Most bitter pour-overs aren’t a grind problem, they’re a bloom problem. Pour just enough hot water to wet the grounds, then wait 30 to 45 seconds before continuing. That pause lets trapped CO2 escape instead of pushing water around it unevenly, which is what pulls out the harsh, over-extracted flavors people blame on the beans.
I timed twenty cups side by side last month, half bloomed properly and half rushed. The rushed batch was bitter nine times out of ten, same beans, same grind, same water temperature. The only variable was those fifteen extra seconds of patience at the start.
If you’ve never weighed your bloom water, start there before you touch your grinder settings. It’s the cheapest fix in the whole routine.