On a Monday morning before work, there’s nothing better than starting your day with a fresh cup of coffee.
But it turns out you could be missing out on an even smoother, richer flavour by adding one simple ingredient that’s probably already sitting in your kitchen cupboard.
Experts at America’s Test Kitchen claim adding a pinch of salt to your morning brew can help reduce bitterness, leaving you with a more balanced cup of coffee to kick-start your day.
The tip has also been backed by Perfect Daily Grind, which says salt helps “balance the flavour profile of bitter robusta coffees and coffees with very dark roast profiles.”
Sara Marquart, former head of flavour at The Coffee Excellence Center, explained: “The addition of salt in coffee dampens bitterness without using other additives.
“Salt naturally brings out the sweetness of coffee and maintains pleasant aromas. If people are sensitive to bitterness, even in specialty coffee, adding salt is a good alternative to using milk and sugar.”
The hack gained widespread attention in 2009 when food science expert Alton Brown shared it on an episode of Good Eats.
He recommended adding half a teaspoon of salt for every cup of water and two teaspoons of ground coffee, claiming it helps neutralise bitterness and improve the drink’s overall flavour.
Brown said: “Not only does salt cut the bitterness, it also smooths out the stale taste of tank-stored water. Research has proven that salt is actually better at neutralising bitterness than sugar.”
While Brown wasn’t the first person to recommend adding salt to coffee, he helped bring the trick into the mainstream. Even today, many coffee lovers still refer to it as “the Alton Brown trick.”
The unusual tip has divided opinion online, with one TikTok user saying: “Interesting.” Another added: “Works in beer too.”
A third shared their own alternative: “I add a sprinkle of cardamom to my morning coffee. It takes away any bitterness.”