I second the notion of something rancid in your grinder, now that you have provided the additional information.

I assume you cleaned the filter of the press.

Buy Urnix Cafiza and Grindz.

boar_d_laze wrote:Your Virtuoso has something rancid stuck somewhere.

All good suggestions, but it's brand new.

day wrote:I assume you cleaned the filter of the press.

Yes, taken apart. Soaped. Hot water. Rinsed extra throuroughly.

But it still just has that lingering old coffee smell. Thinking I might use a super diluted bleach solution (don't worry, human consumption level safe) as a last resort.

ben8jam wrote:All good suggestions, but it's brand new.

I guess I will keep coming back and hopefully something will help At least until I run out of thoughts!

Breaking it down:

1. This is happening across a wide spectrum of beans from various roasters.
2. Some of these roasters are definitely not burning the beans, or even roasting them into second crack (you will have to verify that, until then, that is the most likely culprit.)
3. They smell good initially coming out of the grinder.
4. You dose from the virtuoso into some type of cup or container.
5. You pour into the clean glass carafe
6. You pour 90C water on them, and at this point they begin to smell foul.

Then stopping there, it would seem there are very few variables.

A) You have something disgusting in your kettle. Easy to test, boil the water in your normal method, but then pour into a clean cup and drink the water straight.

B) Your grinder has imparted oils or something else rancid that is activating or becoming more noticeable in water. Just because it is new does not mean that nothing has ever gotten in it-testing at the factory, an accident, molds, or even a return with 10 month old beans sitting inside. All are possible.

C) Your container you are using to transfer the beans from grinder to carafe have some type of disgusting residue on them.


Also, forget the bleach, get something designed to get rid of coffee oils. Cafiza cost 11 dollars on Amazon

ben8jam wrote:I have done a lot of reading and it seems the ratio of approx 2tbs per 6oz is a widely accepted method. I still have't ordered the kitchen scale to weigh, but I'm assume the 2tbs/6oz guideline to be good. I'm using 18oz of water and 6 (rounded) tbs of grinds.

Are those tbs tablespoons or teaspoons? Most sites recommend 1 - 2 tablespoons (Tbsp) per six ounces and your original post said you used "2Tbs coffee ground course" which I take to mean 2 tablespoons or 6 teaspoons. I think that you've underdosed the coffee so much that all you are getting is aroma and no flavor. You'll be amazed at the difference, and a scale will absolutely make your coffee making easier.

boar_d_laze wrote: Finally
"Coarse" with an "a", not "course" with a "u."

Rich

Coarse is repeatedly misspelled on this forum and CG. I must confess -- it bugs me, too. Not trying to be pedantic. Maybe it's the writer/former journalist in me. Anyway, let the coffee diagnosis continue!

Definitely sounds like some rancidity issues. Also, what kind of water are you using?

yakster wrote:Are those tbs tablespoons or teaspoons?

Tablespoons. Sorry, thought the b made it clear.

canuckcoffeeguy wrote:Also, what kind of water are you using?

Aquasana under counter water filter system.

Are you sure your thermometer is accurate? Have to tried brewing in another vessel to see if you get the same taste you dislike?

And, as has been mentioned, for consistency it really helps to dose by weight and weigh your brew.

ben8jam wrote: I have done a lot of reading and it seems the ratio of approx 2tbs per 6oz is a widely accepted method. I still have't ordered the kitchen scale to weigh, but I'm assume the 2tbs/6oz guideline to be good. I'm using 18oz of water and 6 (rounded) tbs of grinds.

arg...

Dosing & brew ratio are your biggest factors here, you started off by saying that you used 2TBSP per 510g of water, now it's 6TBSP per 510g water, try between 3 & 4x rounded (6-8x level) TBSP per 510g (I'd go at the higher end if you are steeping for just 4 min), grind should be more medium-fine to medium than really coarse.

The scales will help you no end.

MWJB wrote:you started off by saying that you used 2TBSP per 510g of water, now it's 6TBSP per 510g water.

I did?

The consensus online for general use press seems to be 2Tbsp coffee per 6oz water - so if I'm making 18oz of coffee, i'm going to use 6Tbsp (3 x 2). I don't know what water is in grams. Though I just looked it up and it says 16 US oz is 473g of water. (http://www.convertunits.com/from/oz/to/gram+[water])

Scale has been ordered.

Just roasted my first ever popcorn popper method Sumatra this morning. I'm just going all in here