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Beyond just cutting bitterness, adding salt can also amplify the sweet and savory aspects of coffee, bringing forward subtle flavors that might otherwise be overshadowed, adds Pallian. “This can result in a more complex and enjoyable taste experience, where the rich notes of the coffee are more pronounced.”
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Does that in turn “improve” the quality of your cup of coffee, from a technical standpoint? Maybe. "Your personal coffee enjoyment is highly individual, and will vary depending on the specific varietal of coffee, the roast, and the brewing method,” Perry says. “High-quality, fresh-roasted specialty coffee probably doesn’t need salt.” In fact, adding salt could actually mask the spectrum of flavors your roaster has worked so hard to incorporate, she and her team add.
Which types of coffee should you salt?
“Adding salt is beneficial for lower quality coffees like cheap robusta blends or instant coffees, as it can mask harsh flavors and reduce overwhelming bitterness,” says Morrison. “Higher quality specialty coffees, particularly light or medium roasts, may not need salt and could even be negatively impacted by it."
In fact, that might have something to do with why salt in coffee is more popular in some places than others. “The vast majority of coffee you’d taste in a cafe or from a specialty coffee roaster in the United States will be Arabica, but Robusta is popular in some countries like Vietnam,” Perry explains. “Generally, Robusta is more bitter than Arabica, which may explain why the idea of salting coffee is more common where Robusta is served.”
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Salt is also a nice complement to other flavors popular in some regions, due to coffee commonly being served with condensed milk or other sweet ingredients, she adds.
How to add salt to coffee
There are countless recipes available online and especially on TikTok, from the aforementioned sea salt coffee to the now viral salted maple latte. However, there are a few ground rules to keep in mind before you begin.
“If you do decide to experiment with salt, don’t overdo it; you don’t want to overpower the flavor notes or worse, taste a salty cup of coffee,” says Perry. “Adding salt also won’t fix poor quality coffee, stale coffee, or errors in brewing.”
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With that in mind, Pallian says that the best way to add salt to your coffee is to add a small pinch directly to the coffee grounds before brewing. “This method allows the salt to evenly distribute throughout the coffee, reducing bitterness during the brewing process,” she says. “It integrates the salt into the coffee more naturally, leading to a smoother, more balanced flavor.”
If you prefer more control over the final taste, you can also add salt into your brewed coffee. “It's much easier to control dosage this way,” says Perry "You prepare the coffee first, assess its bitterness, and then start adding salt, increasing the amount until the perfect taste profile is achieved.
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Finally, there's the saline solution method. “Make a 20% salt solution (20% salt, 80% water) and add it directly to brewed coffee,” says Perry. “This method allows for more accurate and consistent dosing compared to trying to measure tiny amounts of dry salt. This is the method actually used by Baristas in coffee shops as it is easy to standardize the taste this way.”
Which types of salt to use
“Historically, sea salt is probably the most common type used, so that might be a good starting point for those who want to experiment,” says Perry. “You can also try kosher salt.”
