I've had a problem for a long time with bitter coffee. I've had 10 cup coffee makers and always used 3-4 scoops for a full pot and 2 scoops for 1/2 pot. (scoop = 1/8 tablespoon coffee spoon) It was always bitter. I have experimented with different amounts and that didn't seem to make a difference. I have tried different coffee brands but they all seem the same. I liked Maxwell House until they changed the recipe. I have ground my own beans and I either do it too much or too little. The only time I can get a decent cup of coffee is at a restaurant. I am currently using Folgers medium. I don't have hard water but it isn't very good out of the tap. Do you think I should use the filtered water from the fridge? Will that make a difference?

I just bought a 4 cup Cuisinart coffee maker. I used 2 scoops (my 1/8 tablespoon coffee scoop) and it was bitter. It seems like one scoop for 4 cups is too little. The scoop that came with the coffee maker seems smaller than my 1/8 coffee spoon.

What is the perfect amount of coffee to use for a 4 cup coffee maker? How much coffee do you use for a pot of coffee? What about a half pot?

You only use 3-4 scoops for a 10 cup coffee maker and THAT is too bitter? My recipe is 1 heaping tablespoon for each cup and 1 "for the pot" That's what my mother taught me. So for a 4 cup coffee maker I would use 5 tablespoons of coffee and 4 cups of water. I have never made bitter coffee - I use Kroger's Italian Espresso coffeed filtered water. Is it possible you could have lime buildup in your coffee maker? Do you "brew" white vinegar through it periodically to clean it out?

Clare - Although I've never had a problem with my coffee being bitter, and do 4 heaping tablespoons of coffee per 10-cup pot, some people I know (mainly my SO), put a dash of salt on top of the grounds when he makes the coffee and swears that it takes out the bitterness.

It's all a matter of taste...If I make coffee in a 4-cup pot, I use one tablespoon of regular grounds, or a little less for a 4-cup pot, as long as it's ground fine.

1 Tablespoon for 4 cups? Man we got a bunch of weak coffee drinkers here. I was beginning to suspect my measurements so I pulled up "how to make coffee" on the internet and for the most part the coffee amount was "Approximately one heaping tablespoon of ground coffee for every cup of coffee you want to make." How to brew coffee.

I also found this which again discusses the importance of using good water:

Coffee is 98% water, and bad water can make a difference to the taste. There’s little point in learning how to make coffee, and investing in good beans and a coffee maker, if the final taste is spoiled by poor water.

If you have good tap water, that’s fine. But if you don’t, try filtering the water before you brew. Or, for those of us with terrible tasting water, use bottled water.
Coffee Detective

And this site tells you everything that you need to be be aware of to brew that perfect cup...
These factors are:

Quality of the Water
Quality of the Beans
Time Since Roasting
Time Since Grinding
Good Measurement
Clean Equipment

Maybe you can pinpoint where the bitterness is coming from. Honestly, the only time I have tasted bitter coffee was when I tried left over coffee I made - 12 hours later. And I do the 1 tablespoon per cup method....you bunch of light weights!

Thanks for the input. I've experimented and now use 2 level coffee spoons for my 4 cup coffee maker.

I did try Georgia's method but it tasted like a shoe.

Is that so Clare? Had the opportunity to taste a shoe recently, eh? Duely noted....won't be inviting Clare over for morning coffee and gossip...unless it's Starbucks!

You know? I'll bet our water helps make the difference, because we always use filtered water for coffee. Not only for taste but because our water is SOOO hard, I wanted to help the coffee maker stay cleaner.

My very favorite is freshly ground beans, ground very fine, and I still use the same amount of coffee, it just comes out more robust...Yummmmm!

Coffee should be robust! I use filtered water as well Giz. In Ga we have "hard" water and that's what I am accusomted to do. But I am so aware that the quality of water does affect the taste of tea and coffee. Along the coast in SC and NC the water is "soft" and I can't drink it served in a restaurant nor can I stand ice-tea made from it.