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Film on top of coffee.normal?

Toothpick

Needs milk and a bidet!
Staff member
I made my usual Peet's House Blend coffee this morning via a French Press. I put 3 scoops in it (the scoop that came with the FP). I let it "brew" for a few minutes then pressed it and poured it. The coffee had a strange dark film over the top of it. I've never seen this before with straight black coffee. No added creamers or sugars here.

I've only used 2 scoops in the past, today I did 3, could this be the reason? and what is it? just coffee oils I can only think of. the second cup was fine. It didn't look very appetizing and i think it ruined the coffee for me mentally, didn't taste very good as it always does.

 
As you said, it was probably oils from the coffee. If you normally drink filtered coffee, some of the oil is trapped by the filter and less apparent in the cup, but can still be seen sometimes. (In your picture, are you referring to the reflection at about 1 o'clock, or the arc from about 11 to 1 o'clock? It is not clear if that is just a reflection or something else.)
 

Toothpick

Needs milk and a bidet!
Staff member
i think that's just a reflection. I'm referring to the foam on the surface of the coffee. I've never seen this before. I wash my FP out with dish soap and a rag after every use. I'm pretty sure I rinse it well enough but i'm not so sure....
 
That is actually a sign of a good coffee, and fresh. As a coffee ages it loses those oils. The oils gives the coffee a much richer flavor and is normally what tasters look for in a fine coffee. Assuming it has a rainbow colored sheen reflection of light and of course doesn't taste like dish soap then that is what you are looking at. Appreciate it.
 
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Toothpick,
I get this a lot and doesn't hurt. Maybe pushing the plunger down to quick? Still the best way to have coffee imho.
 

Toothpick

Needs milk and a bidet!
Staff member
interesting. I've used an auto drip forever so no wonder why i'm at a loss when I see a decent cup of coffee.
 
The more of a head on the top of your brew the fresher the coffee.You usually don't see it in a drip coffee maker especially if its not getting hot enough.
 
That is what good coffee is supposed to look like.

"Put the Maxwell House away and step back from the counter with your hands in plain view" :001_smile
 

Toothpick

Needs milk and a bidet!
Staff member
well then, ya learn something new everyday. All these years i've never had a good cup of coffee i guess :blushing:
 
Here is a so so cup of coffee from this morning.

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It's not "crema" so much as "bloom". Assuming the grounds are very fresh roasted and ground, you'll find by wetting them a bit before beginning the actual pour (say 15-20 seconds), they'll appear to bubble as they release gasses. Nothing to worry about. Just inhale deeply, then enjoy.
 
I've only used 2 scoops in the past, today I did 3, could this be the reason? and what is it? just coffee oils I can only think of. the second cup was fine. It didn't look very appetizing and i think it ruined the coffee for me mentally, didn't taste very good as it always does.

Your coffee to water ratio might have been too high, which can make for a bad cup.
 
That would be a high water to coffee ratio. (as opposed to high coffee to water)

Sorry... I misread. My question still remains (just the opposite), wouldn't that just make for a stronger cup of coffee? Bitter/sour tastes, i thought were related to the extraction time and brew temperature.
 
:blink: so I should add LESS coffee? 2 scoops or 1?

Not necessarily. The most important question to answer is "how did the coffee taste?"

If you liked the taste, don't change anything. If it was strong/weak use more or less water. If it was bitter/sour, pay careful attention to the brew time and the temp of the water before you pour.
 
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