I am sure you have experienced that weird metallic coffee taste at least once in your lifetime.
I can relate this situation with my own experience.
I mean you brew your coffee, pour it into your favorite coffee mug and then take a sip to relax yourself.
But to your disappointment, you feel that weird metallic coffee taste ruining your whole coffee drinking experience.
It can happen with any of us due to several reasons.
In this case, your coffee might taste like metal or plastic.
There are 7 main possible reasons behind this foul coffee taste.
Some of the most important reasons are poor quality coffee beans, improper extraction, poor choice of coffee brands, and temperature related problems.
Today, in this article, I am going to discuss all these 7 reasons and also going to provide 7 easy solutions to these issues.
So, without any delay, let’s find out what causes your coffee to have a metallic flavor, is it safe to drink such coffee and how to prevent this problem.
FAQ Related to Metallic Taste of Your Coffee
When Should You be Concerned About a Metallic Coffee Taste in Your Mouth?
A good cup of coffee should have a crisp brightness and subtle sweetness with some bitterness.
It should not taste excessively bitter, sour or have a metallic taste.
There are several reasons which might affect the taste of your coffee.
Coffee grounds are very sensitive to the changes in its surrounding temperature.
If the amount of water present in your coffee is very hot or too cold, then there are chances that it may affect the overall taste of the brewed coffee.
E.g. If your coffee tasted burnt, it’s probably because the water used to make the coffee was extremely hot.
However, a sudden loss of change in the taste can be due to some more serious disorders and not your coffee.
This can be a sign of brain related disorder.
In such cases, the sense of taste isn’t as well developed as the sense of smell.
A metallic taste in this case can indicate serious illness such as kidney or liver problems.
It can be also due to any medication you are taking or a medical condition you are suffering from.
This can be a matter of concern for you and I recommend you to seek some immediate medical advice in such case.
On the other hand, when you’re consuming your coffee; the taste expected is to be bitter.
But, having a chronic bitter taste, regardless of what you’re eating or drinking, isn’t normal.
It can be due to different factors that leads to such a metallic taste.
So, you should be concerned when you experience metallic taste all the timed when you eat any type of food and not just the coffee.
Otherwise, you can consider that there is some problem with your coffee if it tastes metallic.
7 Reasons Behind The Metallic Taste of Your Coffee
There are numerous factors at play which may produce a bad taste in your coffee.
There could be many small mistakes you might be making that could result in an unpleasant coffee drinking experience.
These are a few reasons for which your coffee can give a metallic taste.
1. Poor Quality Coffee Beans
To get a good cup of coffee, you need to choose the finest coffee beans.
But, there could be problems with the beans that can lead to have a less than perfect brew.
If the beans are not fresh, then your coffee may taste metallic.
As soon as you open your coffee bag, it usually starts to lose its aroma and flavor.
I always recommend to use whole coffee beans because they retain the flavor for much longer period.
And they have much superior taste and flavor as compared to ground coffee.
2. Too Much Extraction of the Beans
You can assume that your coffee is over extracted if it tastes too much bitter than as usual.
The problem can be with your coffee grinder that the grind is too fine.
Adjust your coffee grinder so that the metal blades in the grinder do not come very close to each other.
If they are close to each other, the blades will heat up during this process and it will produce a metallic taste.
Don’t over-extract in order to get more coffee as it will spoil its overall taste.
3. Under Extraction of the Beans
If your coffee tastes acidic, then it is a sign of under extraction.
It will have very little flavor if it is extracted too quickly.
Your coffee might look watery and have little to no cream.
It happens as the grind is very coarse.
You should balance the grind settings between coarse and fine in order to avoid getting metallic taste.
Therefore, you will need to properly adjust the grind settings of your coffee grinder accordingly.
4. Poor Roasting of the Beans
Some people like to roast coffee beans on their own.
There are many factors that go into roasting of coffee beans.
Even the best coffee roasters can make mistakes.
If you enjoyed a particular roast from a long time and if this time it tastes bad, then the main reason could be a bad roasting.
It could also be because of your coffee machine getting old and damaged.
Bad coffee roasting usually results in getting unpleasant taste and aroma of the grind.
5. Low Quality Coffee Brands
Cheap coffee brands usually produce poor taste and unpleasant aroma.
There are different beans and roasting techniques.
It requires good amount to carry out each and every process carefully.
So, the brands which are cheaper lack good quality coffee beans.
The overall roasting of these beans could also be poorer which leads to a bad metallic taste of your coffee.
I highly recommend to avoid cheap priced coffee brands and choose only the good quality and best reviewed coffee brands for your daily cup of coffee.
Some of the best coffee brands that I like are Kona Coffee, Kauai Hawaiian Ground Coffee, Death Wish Coffee, and Kicking Horse Coffee, etc.
Click Here to Get These Premium Quality Coffee Brands Online.
6. Inappropriate Temperature
The temperature required to make an ideal cup of coffee is 205°F (96°C).
If the temperature is too high then it badly affects the oils and flavors of your coffee beans.
In the same way, if the temperature is too low then it becomes vice versa.
Therefore, boiling temperature of the water should be in ideal range.
Too low or too high temperature both are bad for your coffee beans.
This is also one of the important reasons why your coffee tastes weird.
7. Lack of Regular Coffee Machine Cleaning
If you don’t clean your coffee maker properly and regularly then it can cause the germs and calcium build up in the machine.
If you keep ignoring it for a long period, then it can affect the taste your coffee.
