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Have you ever brewed a cup of coffee that was either way too sour, or so bitter you reached straight for a glass of water? Then you've probably noticed that brewing genuinely good coffee takes more than just fresh beans and a fancy machine. One subtle but decisive factor decides whether your cup is perfectly in balance — and it has nothing to do with your water or your filter.

If you want real control over flavour, aroma and mouthfeel, you'll need to get to grips with something baristas treat as sacred. And it all starts with one crucial variable… the grind size of your coffee.

What is grind size?

Grind size refers to how coarse or fine coffee beans are ground before you brew them. It determines how quickly water can flow through the coffee and how long it stays in contact with the ground particles. This matters a lot, because a coarse grind speeds up the flow and shortens extraction, while a fine grind slows things down and makes flavours more intense. 

Every brewing method calls for

You're looking forward to a tasty cup of coffee, but then... yuck! It tastes sour. Not fresh or fruity, but really unpleasantly sour. Sound familiar? Don't worry, sour coffee is a common problem and luckily easy to fix.

The cause often lies in the grind, water temperature or the roast of your beans. We'll explain exactly why your coffee tastes sour AND what you can do about it. That way you'll soon be brewing a cup you can really enjoy again.

Why does my coffee taste sour?

Sour coffee can be a real disappointment, especially when you fancied a full, warm flavour. But what actually causes that sour taste? It all starts with balance: a good cup of coffee has a mix of bitter, sweet and sour. If that balance is disturbed? Then one sour note can take over.

Here are the most common causes:

• Grind too coarse
  If your coffee is ground too coarsely, the water flows through too quickly. As a result the acids are released first, but the sweet and bitter notes don't get a chance.
  
  
• Water temperature too

Most coffee lovers have heard of Arabica and Robusta, but the difference between the two? That often stays a bit vague. Yet it’s really interesting and pretty handy to know which bean you’re drinking. The flavour, the amount of caffeine, the price AND even where the coffee comes from: it all depends on the type of bean.

Here’s an overview of all the differences in a table

Arabica and Robusta: the two main coffee species

When you talk about coffee, it almost