What is the most suitable temperature of water for hand brewed coffee?

Regardless of the type of utensil or brewing method, the brewing water temperature of the coffee is determined by the roasting degree of the coffee beans, and the roasting degree of the coffee beans is inversely proportional to the brewing water temperature. According to the different roasting degrees of the coffee, the recommended coffee brewing temperature with the highest tolerance rate is between 88-94℃.

Coffee roasting degree classification

When coffee berries are ripe and picked by coffee farmers or machines, they go through a series of processes such as peeling and fermentation to become coffee beans. The common coffee beans we see are made from coffee beans that have been roasted. During the roasting process, the degree of roasting varies according to the characteristics of the beans.

The most common roasting degree in the world is eight degrees, but for the sake of ease of understanding, we can divide the roasting degree of coffee into three categories: light roasting, medium roasting and dark roasting.

1. Light baking:

Bean characteristics: The coffee beans are dense and hard;

Flavor characteristics: high acidity, low body;

2. Medium roast:

Bean characteristics: The coffee beans have a higher density and a harder texture;

Flavor characteristics: Acidity and body are relatively balanced;

3. Deep roasting

Bean characteristics: The coffee beans have low density and fragile texture;

Flavor characteristics: low or even no acidity, high body;

The baking degree is inversely proportional to the water temperature

1. The degree of baking is proportional to the speed of water absorption

When coffee beans are roasted, light roasting experiences the "first crack", medium roasting is after the "first crack" and before the "second crack", and dark roasting experiences the "second crack".

When coffee beans burst, they absorb a lot of heat and release water. The longer the roasting time, the less water there is inside the coffee beans, and the lighter the coffee beans are.

When we brew coffee, coffee of different roasting degrees will absorb water at different speeds due to different internal moisture content.

• Lightly roasted coffee beans absorb water more slowly;
• Medium roasted coffee beans absorb water faster;
• Deeply roasted coffee beans absorb water the fastest;

2. The brewing water temperature is proportional to the speed of coffee extraction

The speed at which coffee powder absorbs water directly determines how much coffee can be extracted, and the speed of water absorption is precisely determined by the water temperature.

• The higher the water temperature, the faster the coffee powder absorbs water, and the faster the coffee is extracted;
• The lower the water temperature, the slower the coffee powder absorbs water, and the slower the coffee is extracted;

For example, a cup of hand-brewed coffee can be made in about 3-4 minutes using 90℃ hot water, but a cup of cold-brewed coffee often takes 12-16 hours. This is because the water used in cold-brewed coffee is room temperature water, which is about 15-20℃, so it naturally takes longer to extract the coffee substances.

3. The degree of coffee roasting is inversely proportional to the brewing water temperature

Different roasting degrees have different internal moisture content of coffee beans, and the speed of water absorption is also different, so the extraction speed is also different:

• The lower the roasting degree, the higher the moisture content of the coffee beans, and the slower the water absorption rate; in order to avoid under-extraction, a higher water temperature is required for extraction;
• The higher the roasting degree, the lower the moisture content of the coffee beans, and the faster they absorb water; in order to avoid over-extraction, a lower water temperature is required for extraction;

Based on the above, after years of testing and experience, the brewing water temperature with the highest tolerance is recommended:

• Light roast: 92-94°C
• Medium roast: 90-92°C
• Dark roast: 88-90℃

How to determine the roast degree of coffee

1. Look at the coffee bean packaging and information

2. Look at the color of the coffee beans (pictures of different roasting degrees)

• Light roast: cinnamon
• Medium roast: brown
• Dark roast: dark brown with a hint of black

3. Press the coffee beans with your thumb

Coffee beans with different roasting degrees contain different amounts of water. The roasting degree of the coffee beans is inversely proportional to the softness or hardness of the coffee beans.

• The lighter the roast, the harder the coffee beans are and the harder they are to crush.
• The darker the coffee beans are roasted, the crispier they are and the easier they are to crush.

Summarize

When we brew coffee, water temperature, grinding degree, ratio of coffee powder to water, and frequency of brewing are four very important factors that affect the flavor of coffee. Among them, water temperature is the factor that we can adjust most easily.

Because the coffee beans have different degrees of roasting, their internal water content is different, and the speed of water absorption is also different. The temperature of brewing coffee is inversely proportional to the degree of roasting of the coffee beans. The darker the roasting degree of the coffee beans, the lower the brewing water temperature; the lighter the roasting degree of the coffee beans, the higher the brewing water temperature.