Use your bean and follow the advice of the coffee experts. (Getty Images)
A few months ago, I invested in a fancy automatic espresso machine — and I regretted it within the first week. I thought it would be a major upgrade from my regular drip coffee maker and allow me to indulge in a nice steamy latte at home. The thing is, even though it’s automatic — it grinds the beans, tamps the espresso and brews with the touch of a button — my coffee seemed to taste bitter. I mentioned this to a barista as I picked up a latte from my local coffee shop one day, hoping to get any tips to make my pricey purchase worth the cash. He first suggested I try another brand of coffee. But then I talked to a few more baristas and coffee experts for additional insight. And it turns out, there are a few things you can do to your machine and your beans to improve the taste of your joe.
First, don’t forget to clean your coffee maker
If you want any appliance to perform at its best — like your dishwasher, dryer or air fryer — you have to keep it clean. The same goes for your coffee maker, especially if you use it every day. All of the coffee mavens I talked to agreed you should clean your machine regularly, lightly every day, and a deep clean every few weeks. “If your coffee suddenly tastes bitter or flat, cleaning is usually the fix,” says Hugo Murray, co-founder and barista at Butler Bakeshop and Espresso Bar in NYC.
How to clean a drip coffee machine:
“To clear mineral buildup and oils in a drip machine, run a cycle with a mix of equal parts white vinegar and water, then run two full cycles of clean water afterward,” Murray recommends, adding that you should also “remove and wash the basket and carafe with warm soapy water after each use. Most people skip this and wonder why their coffee tastes stale.”
How to clean an espresso machine:
Espresso machines and most pod-based coffee makers will come with cleaning instructions, and some even have a special cleaning button. In this case, opt for a specialized cleaning agent over vinegar and water. Almost every barista I talked to recommended Cafiza for cleaning espresso machines, because it can help remove residual oils.
Among them: Alyce and Skyler, owners of Queen Cup Coffee in Los Olivos, California, who say, “We use a product solely for espresso cleaning, like Cafiza, which can be very efficient at cleaning off any coffee oil residues, while a product like Rinza is great for cleaning milk residues.”
Just keep in mind that espresso machines require a little extra love because the high-pressure brewing method amplifies residue. “Thinking about daily use, you should wipe and purge the steam wand immediately after every use, and clean the portafilter and basket daily. Don’t use your sink sponge on your steam wand — you want a dedicated microfiber cloth just for the machine,” Murray says.
Make sure your coffee is fresh
This might seem obvious, but fresh coffee makes a difference. While coffee doesn’t necessarily go bad (in that beans don’t spoil), the longer it sits, the more flavor it loses. Baristas also recommend buying coffee beans over pre-ground coffee, and grinding them yourself for ultimate freshness. Whole beans are just more stable than the ground stuff.
“Whole beans are best within two weeks of opening, ground coffee is ideally within one week. But don’t use pre-ground -— you deserve better!” Murray exclaims. He adds that “coffee won’t ‘go bad’ in a dangerous way, it will just lose character. Coffee should taste alive. When it goes flat, papery or dull, it’s past its moment.”
After opening a bag of coffee beans (or pre-ground if you must), make sure you store them in air-tight containers in a cool, dry place. Don’t store it in the fridge, or you risk condensation making them go stale faster.
Grind your coffee beans correctly
Every barista I spoke to was very passionate about grinding coffee beans and how you do it. How and the size of your ground your coffee makes a “huge,” “massive” and “enormous” difference in the taste, they all said.
“The grind size affects how quickly the flavors are extracted from the coffee. So, too fine a grind will produce very bitter coffee, and too coarse will produce weak and acidic coffee. Getting your grind perfect is a big step to amazing coffee,” says Matt Woodburn-Simmonds, founder of Home Coffee Expert. He even suggests spending a day experimenting with grind sizes to get your best brew.
Also: If your beans are a mix of too fine and too coarse, they’ll taste bad all around. “Consistent grind size is very important, and so is having a good grinder. Think about it like cooking potatoes; a potato cut up into wildly different sizes will all cook at different times and temperatures. It’s the same with extracting coffee,” says Doug Meils, owner and head roaster of Nice Coffee Roasters.
If you don’t have a grinder at home, get one. Yahoo’s Senior Home Writer, Lisa Schweitzer, named the Cuisinart Supreme Grind Automatic Burr Grinder the best of 2026 after much testing.
“Fresh grinding is non-negotiable if you want a vibrant flavor,” Murray says. “Coffee starts losing aromatic compounds minutes after grinding. Even [if I go] camping, I take a hand-cranked manual grinder.”
Consider using filtered water
Another thing to keep in mind when making coffee at home is your water. Murray suggests using filtered water for the best flavor. “Coffee is mostly water, so if your tap water tastes off, your coffee will too.”
Additionally, hard water can leave mineral deposits inside your coffee maker and cause buildup, which can make your machine run less efficiently. Of course, we’ve already gone over how you should clean your machine regularly, but avoiding using hard water could also help with keeping it in tip-top shape.
And if all else fails, get a new coffee maker
Sometimes coffee makers break down. If you’re in the market for a new one, Yahoo’s Senior Home Editor, Jessica Dodell-Feder, has already done a lot of testing and reviewing this year. She named the OXO Brew 9 Cup Stainless Steel Coffee Maker the best drip coffee maker, and the Nespresso VertuoPlus Coffee and Espresso Machine as the best single-serve coffee maker for 2026.
