes-de-naranjo-vista-al-valle?product_type=perfectly_ground) is a personal favorite, you might not think it’s even coffee at first.
2. [Artis Coffee](https://shop.artiscoffee.com/) is also usually pretty good w.r. to the roasting quality.


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### Answer by username_4 on 2019-10-03. Score: 3

I am afraid that *for you*, the answer may be “there isn’t”.

From your latest comments you are a supertaster, who will always perceive bitterness a lot stronger than the average consumer who will appreciate some bitterness as part of the full package of flavors. Here are a lot of good approaches to *reduce* the bitterness, but none will remove it entirely, at least not to a degree where you don’t perceive it as “too much”. Maybe you have to stick to coffee chocolate and keep enjoying the scent.

> **Comments:**
> **username_11**: Interesting; but my intuition (based on analysis of my own experience, but which nonetheless may be wrong!) is still that the situation is not hopeless. Bitterness plays a central role in the full package of flavours of chocolate - at least, certainly normal milk chocolate (maybe not white chocolate). Therefore, I would expect that if someone is incapable of enjoying in any form a package of flavours that includes the bitterness present in coffee, they would also have at least some difficulty enjoying chocolate (except maybe white chocolate).  
> **username_11**: To clarify: I fully agree that most people's suggestions of "less bitter coffees" or ways to "reduce the bitterness" will reflect a lack of ability to easily empathise with those who do not share their own enjoyment of a strong bitter coffee. But nonetheless, imagine something like a fairly weak caffè latte, with a large proportion of the milk replaced by sweetened condensed milk: I think this could work! (I would probably choose to have this as iced drink rather than a hot drink.) Something along these lines can occasionally be found in Chinese restaurants, and it's really nice.  
> **username_11**: (Sorry, I realise my sentence "I fully agree..." came out different in tone than genuinely what I intended. First, it's *not* any criticism of other people's nice and informative replies on this page: "most people" was not specifically targeted to people active on this post. Second, I did *not* mean people who love the bitterness of especially strong coffee and "can't empathise" with others who don't. I mean people who love the overall flavour package of what *I* [and presumably username_0] consider a very bitter drink, without perceiving this level of bitterness as any kind of hindrance.)  
> **username_4**: @JulianNewman No offense taken. Taste is always subjective, but there are in fact people who are hyper-sensitive to specific flavor compounds (typically bitterness) to a degree that what the average consumer may not even recognize as “bitter” is still too much for these individuals. And “masking” won’t work the way we average users are used to - the “good” flavors would be masked out even more.  
> **username_11**: Thank you. As in my own (maybe not so clear) reply, what I am picturing is not *masking*, but something very different: *transforming* how bitterness is perceived within the overall package of flavours. I still suspect that someone who is able to enjoy milk chocolate - which is probably intensely bitter-tasting if you remove all the sugar - may also be able to enjoy the flavour of coffee, if this flavour is similarly brought out in such a manner that bitterness is no longer harsh but pleasantly supported by the other flavours [e.g. cream/milk + a lot of sugar, in well-chosen ratios].  

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### Answer by username_12 on 2019-04-05. Score: 3

I too, seem to be perpetually searching for the perfect coffee. I am not looking for sweetness, but I want the least bitter-tasting coffee. I am not at all familiar with coffee terminology, but I think of a light tasting coffee, when I think of non bitter.

I have yet to find a light tasting coffee that does not linger in mouth, I think I mean less aftertaste. However, I recently tried Bullet Proof brand of coffee and I was surprised by the lighter, less bitter taste of the "original" BF brand. I don't own a grinder so I don't buy whole bean, and I am referring to "black" coffee, nothing added. So I am continuing my search for the grail of coffees; but so far, the original Bullet Proof brand of coffee best meets my own requirements for the least bitter coffee.

Good luck on your own coffee journey

I can not say it is not bitter tasting at all, but it is less bitter than everything else I have tried, and I believe I have tried most Starbucks brands
and BP original is the least bitter without adding any sugar,cream or other modifiers. I have tried adding 1/2 tablespoon clarified butter, to BP, and if I use a whisk and aerate it well; it is not bitter at all to me.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks for the recommendation. Is "Bullet Proof" bitter *at all*? Or is it just less bitter than other coffees? I find that many people will recommend a coffee which they claim isn't bitter - however to my own hypersensitive taste, the bitterness is still very apparent.  

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### Answer by username_13 on 2019-07-28. Score: 3

I have only read through some of the answers. I am no coffee expert. I too was searching for non-bitter coffee, which is what brought me to this page. I know exactly what you mean by non-bitter coffee. I was visiting Hawaii and tried the Hualalai Coffee. And it wasnt bitter! I bought some there and on the back they even state: "without the bitter aftertaste (...) of many brews." But unfortunately I live in Canada and shipping it here would cost a ridiculous amount. So I just started googling for non-bitter coffees as well (not sweet just not bitter). Anyhow, if you're ever in Hawaii I suggest giving the Hualalai coffee a try. Cheers!


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### Answer by username_14 on 2019-10-18. Score: 2

Maybe try a light or medium roast honey sun processed coffee with a cold brew or pourover.
e.g:
<https://purecoffeeclub.com/honey-process-coffee/>

BTW i am talking theory here. Some people have tastebuds which are extra sensitive to certain compounds and even minimal amount of that compound can taste overwhelming.

<https://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/body/articles/senses/supertaster.shtml>

Best of Luck.

> **Comments:**
> **username_15**: Please try to format your links. Perhaps add a little quote which can be format using the `>`.  

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