Why Your Coffee Tastes Different When the Seasons Change — And How to Fix It
Dairy Beanz TeamIf you’ve ever thought, “Why does my coffee taste slightly different this week?” even though you brewed it exactly the same way — you’re not imagining it.
As the seasons shift, from winter to summer or summer to winter, changes in temperature and humidity can naturally influence how your coffee extracts at home.
These environmental shifts affect everything: the coffee beans, the grinder, the water temperature, and even the speed of extraction. The good news? Once you understand what’s happening, you can make small, simple adjustments to bring your cup back to the flavour you love.
At Dairy Beanz, we help coffee lovers across New Zealand navigate this every year — and today, we’re breaking it down for you.
🌤 How Weather Changes Affect Coffee Extraction
1. How Humidity Actually Affects Coffee Extraction
Humidity doesn’t dramatically change the moisture inside your beans from day to day, but it does affect how your grinder and coffee grounds behave.
-
High humidity
Coffee grounds tend to clump together, which slows down the flow of water and can lead to deeper extraction — sometimes resulting in a stronger or slightly bitter cup. -
Low humidity
Dry air increases static in the grinder, causing coffee grounds to scatter or dose unevenly. This can lead to faster flow and lighter extraction, sometimes tasting a bit more acidic.
In other words:
- Clumping (humid) → slower flow → deeper extraction
- Static (dry) → faster flow → lighter extraction
So if your coffee suddenly tastes different as the weather shifts, it’s usually caused by changes in how the grounds behave, not the beans themselves. This is why your usual “3 clicks” on your grinder may suddenly taste a bit off, even though nothing has changed in your routine.
- Keep beans in airtight bags to avoid humidity swings.
- In very dry weather, your grinder may produce more static — tapping and brushing helps.
- In humid weather, expect slower flow and adjust grind accordingly.
2. Temperature affects water and extraction speed
- Warmer rooms → water cools down slower → extraction increases
- Colder rooms → water cools down faster → extraction weakens
This matters especially for hand brewing methods like V60, AeroPress, and plunger.
3. Seasonal shifts can highlight different flavour notes
As extraction changes, certain notes become more dominant:
- Under-extraction → more acidity, sharpness
- Over-extraction → more bitterness, heaviness
- Balanced extraction → sweetness, clarity, and depth
This is why some people say:
"My coffee tastes more sour in winter" or
"It’s tasting a bit strong lately".
🔧 Simple Fixes You Can Try at Home
Here’s how to quickly dial in your brew when the weather shifts.
1. Adjust Your Grind Size (the most effective fix)
- If your coffee tastes strong/bitter → try a slightly coarser grind or reduce brew time.
- If your coffee tastes sour/light → try a slightly finer grind or increase brew temperature.
Even a 1–2 click adjustment can rebalance the entire cup.
2. Adjust Water Temperature
- For lighter, cleaner flavour → 90–92°C
- For stronger, fuller flavour → 92–96°C
If it’s winter and your coffee cools too fast, try brewing a little hotter.
3. Use a consistent brew ratio
A common starting point:
1:15 for plunger
1:16–1:17 for V60
1:2 for espresso
Even seasonal shifts won’t overwhelm you if your ratio stays stable.
4. Stirring or blooming adjustments
Sometimes weather affects how coffee blooms:
- If the bloom is too fast → reduce agitation
- If the bloom is slow and gassy → increase agitation slightly
NZ’s humidity can make this change day to day.
🎯 Tell Us How You Brew — We’ll Personalise a Fix for You
If you ever feel the flavour isn’t where it used to be, we’d love to help dial it in.
Just let us know here:
- Your brewing method
- Grind size
- Water temperature
- Brew ratio
- Whether you drink black or white
- The flavour direction you enjoy (sweeter/smoother/stronger/cleaner etc.)
With that, we can recommend precise brewing adjustments.
And if needed, we can even fine-tune the roast profile to match what you like.
Example:
If you prefer sweeter, smoother cups → try our
👉 Kenya AA – Fruity & Sweet
👉 Guatemala New Oriente – Smooth Everyday Coffee
If you enjoy richer, chocolate-heavy cups →
👉 Indonesian Sumatran Mandheling Gr1 Single Origin
👉 The Daily Blend Medium Dark Roast
❤️ Our Promise at Dairy Beanz
We roast with one goal:
helping you make better coffee at home, every single day — in every season.
Weather changes are normal.
Taste variations are normal.
And with a few small brew tweaks, you can enjoy beautiful, balanced coffee all year long.
If you ever have questions, just reply.
We’re always here to help.