Is Your Keurig Coffee Bitter? A Little-Known Way of Fixing It Leaked

Is your Keurig coffee bitter? 

I paid a visit to my parents lately and I was expecting to have a cup of coffee made with their Keurig, but guess what? The coffee I had, in the end, was bitter to the point it was almost undrinkable. I thought to myself, I should fix it for them and troubleshoot to detect the problem. Stick around, in this guide, I’m going to share with you everything I learned from fixing my parents’ Keurig machine along with tips and tricks on how to keep your brewer in boss condition.

Let’s jump straight into it. 

Why does your Keurig coffee taste bitter? 

One of the most common reasons that your Keurig coffee tastes bitter is the water temperature. To brew delicious coffee, a Keurig should hit 90.5°C-96.1°C (195°F-205°F), otherwise, your coffee turns bitter. Another reason that your Keuirg coffee is bitter is that your machine needs cleaning. 

Reasons that make your Keurig coffee bitter

Let’s go over one by one the main reasons why your Keurig coffee is bitter and unpleasant. 

Water Temperature

As already mentioned, the machine should hit the right temperature. Another issue with the water temperature is the altitude of your location. If you’re based in a location with a high altitude (6,000ft or higher), your Keurig should go over 205°F to make delicious coffee. Some models like K2 have a special feature you can switch on to make sure you brew coffee at the right temperature at a high altitude.

Water quality 

Did you know that 97% of a cup of coffee is water? It’s a surprise that the quality of water affects the taste of your water. 

What should you do in this case?

Skip tap water and go for either bottled or filtered water. You can make an investment in a filter to filter the water in your house or simply buy bottled water and you’ll be good. Another option is to use alkaline water which is low in acidity, ideal for anyone facing stomach issues including acid reflux.

Not clean enough Keurig

Let’s face it, cleaning a Keurig isn’t as easy as cleaning a Moka pot or a French press. It needs thorough cleaning to remove coffee residue and hard water minerals like magnesium that are built up over time. 

It’s wise to use the manufacturers cleaning tablets and descaling solution to keep your machine in top condition. 

How often should you thoroughly clean and descale your Keurig? 

There’s no hard and fast rule, it really depends on the usage of your machine, if you brew 1 cup of coffee a day you won’t need to clean it as often as if you would brew 4 cups a day. But a great rule of thumb is to clean it thoroughly at least once a month or every 6 weeks.

Keurig coffee pod

Have you tried to brew with a different pod? 

One of the reasons that a coffee pod can spoil the taste of your coffee is that it’s roasted for a long time, making your coffee bitter. If this is the case, I suggest you try out different pods with different flavours and various roast types to really find out what floats your boat. 

Why does Keurig coffee taste watery? 

One of the main reasons why your coffee tastes watery is because the coffee grinds you use aren’t strong enough and as a result, your coffee is weak in taste. It’s wise to spend a bit more and buy Keurig coffee grinds which are roasted specifically for Keurig coffee machines. 

Tips on how to brew delicious coffee with a Keurig

Here’s a bunch of tips and tricks on how to brew great coffee every single time with a Keurig.

Brew stronger coffee

Typically, Keurig coffee pods don’t contain massive amounts of coffee grinds, meaning that if you choose a large cup of coffee, the odds are your coffee is going to be relatively weak. If you have a Keurig that gives you the option to choose the cup size don’t go for the largest one, choose a small one. For example, if it has a 12-cup as an option, skip that and go for an 8-cup or smaller than that, this way your coffee is going to be stronger.

Preheat the machine

Because making coffee is more of a science than an art it’s vital for the water to hit the right temperature when it runs through the coffee grinds. In order to achieve this the easy way, run the machine with just water (without having a pod in place), so the water is going to be heated and when you put the pod in place to start brewing the machine will hit the ideal temperature faster and easier. 

Add coffee to your pods

Another way to make your coffee stronger is to open the pod and add extra coffee grounds. It’s wise to see how to go about it to ensure you add the right amount and seal it correctly, so you won’t cause any issues to your Keurig machine. 

Let’s wrap it up 

You made it to the end of this guide and I really hope you learned a thing or 2 about Keurig machines the factors that make your coffee bitter and how to keep your brewer in top condition. I’m planning to write more articles about Keurig machines, stay tuned. 

Why does my new Keurig taste bad?

If it’s your Keurig is brand new consider running it a couple of times with just water to get rid of the rubbery taste you sometimes come across when using new products. Another reason that makes your new Keurig taste bad is when the plastic is off-gassing, letting water in, and then this slips through your K-CUP, giving your coffee a rubbery taste. Makes sure the plastic part is in place.

How do you get the vinegar taste out of a Keurig after descaling?

First off, using white vinegar is a better option than red as its smell isn’t as strong. The best way to get rid of the vinegar taste is to run your machine 2-3 (even more than that if it’s needed) with just water and this strong taste will soon go away.