Your morning coffee could be hiding a fix your grandparents already knew. Before you blame the beans or buy another expensive machine, your grandma had a trick to make even the cheapest store coffee taste smooth and rich. It wasn’t cream, it wasn’t sugar, and it definitely wasn’t on the label. It was something she kept right next to the stove and used with just a tiny pinch.

The secret ingredient is salt. Or more precisely, a pinch of salt and a tiny dash of baking soda. Coffee is naturally acidic and bitter, and those two humble kitchen staples are the perfect antidote. Salt doesn’t make your coffee salty, it actually blocks the bitterness receptors on your tongue, making the coffee taste sweeter and smoother without adding anything sweet. Baking soda, on the other hand, neutralizes the acid that causes that harsh, sour bite and the stomach burn.

Grandma knew the dosage was everything. For a full pot of coffee, she would add just an eighth of a teaspoon of baking soda into the grounds before brewing, and a tiny pinch of sea salt directly into the pot after. Some grandmas from the South would go a step further and add a pinch of cinnamon to the grounds as well, which adds warmth and tricks your brain into tasting sweetness. The result is a cup that is incredibly smooth, low-acid, and tastes like an expensive dark roast.

You don’t need to be a barista to try it tomorrow morning. Start with less than you think you need, because too much will ruin the pot. Just a literal pinch. Brew it normally and taste it black first. You’ll be shocked at how that bitter edge disappears and the real, chocolatey flavor of the coffee finally comes through. It’s the secret she never wrote down, but it’s been sitting in your pantry all along.