Why Did My Coffee Come Out Watery (And How To Fix It)
People drink coffee for different reasons. It is a beverage that is consumed worldwide in different ways and quantities.
If your coffee is turning out weak, you are doing something wrong while preparing it. Let’s find out what that is.
Reasons Your Coffee is Weak and How You Can Fix it
People like coffee because of its strong taste. Coffee enthusiasts around the world would agree that the worst coffee is weak coffee.
Your coffee could be tasting weak for several reasons.
Whatever it is, you can fix the terrible watery taste and get back to your regular aromatic and robust coffee. You just need to figure out why your coffee is tasting weak.
Once you understand the reason, you will be able to work on making your coffee taste better.
Here are some reasons your coffee tastes weak:
Using Less Coffee
Let’s look at the most obvious reason first. A common reason why your coffee could be coming out watery is not using enough coffee.
Water has a big ratio in this beverage. You must perfect it to have a good cup of java every time.
The brewing process requires a significant amount of coffee; not balancing that ratio will produce weak and watery coffee.
Perhaps you are following a ratio that is not suited for your brewing equipment.
You can search for the balance you require for your coffee-making equipment, or you can follow the following coffee-to-water ratios:
- Regular Coffee Maker – 1:15
- French Press – 1:14
- Pour Over – 1:15
- Espresso: 1:2
- Moka Pot – 1:7
As evident, every machine requires a different ratio, and the coffee will come out different if you use a standard ratio for every kind of machine.
Try these ratios and see if your watery coffee transforms into a smooth blend of aromatic, strong, and flavorful cups of coffee.
You can try different combinations that are near these ratios and adjust them to find your perfect ratio.
That said, it is better not to move up from the 1:18 ratio because this will surely give you a watery coffee.
If adjusting the coffee-to-water ratio doesn’t work, you can consider other possibilities.
Not Using Fresh Beans
Coffee tastes best when it is made from fresh beans. At times, coffee goes stale when you are not using it enough or haven’t stored it correctly.
If your coffee is weak and watery, it could be because it has been on the shelf for too long.
A simple solution is to store your coffee beans in a cool and dark place. Try to keep it away from warmth. Remember, your coffee beans are not meant to be stored for too long.
If you only drink coffee occasionally, you can find different ways to utilize your package.
For instance, you could add a tiny bit of coffee when you make hot chocolate or a chocolate cake and be amazed at how it enhances the cocoa flavor.
Not Brewing Coffee Long Enough
Brewing the coffee is a holy process.
You shouldn’t interrupt or stop the process before it has finished, or you will end up with watery coffee because it didn’t have enough time to mix together.
Not giving it enough time to extract will mean the coffee flavor hasn’t been fully immersed with water, leading to flavorless and watery coffee.
Every machine has a different time for brewing to make the perfect cup of coffee.
Often people don’t realize this and end up with a watery beverage. This is also why your coffee ends up sour.
You can fix your coffee by simply changing your brewing time according to the machine you have.
Here is how you should adjust the timing with respect to your coffee-making machinery:
Regular Coffee Maker
If you have a regular coffee maker, you would want to let the coffee brew for three to five minutes. If your coffee finished dripping before this time, there is something wrong.
Coffee that gets brewed too early will get you watery coffee. The problem could be your grind, or there may be an issue with your machine.
Espresso
A good espresso is all about the marriage of coffee and water. The proper ratio will produce a good cuppa.
Remember, espresso needs to be brewed for about 30 seconds only.
Since the time is short and the pressure is high, you must ensure that the water hits the coffee entirely.
French Press
Many people like the French press and consider it a fine device for making coffee. You can brew your coffee for four minutes, and it will always come out as the perfect cup of coffee.
Cold Brew
Now a cold brew is the absolute opposite of espresso. While the latter takes moments to brew a cup, cold brew can take a good chunk of your day to brew your coffee.
You must let your coffee brew for up to 14 to 18 hours to make sure you have a strong, rich, and flavorful cup of coffee.
Many people prefer to begin a cold brew in the evening so that they can make a nice hot cup of coffee in the morning.
The Grind Size isn’t Right
Size matters, no matter what people say. Using the right grind size will make the coffee delicious, and you won’t have to bear watery, distasteful coffee.
The grind size you choose should resonate with the brewing method you use. Since brewing only requires two ingredients, you must be careful about three things:
- Pick quality ingredients (even water)
- Pick the right grind
- Brewing it correctly
Each brewing method requires a different type of grind to produce a good cup of coffee. You will end up with bad-tasting and watery coffee when you use the wrong grind.
You can grind your own coffee beans if you are a coffee enthusiast and wish to experiment to see which grind works best with your brewing method.
However, if you wish to grind coffee at home, you will need a burr grinder since a mortar and pestle or any other kitchen tool will not produce an even grind size.
You can also find different grind sizes commercially available to see which best suits your needs. The following are the grind sizes that can go well with varying methods of brewing:
Espresso
Espresso requires a fine grind. Since the brewing only lasts a few seconds, it needs something with a strong flavor to result in a rich, strong taste.
French Press
If you are using a French press to brew your coffee, you need a coarse grind. However, some people would argue that a medium grind is a much better alternative.
You just need to explore to find the right pick.
Cold Brew
Since a cold brew method takes a long time, the perfect fit for it is a coarse grind.
When these coarse coffee beans are immersed in the water for a long time, they will produce a fantastic cup of coffee that you will look forward to devouring every morning.
Regular Drip Coffee Maker
When choosing the right grind for a regular coffee maker, you must ensure that it is not uneven.
In case it is, the coffee will turn out weak and watery because the water wouldn’t have passed through the coffee evenly.
You are Using a Weak Coffee Variant
Sometimes you have all the complicated things on point, but it is the simplest thing that requires your attention.
At times, we don’t pick the right roast from the market and then complain about the taste. Every roast will give you a different taste.
Perhaps you are not choosing the right coffee as per your preferences. This means you must take a market trip and explore the many available roasts and variants.
The coffee market has grown so much that you can easily find products that will give you intense flavor and make your coffee rich.
In order to achieve a more robust taste in your coffee and make it less watery, you can pick a darker roast. A dark roast is roast more intense in flavor because it is roasted longer.
That said, there are also some dark roasts that are roasted for so long that they release their oils and make your coffee too bitter tasting.
Find your roast pair, and you will be able to make excellent tasting, rich coffee every day at your home.
The Final Takeaway
Nobody likes watery coffee. If your coffee has been coming out watery, weak, or terrible tasting, you must figure out what is causing that.
Once you know the answer, you can fix it by changing your coffee brewing method.
You might also need to adjust the coffee to water ratio, or switch your coffee variant. Brewing your coffee for a longer time might help too!
There are plenty of ways to fix a watery coffee.
If none of these work, perhaps it is time to invest in a different coffee machine or ditch coffee-making altogether and try a coffee shop for your caffeine fixes.