Sergei Mitrofanov, marketing director at coffee company Svarshchitsa Ekaterina, has identified the most common mistakes that stop people getting good coffee out of their home coffee machines, and explained how to avoid them. He shared the findings with the Russian news outlet Lenta.ru.
Mitrofanov said that even a costly coffee machine does not guarantee a tasty result, because the outcome depends not just on the equipment itself but on how it is used. He explained that water quality, the wrong choice of beans, delayed servicing of the machine and incorrect settings can all affect the taste of the coffee and leave owners questioning their purchase.
Checking the settings
According to Mitrofanov, most home coffee machines have relatively few adjustable parameters, but even those few settings are often left untouched after purchase, despite having a major effect on the finished drink.
He said that if the coffee turns out watery and lacks flavour and aroma, that is a sign the machine's settings need attention. His advice was to first increase the strength of the drink, which in most machines is done by increasing the amount of ground coffee used per serving. After that, he suggested trying a higher water temperature, and, on models that allow it, slightly extending the extraction time.
Choosing the right beans
Mitrofanov also pointed to the wrong choice of roast as a common error. He said light-roast beans are not suitable for home coffee machines, since they do not have time to fully develop their flavour during the brewing process. For that reason, he recommended choosing medium or dark roast blends instead.
Freshness matters just as much, he added. Ideally, coffee should have been roasted between two and six weeks earlier, according to the expert.
Keeping the machine clean
Mitrofanov said it is also important to clean a coffee machine regularly. Otherwise, coffee oils that build up inside the brewing unit can make the drink taste bitter or give it an unwanted aftertaste.
Coffee machines brew espresso-based drinks by forcing hot water through ground coffee under pressure, a process where small changes in grind amount, water temperature and extraction time can noticeably change the taste of the final cup.
Scientists have previously found that regularly drinking coffee lowers the risk of developing breast cancer.
