What is the best way to make restaurant style coffee?
It sounds like your water is too cold. This is a problem with almost all home coffee machines – the boiler is too small and does not heat water sufficiently to produce quality coffee. Brewing coffee with colder water results in a sour, bad tasting cup. There are a few high quality coffee machines that actually heat water to the correct temperature (195 to 205F). Technivorm makes some of the best. However, if you don’t want to spend $200 on a coffee machine, cheaper option is to heat water in a kettle and to use either a melitta plastic cone filter (about $4) or a french press ($20 to $30). Do be sure to let the water cool for a minute or so after boiling. Brewing coffee with water at 212F (boiling) will also produce bitter results.
