Fix Sour vs Bitter in 3 Steps
When a shot tastes off, move quickly: classify the taste, apply the three corrections, and keep your workflow stable so improvements stick.
Classify the taste
- Sour / thin: under-extracted.
- Bitter / drying: over-extracted.
3-step correction
1) Grind. For sour → finer; for bitter → coarser. Keep dose fixed.
2) Ratio. For sour → slightly longer (e.g., 1:2.0 → 1:2.3). For bitter → slightly shorter.
3) Temperature. For sour → consider +1–2 °C; for bitter → −1–2 °C.
Prep matters: Channeling can mimic sourness. Keep the top flat and tamp level. If you want a quick, repeatable leveling pass, a
54 mm Gravity Distributor helps. If early sprays are common on your machine, trying a
54 mm Puck Screen can smooth the start.
Stabilize
- Change one variable at a time.
- Keep dose constant; write down grind clicks/steps.
- Revisit water: KH/GH in the 40–80 ppm bands keeps flavor predictable (see Water Basics).
FAQ
I fixed sourness but lost body—now what?
After going finer/longer, nudge temp down 1 °C or shorten the ratio slightly to bring sweetness and body back.
My shots are inconsistent day to day.
Lock tamp and distribution; consider a spring-loaded tamper if you dislike thinking about force every morning.