How to Fix Weak Coffee

There may be a few times when you brew a cup of Kona coffee, only to take the first sip and realize that it tastes weak. Now, the dilemma is, how to fix weak coffee? For this list, we're sharing different ways you can improve the taste of your coffee.

How to Fix Weak Coffee

To fix weak coffee, you can use dark-roasted beans, put instant coffee, brew more grounds then steep longer, or add flavor-enhancing elements. Degassing and blooming the coffee grounds, trying a different brewing method, and using quality filters are also good ways to make more potent and flavorful coffee.

Weak-tasting Kona coffee can be disappointing, particularly when looking for something to kickstart your morning. Here are some of the best tips to turn weak coffee into a flavorsome and fuller-bodied brew.

Weak brewed coffee

Use Dark-Roasted Beans

If your brew is coming out consistently weak or acidic, it may be because you're using the wrong type of roast. There are differences in coffee strength between light roast, medium roast, and dark roasted beans.

To produce a stronger tasting coffee, you can try dark roast 100% Kona beans. While it has less caffeine, the longer roast time produces more oils, giving the coffee a more full-bodied and less watery taste.

Add Instant Coffee

This is a nifty trick, especially if you don't have the time to brew again. Add a teaspoon of instant coffee to your cup. Add more or adjust until you achieve a stronger-tasting coffee.

Put Flavor-Enhancing Elements

One of the best things about brewing coffee at home is that you can experiment in using flavor-enhancing elements to fix weak coffee.

  • Sugar or coffee cubes: You can turn the rest of the weakly-brewed coffee into cubes. Put them in a cup together with sugar cubes to enhance the flavors a bit.
  • Creamer: Frothing creamer brings extra richness and taste to an otherwise weak-tasting coffee. Aside from masking bitterness or sourness, the creamer adds texture and velvety smoothness.
  • Steamed milk: Milk can bring out the Kona coffee's flavor because the steam expands fats and creates foam. The lactose enhances the brew's sweetness, suppressing less desirable notes.
  • Coffee sauce: Sauces can mask the dull taste while garnishing the coffee. There are different flavors to choose from, including caramel, vanilla, white chocolate, peppermint mocha, or hazelnut.
  • Spices: Put a pinch of cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and lavender to turn a weak coffee into a slightly woody-smoked one.
    Man pouring coffee in a mason jar

Brew More Grounds and Steep Longer

Instead of creating a new batch of coffee using water, put more grounds on the existing coffee for brewing again. However, don't use the original coffee grounds as this would produce weak flavors again.

For instance, if you're using a French press, push down the plunger and steep for a few more minutes. Meanwhile, add at least 2 more hours to your usual waiting period for cold brew.

Degas and Bloom the Coffee Beans

Another way to fix weak coffee is to leave the beans to degas long enough before grinding. This process allows built-up gasses to escape over time. Without degassing, tiny gas bubbles will form around the grounds, preventing water from adequately soaking through them.

To degas, squeeze out all the air in the coffee pouch and leave the bag overnight. If the bag puffs up, the beans are still degassing.

Meanwhile, blooming refers to the coffee-making process of pouring hot water over the grounds to release carbon dioxide bubbles. This releases carbonates into the coffee, allowing closely-packed grounds to expand their surface area.

Try a Different Brewing Method

Sticking to a single method is one of the common brewing mistakes people can make. Not branching out prevents you from discovering how to fix weak coffee.

Suppose you're using a coffee maker and end up getting flat-tasting coffee most of the time. This may be an excellent chance to try a different brewing machine or method. There are many ways to make Kona coffee, and each of them offers other flavor profiles.

Coffee brewed from a pour over method
  • Pour-over: This method produces a polished brew with clear flavors. It tends to release more flavors than the average coffee maker since the brewing process takes longer, extracting more oils to make a vibrant taste. 
  • French press: Using a French press is another simple way to fix weak coffee. It tends to produce a heavier and denser mixture than pour-over because the immersion brewing can bring out all of the natural oils of Kona beans.
  • AeroPress: Despite its handy size, the AeroPress creates a silky, mouthfeel coffee. If you have bland coffee, you could make an espresso shot using AeroPress to add a concentrated mixture and ramp up the flavors.
  • Siphon: Siphon brews have fuller flavors and a rich aroma. The technique can be pretty challenging at first. However, the sophistication uses both full immersion and low-pressure extraction, resulting in a robust coffee with bold undernotes. 
  • Cold brew: Cold brew won't necessarily create a strong-tasting coffee. Still, the cold water can make the brew taste slightly sweeter. It would be milder and less acidic than a weak batch of brewed coffee.

Use Quality Filters

There may be instances where you're using quality Kona coffee beans, yet the filters are subpar. Use high-grade filters as the material significantly impacts how the filter can extract oils and flavors.

  • Paper filter: This filter is the most commonly used for brewing. This is ideal for gravity-based drip tools like pour-over brewers and automatic coffee makers. Paper filters contain tightly bound fiber that can hold large and tiny insoluble material, producing brightly flavored yet light-bodied coffee.
  • Metal and mesh filter: This kind of filter can normally make a full-bodied coffee with a heavy mouthfeel. The perforated metal and wire mesh separate the brewed coffee from the grounds, letting more fine insoluble particles and oils add flavor to the coffee. You would generally see this in a French press.
  • Cloth fiber: It's ideal to use cloth fiber to mix more oils in your coffee without getting insoluble particles. It also produces a mouthfeel of coffee taste, with better clarity than metal and paper filters.

Conclusion

To fix a weak-tasting coffee, use dark roast beans, add instant coffee, and put flavor-enhancing elements. You can also brew more grounds longer, degas and bloom the coffee grounds, change the brewing method, and use quality filters. With Lava Lei's 100% Kona coffee, you can ensure you get bold-tasting and flavorful coffee.