A YouTuber has shared a simple tip for making instant coffee taste better: add a pinch of salt. The advice, aimed at campers and hikers but applicable to home drinkers, involves dissolving ground coffee in a splash of cold water to form a paste, then adding salt to reduce bitterness.
The Alton Brown trick
Adding salt to coffee gained prominence in 2009, when food science expert Alton Brown recommended it on his cooking show. He advised using half a teaspoon of salt for every two teaspoons of ground coffee.
At the time, Brown explained: "Not only does salt cut the bitterness, it also smooths out the 'stale' taste of tank-stored water. Research has proven that salt is actually better at neutralising bitterness than sugar."
Health benefits and risks
Connect Vending's Elyas Coutts previously outlined the health effects of adding salt to coffee. In 2024, he told Express.co.uk: "There are actually some health benefits to adding salt to coffee, with the body requiring sodium in order to balance water and electrolytes, contract and relax muscles and transfer nerve impulses."
He added: "However, it is important to note that it is easy to overconsume salt, which can have negative health impacts - especially to those with higher blood pressure."
