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Salt in Coffee makes it taste better?

Isn’t weird. It is one of the things which you will read in several articles. But, it is important to understand what is the truth behind it. Let’s dig deeper to understand if it makes the coffee taste better and less bitter.

Why is salt added to the coffee?

I would like to share my incident with you. A few weeks ago I went to a coffee shop in Sydney and when I ordered coffee it was strong. I thought that adding plain water would balance the taste. I did not know that it was mineral water and it made my coffee salty like black tea. Do you think I end up drinking it?

To my surprise, it made me think that I should add salt to other beverages also. People have different opinions about adding salt to the coffee and how it can make it taste deeper and better. Although, the brewing experts say that it makes the coffee taste perfect in itself and this is one habit that everyone needs to try, at least once.

So, Should I add salt to my coffee?

Let’s understand the taste type we have which are divided into 5 categories:

• Bitter
• Sweet
• Salty
• Umami
• Sour

The taste happens in the taste buds which are hidden in the taste receptors. You can say that taste is one of the complex senses in the body as every product smells different. Some of the taste will be enhanced and some will get repressed with others. So, it is possible that if you add salt to the coffee it can increase the sweetness in it.

Coffee should have the right kind of bitterness

No doubt, coffee bitter taste is best but it needs to have the right balance. Sometimes, people want to reduce the bitterness. Here, what you can do is try out coffee prepared with different methods and then compare it with the ones which are non-salty.

But, when you want to add salt, then you must do it precisely. Like 4g of NaCl (table salt) to one liter of water will give the right amount of salty taste.

Different types of coffee methods

Cold-brew

You can brew your coffee for 12h and use your favorite coffee blend into it. Into the coffee blend, add some salt. Preferably, you should use 130g of coffee and 6g of solution (0,4g of actual salt) to make the brew and it will give you a surprising taste which you would not have even thought of. But, avoid adding salt to the cold brew.

Filter coffee

Who does not love filter coffee? Take your favorite coffee around 20 grams and add 340 grams of water, let it brew for 3 minutes. If you simply try this, you are going to love it. But, when it comes to experimenting, then add salt to it. For 130 grams of coffee, you need a 6g solution and it will make your coffee smooth and tasty.

Espresso

Espresso lovers are everywhere. It is your choice what you want to get like nutty coffee and semi-light roasted coffee. You can prepare 2 espressos and in one of them, you should add around 6 g of salt. Make sure that you get a long brew as it will provide you with an excess amount of bitterness. Espresso and salt do not go hand in hand. It will make it so bitter that you will not want to have espresso. So, you should prepare the espresso the natural way you like to do.

A slight amount of salt can improve the coffee taste

In all, we can say that one trick which can work wonders is when the coffee tastes extremely bitter nor has some defects (even the old ones). Try adding salt into that coffee and it might address the solution. Keep in mind, that salt will not cover the rest of the flavors and it is just to address the bitterness. It is a fun experiment and you should try what you like or make your taste buds enjoy the coffee to the fullest.