Temperature: What is the best temperature for brewing coffee?
Is your water brewing temperature important? Short answer: yes. Long answer: Yes and here's why...
Extraction is key, from pour overs to pulling a shot of espresso, the water has to be the right temperature of 200°F ± 5° when agitating the coffee for extraction. When water is too hot you risk over-extraction, this will cause a bitterness to the coffee. A sour flavor is often caused by the under-extraction of coffee. When coffee isn't brewed long enough or the grounds are too large, this can easily occur. A quick fix for this is brewing your coffee for a little longer or adjusting your grind size to be a little finer. Timing is everything, following a recipe for brewing your coffee will impact the taste and experience.
Keep in mind, brewing temperature may differ per brewing device. Consistency in temperature is key, the best way to retain temperature is with an electric kettle.
Need more tips? Our suggestion is to experiment & document.
SCA Protocols Best Practices
Visit our Brew Guides for detailed instructions for each device:
Coffee Preparation Temperature: Water temperature, at the point of contact with coffee, is recommended to fall between 200°F ± 5° (93.0°C ± 3°).
Remember, water quality is important when brewing,(filtered water) Third Wave Water. Always use fresh off the boil, between 195 - 205°F (200°F ± 5°). When using the paper filter, pre-rinse with plenty of hot water to rid filter of paper taste. Doing this in the dripper will simultaneously preheat the dripper, ensuring proper brewing temperature. Invest in a good spouted kettle that helps with controlled pouring.
Each cup has its own individual characteristics which may be adjusted to achieve optimal favor. These are the parameters to experiment with: dose, grind size, time, and coffee.
Brewing Best Practices Coffee-to-Water Ratio: To achieve the Golden Cup Standard, the recommended coffee-to-water ratio is 55 g/L ± 10%.
Golden Cup Standards (SCA) download pdf
Each coffee will react differently. Experiment, Document, Taste, and Enjoy!
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