Pour-Over Water Temperature: Treat It as One Recipe Variable

Water temperature affects how a pour-over recipe extracts coffee. CoffeeBox suggests exploring higher temperatures for some lighter roasts and lower temperatures for some darker ones. Those are practical starting directions, not rules that boiling water always ruins coffee or that every roast has one correct temperature.

A controlled study published in Scientific Reports tested drip brewing at 87°C, 90°C and 93°C while adjusting other variables to match strength and extraction. Within those conditions, temperature alone had little sensory effect. The result does not make temperature irrelevant; it shows why grind, contact time and concentration need to be considered with it.

For a home comparison, hold the dose, total water and pouring sequence steady while testing one temperature change. Measure when possible. Waiting one minute after boiling does not establish a particular temperature, because vessel, water volume and surroundings differ. Record the actual recipe and cup result rather than diagnosing all bitterness or sourness from the kettle setting alone.