It has been circulating around the Internet recently that salt goes well with coffee. Many of you may have heard this rumor. But is it true? According to Alton Brown, a famous chef, when asked “does salt go with coffee” he answered, yes!
Now, obviously, if you end up adding too much salt, your coffee could easily be ruined.
But, it shouldn’t be too big of a surprise. Sugar and salt are the biggest additives to food, after all. Too much salt might be bad for your health, but it turns out that the reason it is added to so many foods is because of the effect it has on other foods that may have questionable flavors.
On his website, Alton says:
Not only does salt cut the bitterness of coffee, but it also smooths out the “stale” taste of tank-stored water. I’ve taken to adding a quarter teaspoon of kosher salt to every 6 tablespoons of grounds. That isn’t really enough to taste, but it’ll do the trick. And by the way, research has proven that salt is actually better at neutralizing bitterness than sugar.
Alton Brown, Coffee Owners Manual
So, what is the proper proportion of salt to mix with your coffee? And do you have to do anything special to it?
Yes, on both counts.
First, you need to get your proportions right. For every cup of water, you should be brewing about 2 tablespoons of coffee grounds. This is within the range of what is called the golden ratio. Oftentimes people try brewing with less coffee grounds to make a “weaker” cup of coffee. This actually leads to over-extraction and more bitterness.
Alton told Buzzfeed that for every 2 tablespoons of coffee, you should add a quarter teaspoon.
The reason this works so well is because sugar’s sweetness really just masks the bitterness. You’re not making it go away, you’re just adding a whole bunch of a flavor that you like and that starts to become the dominant flavor.
Salt, on the other hand, actually neutralizes the salt flavor itself.
It doesn’t take much salt though. And, depending on your tastebuds, less than a quarter teaspoon being mixed in the grounds might still be too much. The human tongue actually has a lot more salt taste receptors than bitter receptors, so it doesn’t take much.
I recommend trying out salt and coffee with a coffee that you’re not as in love with. Those are the coffees that tend to be the most bitter. Usually they’re freeze-dried or not Arabica beans, or just not high quality in general.
If you have high quality coffee and you’re brewing it in a solid way, your coffee in general shouldn’t be too bitter. I’d recommend trying out the pour-over method first if you’re skeptical and thinking, “does salt go with coffee, or are these people just messing with me?”
Let us know in the comments if you’ve tried it and what you thought.
