Coffee nerd tip: if you want more bitterness, you're probably better off using less coffee for the same amount of water ("weakening" it a bit). If you tamp it,

Coffee nerd tip: if you want more bitterness, you're probably better off using less coffee for the same amount of water ("weakening" it a bit). If you tamp it, there's a greater chance that the water breaks an easier path through the coffee and doesn't flow evenly through all of it, which tastes worse.