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Author:
Melissa Collins
Coffee is the morning liquid staple of choice for many people, with countless millions of cups being drunk everyday all around the world.
There are seemingly almost as many types of coffee as there are people to drink them, and yet one thing that many find when trying coffee is that the bitterness of the brew can be off-putting.
If you’ve ever found coffee bitter, the cause is too much acidity, and you should make use of a special ingredient — egg shells.
Today’s blog is all about why and how you can use eggshells to reduce acidity levels and make that coffee less bitter.
If you’re someone who wants to try and enjoy the benefits of morning coffee, but has always been put off by the bitter taste, then you should add eggshells to make it more suited to your palate.
The beauty of using eggshells is not just that they’re effective in removing the bitterness, but that they are a common household foodstuff that just about everyone has and will use day to day. When you use eggshell in your coffee, you’ll feel like you’re getting even more value for every dozen eggs you buy.
When coffee is made with cheap beans, or the beans used are over-extracted, it can bring out the more negative flavor spectrum of the drink, namely bitterness. Another way it can happen is when coffee is left brewing on a stove for too long.
Similar things happen with tea when a tea bag is left in the cup too long, rendering it bitter. Using eggshells can therefore be a way to correct coffee that you brewed too long.
The basic method is simple enough. In this section we’ll cover that method, and in the next section throw in some useful additional tips to help you make this method really work well for you.
The first step is to prepare your eggs, two clean bowls, and your preferred coffee making apparatus. The eggshell method works with just about any popular coffee-making method.
Crack your chosen number of eggs — depending on how much coffee you’re making, see next section for more — carefully separating the yolks/whites and the shells. Place each of the components in separate bowls.
Take your bowl of egg shells, and carefully but thoroughly rinse them in water to get rid of any trace of egg. You do want the shells to get into your coffee brew, but you don’t need traces of egg white or yolk.
After cracking the eggs, they’re likely still in big pieces. You need to crush them into smaller pieces now so you can easily sprinkle them into your coffee grounds. Don’t crush them too fine or into powder because then there’s a chance they’ll make it into your cup. The best way to crush them is with your hands.
Finally, add the shells to your grounds in whatever machine or apparatus you use to make coffee and allow them to do their work.
Now you know the process, but it takes a bit more knowledge to ensure that you do things right. Here are some additional tips on using eggshells in your coffee.
First of all, don’t think you can “trick the system” and avoid the mess of whites and yolks by simply using hard-boiled eggs. Those who have tried this will have wasted a batch of coffee and learned the hard way. When you cook eggs, they release compounds of sulfur which get into the shells and thus will impact the flavor in ways that you don’t want. Therefore, only use raw, fresh eggs.
Many will wonder how many eggs you need to do this right. Is it the same no matter how much coffee you’re making? Actually, the number of eggs you use depends on how much coffee you plan on making. A single egg is enough for a small pot of coffee making 4 cups or less.
Use 2 eggs for larger pots making up to 8 cups of coffee, and a third when making as many as 12 cups. If you have a large machine and are making enough for many more cups, you can use more eggs but no amount of coffee that any machine makes should need more than 6 eggs to get the right balance.
If after the first time you try using eggshells, you don’t get a great result, consider altering the amount that you use in your coffee grounds. Also be sure that you followed all the other steps we mentioned above exactly as described and didn’t try to take any shortcuts — e.g., not washing the eggs or using hard-boiled eggshells. Tinker with the amounts until you get a result that works for you. It might take more than one try.
In the introduction we mentioned that the bitterness of coffee is caused by its acidity. If you recall from your high-school chemistry class, the way to counteract an acid is with an alkaline substance. It just so happens that eggshells are alkaline.
The principal constituent of an eggshell’s makeup is calcium carbonate, which helps to absorb the acidity of the coffee, leaving you with something that tastes a lot better. Besides being alkaline, eggshells also work well because they crush easily in your hand and form pieces the right size to mix perfectly with your coffee grounds.
Every home has eggs, right? That means you can try this neat little trick right away on your next cup of coffee. Just remember not to waste the eggs!
Cook those yolks and whites up into scrambled eggs, or use them in your baking. Hopefully you’ll now get more value from your eggs and coffee than ever before, and won’t have to worry about bitter coffee ever again.
Using Eggshells in Coffee to Reduce Acidity
https://coffeedorks.com/eggshells-in-coffee/
How to Use Eggshells In Coffee for a Less Acidic Cup
https://www.roastycoffee.com/eggshells/
How to Use Eggshells in Coffee
https://www.livestrong.com/article/478447-how-to-use-eggshells-in-coffee/