TIL about water temperature the hard way last weekend

I've been brewing pour over for like 3 years now and always just used boiling water straight off the kettle. Last Saturday I was making coffee for my friend who's a barista and she asked what temp I was using. I told her boiling and she just laughed lol. Turns out I was scorching my beans this whole time and getting bitter cups. She showed me to wait 30 seconds after boil and use a thermometer. First cup I made after that was way smoother with actual fruit notes coming through. Has anyone else had a similar wake up call with their brew temp?

2 comments

2 Comments

eva_ward887d ago

Oh wow, I had the same exact thing happen to me a few months ago. I always thought hotter water meant better extraction, like you're really getting everything out of the beans. Turns out I was just making bitter, flat coffee for years. A friend lent me a thermometer and I tried it at 200 degrees instead of boiling, and the difference was night and day. Now I actually taste the citrus and chocolate notes instead of just burnt water.

alex5247d ago

Eh, I've had better luck dialing in grind size than chasing exact water temps.