The key factor affecting hand brewing: temperature! A must-see experiment

The biggest charm of hand brewing is that you can taste the multiple flavors of single-origin coffee, whether it is fruity acid or hard taste, which is rich and multi-layered. However, many people who want to brew a cup of coffee that suits their taste often don’t know how to start. Today, let’s take a look at the key factor that affects the taste of hand brewed coffee - water temperature.

I believe everyone knows something about the temperature of hand-brewed coffee, and you should have read a lot of theoretical knowledge. The water temperature for hand-brewed coffee is about 83 degrees to 95 degrees. If the water temperature is lower than 83 degrees, the coffee powder will not be extracted enough. On the contrary, if it is higher than 95 degrees, the coffee powder may be over-extracted as soon as you add water.

Between 83 and 95 degrees, it is divided into three intervals:

(For the sake of convenience, the coffee powder is assumed to be medium ground)

1. Low temperature (83-87 degrees) If you use hot water in the low temperature range to brew, you can only release shallow taste elements, such as the bright sour taste is released at this time. So if you like sour taste, it is recommended to use a lower water temperature for hand brewing, the sour taste will be more obvious.

2. Medium temperature (88-91 degrees) If you use medium temperature hot water for brewing, you can release the middle taste elements, such as the bitter sweetness of caramel, but this bitter sweetness will not be so strong that it covers the sourness, so you will taste a neutral taste of sweet and sour. Therefore, if you prefer a mild taste in the middle, it is recommended to use medium temperature for hand brewing.

3. High temperature (92-95 degrees) The last is the high temperature range. If you use high temperature for hand brewing, you will release quite deep taste elements, such as the bitter sweetness of caramel at medium temperature may turn into carbon taste. The brewed coffee will be more bitter, but in contrast, the caramel aroma will be fully released, and the sweetness will cover the sourness.

So if you prefer a strong sweet taste, it is recommended to brew it by hand at high temperature. What we want to talk about today is using the same bean and brewing it under the same conditions except for the temperature, and comparing some of the sensory data we got.

This time we use beans

Catuai micro lot from Elida Estate in Boquete, Panama

Haibo 1800m -2000m SHB

Natural light roast

Used a grinder, Baratza Forte BG, 4V

The same brewing conditions were used except for the temperature, which were divided into three groups: 83℃, 89℃, and 92℃.

Use 15g powder with a water ratio of 1:15

40g water, steamed for 40 seconds

Then add water to 140 g, which takes 1 minute and 5 seconds.

Finally, add water to 230g. Total time: 2 minutes

While preparation is in progress:

Group 1: 83℃

Fermented fruit aroma, bayberry, caramel cream

Average cleanliness, average balance, a little watery, the flavor is a little late, and the aftertaste is astringent

Group 2: 89°C

Nectarine, black plum, fermented fruit aroma, white chocolate cream

The cleanliness is average, relatively balanced, the acidity is not very lively, but the taste is smoother, the astringency is a little weaker, but this time it stays in the throat

Group 3: 92°C

Citrus, grapefruit, fermented berry aromas, white chocolate

Clean, balanced and relatively good, but still a little bit astringent

The magical astringency still exists, but it is also slowly getting weaker. Since it is always there, we will put it aside for now, because there are too many factors that can affect it, such as roasting, grinding degree, technique, etc. Also, because today we are mainly talking about what kind of changes will occur through brewing at different temperatures, so we must keep all brewing conditions consistent and avoid going off topic. As for the astringency, we can confirm that at least in the performance of these three groups, we can probably rule out that it is not a temperature issue. If we change some other aspects, it will be more direct. Haha~

At different temperatures, different flavors will develop, and the taste will also appear in different directions, and the cleanliness and balance are obvious to all.

High temperatures can indeed make aromatic lipids emit more aroma, but sometimes it will also cause some flavor damage. The sour taste may be slightly faded at high temperatures, but if the control is not appropriate, bitterness and other flavors will gradually appear, and low temperatures may prevent some flavors from spreading.

The above is for reference only. The various flavor changes under different adjustments are what make hand brewing attractive. The specific adjustments should be made according to the actual situation. Let’s communicate and learn from each other.

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