Hot take: The pour over station at Blue Bottle in Brooklyn was a letdown

I went to the Blue Bottle in Williamsburg last Saturday and waited 15 minutes for their single origin pour over. Everyone raves about their precision and care, but honestly my cup was overextracted and bitter. The barista was so focused on the ritual with the gooseneck kettle and the fancy scale that I think they ignored the actual taste of the coffee. I've been making pour overs at home for about 2 years with a $20 plastic V60 and I get way more fruit and sweetness out of my beans. Maybe I caught them on a bad day, but for $7 a cup I expected better. Has anyone else had this experience at a shop that's supposed to be top tier?

2 comments

2 Comments

caseyc308d ago

My dad always said the fanciest bar is the one that burns your coffee.

andrew78d ago

I've actually been thinking about this after reading a study from the University of Oregon that looked at how bitterness perception changes with temperature. Around 150 degrees Fahrenheit is where most people's taste buds actually start getting less sensitive to bitter flavors, but the coffee burns you because the liquid itself stays hot for a long time. So fancy places might actually be keeping their brew at a higher temp on purpose to hide the fact they're using cheaper, more bitter beans. The burn becomes a feature that masks the low quality instead of a sign they care about the craft. That's why diner coffee that sits on a burner all day tastes like ash and regret, but a well pulled espresso at the right temp can actually be sweet.