If you are one of those people who loves a good cup of coffee in the morning you probably want to make sure it tastes as good as possible. We are going to start off by saying that you have plenty of options for making coffee. All of these options are slightly different but when it comes to the temperature required to produce a good cup of coffee there are certain rules which apply.
We are going to take a look at what temperature you should try to achieve if you are making yourself a cup of coffee. We are also going to examine how you can make sure that this temperature level is attained.
At what temperature should you brew coffee and why is this so important?
We are going to start off by making a simple statement. The optimum temperature for producing great coffee is between 195 F (91 C) and 205 F (96 C); the closer you can get to 205 F (96 C) the better. So now you know, but you may be thinking why this is the case?
Let’s start by explaining that during the brewing process extraction takes place. This is when the flavour is drawn from the coffee grounds. If the temperature of the water is too low extraction does not work as it should and the flavour of the coffee is adversely affected. The resulting cup of coffee is weak and potentially sour tasting. If the temperature of the water is too high the grounds can burn and the coffee produced is usually bitter to taste. So how can you make sure that the temperature of the water is just right?
Getting the water temperature right
Given that most of us boil water to make coffee it can be difficult to obtain the right temperature of water needed to get the best flavour from the coffee. There are some temperature control kettles available but if you do not have one what other methods can you use?
If you are really enthusiastic about your coffee, and you have the time to spare measuring, you may want to invest in a thermometer. If you make use of a thermometer you can make sure that the water temperature is at the right level to use. If this seems a little too involved for you then you do have another option. All you have to do is leave the water to cool for a little while once it has boiled; even thirty seconds can make all the difference. Of course, this is not an exact way of getting the water temperature right but it’s quick and you still stand a very good chance of producing a decent cup of coffee in the end.
Hopefully, you can see how much the temperature of the water contributes to the flavour of the coffee you produce. It’s worth making even just a little effort to improve the taste as much as possible.
