How often do you wake up looking forward to that first cup of Joe for the day, only to pour out a cloud of coffee? Quite a major turn-off, is it not?
However, figuring out why this happens can help you fix your coffee.
Why Is My Regular Coffee Cloudy?
Before you brew that perfect cup of coffee, you have to go through trial and error. Initially, you may make bitter, sour, or weak coffee because you haven’t struck the right balance yet.
Similarly, sometimes you might end up with cloudy coffee. Once you figure out the right formula, you will be able to prepare great-looking and excellent-tasting coffee every day.
There could be a few reasons why your coffee is becoming cloudy. Let’s explore the reasons:
Minerals from the Water
Coffee is mostly water. Hence, the primary reason your coffee is turning cloudy could be hard water. Most people get hard water in their taps. When they prepare coffee using this water, it turns cloudy.
Using fresh cold water to make your coffee will produce the best coffee.
Very Fine Grind
Using the wrong kind of grind can cause your coffee to become cloudy. Coffee that is ground for too long turns into a fine powder.
When you brew this grind, the coffee grinds may end up in the coffee pot, regardless of using a filter.
Grind size can majorly affect how your coffee turns out. Hence, using the right coffee grind with the right coffee-making tool is essential.
Why Is My AeroPress Coffee Cloudy?
Suppose you put two cups of coffee next to each other where one is brewed using a regular coffee maker, and the other is made using AeroPress.
You will notice that the one made with AeroPress is a little cloudier than an average cup. However, typically, coffee shouldn’t appear that way and should be well blended and smooth.
If your AeroPress coffee looks a bit too cloudy, there could be a couple of reasons for it. Here are some of them:
You Haven’t Cleaned Out Your AeroPress
An AeroPress coffee maker needs to be cleaned out regularly. If you have put off cleaning for too long and continued making coffee using the device, this could be the reason why your coffee is cloudy.
Cleaning your AeroPress after every use will make your coffee smoother because there will be no internal build-up.
You must change your habit of reusing your AeroPress without cleaning it first. A dirty AeroPress will produce contaminated coffee which is unsafe for consumption.
Your Coffee-Making Methods Aren’t Correct
Brewing that perfect cup of coffee requires some skills. As mentioned, you may make some mistakes in the process.
However, you can turn those mistakes into lessons by tweaking your methods every time until you have hit the mark.
Some people are unable to make good coffee because they don’t know how to operate the coffee-making tool. Every tool is different and requires a different method.
Understanding the workings of your AeroPress will help you understand what you are doing wrong and fix your mistakes.
Here are some mistakes you could be making:
Brewing Your Coffee Too Long
An espresso machine, regular drip, AeroPress, etc., all have different brewing times. It is essential to brew coffee for as long as required for your specific tool to ensure your coffee turns out well.
Brewing coffee too long in an AeroPress is wrong and will surely give you a murky and cloudy cup of Joe.
Do not brew your coffee longer than 2.5 minutes because this will surely turn your coffee cloudy.
Brewing at a Very High Temperature
Regular coffee is brewed at a very high temperature, between 195° to 205℉. Most people do not realize that AeroPress doesn’t require such a high temperature.
You can brew some very good coffee at 175℉ using an AeroPress. High temperatures could be turning your coffee cloudy. Try making coffee at this temperature and see the difference.
Fine Grounds
AeroPress requires a mid-fine grind. Using a very fine grind will turn the coffee cloudy just like it does when using the regular drip method.
Changing your grind size will not only make your coffee smoother, but it will also make it more flavorful.
Pressing Forcefully
As mentioned, knowing how to operate your coffee-making tool is essential. If you have explored all other reasons, the fault could be in your pressing.
You must ensure you are not applying too much pressure while pressing because that can also make your coffee cloudy. Lower the force of your pressure and analyze if you see a difference.
Why Is My Chemex Coffee Cloudy?
Chemex coffee makers can produce the best java if you use it correctly. There could be several reasons why your coffee is turning out cloudy when using a Chemex:
These reasons are all a combination of reasons why your regular and AeroPress coffee would be turning out cloudy.
Some of the reasons that we have already discussed for AeroPress and regular drip coffee-makers are:
- Use of Hard Water: Unfiltered water greatly affects your coffee since the ratio of coffee to water is significant.
Ideally, it would be best to use clean filtered water (whether it’s bottled or from the tap). This will result in good coffee.
- Dirty Tools: Contrary to popular belief, you must clean your coffee machine no matter what kind it is.
- A Chemex can be difficult to clean, but cleaning out the oily residue, leftover-coffee buildup, and mineral deposits is necessary.
This will ensure you get a smooth, rich, and flavorful cup of Joe every time.
- Grind size: Again, grind size is crucial in coffee making. A Chemex requires a medium coarse grind. Using a fine grind will cause over-extraction and produce murky, bitter-tasting coffee.
Now let’s look at some other reasons:
Using Stale Coffee or Preground Coffee
Pre-ground coffee goes stale in a day. There is no way of knowing how long it’s been sitting on the shelf before you bought it.
Hence, switching to whole beans will definitely change your current results.
You can use fresh whole beans to make your perfect grind and have fresh, tasty coffee daily.
Poor Storage
In order to ensure you have fresh coffee every day, you must store it properly. Many people make the mistake of buying coffee in bulk.
While that may give you the satisfaction of never running out, it will affect the quality of your coffee. There is no point in buying fresh coffee in bulk because now it will go stale in your storage instead of the shop’s.
You can buy small amounts that you know will last about a week. Once you run out, you can buy more fresh coffee beans and have exquisite tasting coffee daily.
Your weekly coffee supply can easily be stored in an air-tight container to retain its freshness.
Storing coffee beans in the fridge is wrong at every level because it makes the coffee beans moist and reduces their flavor.
The Bottom Line
The first three reasons why your coffee is turning cloudy are: using unclean equipment, your water quality, the grind size, and brew time.
No matter the brewing method you follow, these four are the first things you need to analyze. Next, make sure that you are operating the coffee maker correctly.
Every device has its own set of instructions to follow. Being careful about them will produce a flavorful coffee every time.
Examine all these reasons and try to fix your coffee-making method to ensure you don’t end up with cloudy coffee.
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