It may also cause some health problems for you later on.
The bad metallic taste of your coffee is also the result of poor hygiene and lack of regular cleaning of your coffee machine.
If your machine is damaged or not working properly, then you must repair it as soon as possible.
If you don’t do it in time, then obviously it is going to affect the taste and smell of your coffee.
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7 Main Solutions to Get Rid of Metallic Taste of Coffee
Different people have different choice over coffee flavors.
Some people may not experience a metallic taste while some people are more prone to bitterness and they instantly react on metal like taste.
Some of them also complain about their coffee tasting like plastic.
All such tastes are caused due to various reasons as I already mentioned earlier.
But, don’t worry, we have solutions for these problems too.
Here are 7 easy remedies that you can implement to get rid of the metallic taste of your coffee.
1. Regular Cleaning of Coffee Machine
Always try to clean your coffee maker properly and make sure there are no germs or calcium build up inside the machine parts.
Don’t only clean the grounds and carafe but also the reservoir where microorganisms can lurk.
I highly recommend to use efficient cleaning products like CLR, baking soda or vinegar to get the best cleaning results.
2. Use Good Quality Coffee Beans
Instead of consuming poor and cheap quality coffee beans, it is best to go for premium quality coffee beans.
The premium brand coffee is usually prepared with fresh and high quality coffee beans.
High quality roasting of the beans is the main reason why they don’t get metallic taste once they are brewed.
3. Use Filtered Water for Your Coffee
Unfiltered or tap water usually contains too much heavy metals like calcium, manganese, etc.
These heavy metals can also cause acidic or metallic taste in your coffee.
If there is no problem in your beans, then you might check your water source.
Tap water might be responsible for poor coffee taste.
Therefore, it is beneficial to use water from filters and aquaguard.
4. Maintain Temperature at 96 Degrees Celsius
I have already mentioned above that over heating or under heating your coffee is both not recommended.
Going above or below the recommended temperature level of 96 degrees Celsius can cause the acidic or metallic taste in your coffee.
Therefore, it is extremely important to maintain this temperature level to get the best taste in your coffee.
Try to avoid over heating or less heating of your coffee.
Make sure that your temperature is 96°C in order to get a perfect cup of coffee.
5. Clean Coffee Cups and Mugs Properly
Sometimes new coffee mugs and cups, if not cleaned properly, can be the reason behind bad metallic taste.
Therefore, proper cleaning of your coffee mugs is extremely essential to make sure your coffee does not taste like metal.
Always, make sure to wash your coffee utensils before you make use of them for coffee making.
6. Keep Check on Brew Time
The brewing process of your coffee also affects its taste and flavor.
If you brew it for a longer time or brew for less than the required time then it is likely to be poor in terms of its taste.
Remember, brew your coffee for just the right amount of time.
And then you will be able to avoid its metal like taste.
7. Proper Quantity of Ingredients is Important too
When you make a perfect coffee, it does include basic ingredients such as ground coffee, milk, sugar, water, etc.
All these ingredients, when added in the right quantity, will create a perfect tasting coffee.
If you don’t add them up with proper measurements, then it could lead to weird tasting coffee.
Therefore, measurements of all the ingredients is also important to avoid metal like taste of your coffee.
Do You Have to Change Your Coffee Cup to Prevent Metallic Taste?
You may be aware of the fact that we shouldn’t pour hot coffee into a plastic cup.
You should always go for the glass, metal or ceramic coffee mugs when you are at home.
To get the best results, I highly recommend to use only stainless steel coffee mugs as they keep your coffee hot for much longer period.
If you are looking for a good quality and reliable stainless steel coffee mug brand, then I recommend to use Yeti Rambler Coffee Mug.
Click Here to Get the Yeti Rambler Coffee Mug to Store Your Hot Coffee.
If you are using a plastic cup to drink your coffee then you must change it immediately as it will give you a plastic-like taste.
Rather than this, a new mug may sometimes give a plastic-like or metallic flavor when used for the first time.
You can just simply run a cycle of water and clean your cup properly before and after using it.
This happens as some particles during its manufacturing and storage can get into the parts and thus a proper cleansing will flush these things out.
But, if you still find a metallic or plastic taste from your cups then the only thing is to switch to a different cup.
Plastic-based cookware lets off particles into your food every time you cook with it.
This not only leads to change of taste in food but it is also harmful for your health.
Always, choose a coffee maker as well as your coffee mug that is made up of glass, ceramic or stainless steel material.
It will limit your exposure to plastics which is of course a good thing.
Other than this, paper cups are also a good option as it is environment friendly but obviously many people wouldn’t recommend drinking in paper cups.
Click Here to Start Using Stainless Steel Coffee Cups.
Conclusion
Now, you know why sometimes you get a metallic taste from your coffee.
There are a several reasons for which you find such a taste in your drink.
But now you also know how to solve this metallic taste problems all by yourself.
Try to use only glass, ceramic or stainless steel material for your coffee machine and coffee mugs.
And you will never experience that weird plastic or metal taste in your coffee.
Enjoy your Cup of Coffee!
References:
https://driftaway.coffee/effect-coffee-cup-material-taste-ceramic-vs-stainless-steel-vs-plastic/
https://www.healthline.com/health/metallic-taste-in-mouth
https://www.healthgrades.com/right-care/oral-health/metallic-taste
https://healthfully.com/can-drinking-coffee-cause-dry-mouth-6729457.html