What's the Best Water Temperature for Brewing Coffee in Winter? Pour-Over Coffee Optimal Temperature Recommendations

Understanding Coffee Temperature Changes in Cold Weather

Have you noticed recently that when brewing coffee with your usual parameters, the coffee tastes weaker than before, and the sweetness is less pronounced?

This phenomenon is actually caused by the recent cold weather, which affects the water temperature during brewing. If you, like FrontStreet Coffee, first pour water into a pour-over kettle and then measure the temperature with a thermometer, you'll find that the water temperature drops much faster than usual.

The Difference Between Set and Actual Brewing Temperature

There's a significant difference between the set brewing temperature and the actual extraction temperature. When we talk about a brewing temperature of 91°C, we're typically referring to the water temperature inside the kettle. However, the actual extraction temperature when water contacts the coffee grounds is definitely below 91°C, because as water flows from the kettle spout, it passes through cooler air, and when it enters the coffee bed, some heat is absorbed by the room-temperature coffee grounds. Additionally, during the approximately 2-minute extraction process, the temperature inside the pour-over kettle is dissipating, and the extraction temperature in the filter cup is also decreasing.

Temperature Variations in Different Seasons

FrontStreet Coffee conducted tests on coffee bed temperature during summer. When the initial water temperature was 90°C, the temperature during the main extraction phase after the bloom decreased between 86.2-84.5°C.

Now, FrontStreet Coffee is using the same initial water temperature of 90°C to brew coffee, but the measured temperature during the main extraction phase decreases between 85.1-83.8°C.

How Temperature Affects Coffee Flavor

So when the ambient temperature drops, even though you're still using the same water temperature as before, the actual coffee bed temperature during extraction is lower than in the past. This results in coffee that tastes more acidic than before, with less rich and full flavor.

Solutions for Temperature-Related Brewing Issues

Solving this problem is quite simple: increase the water temperature. Generally, increasing it by 2°C higher than usual will suffice. For example, FrontStreet Coffee typically uses 91°C water temperature to brew coffee, but when encountering slightly lower room temperatures, they use 93°C to brew coffee.

Additional Temperature Preservation Techniques

Besides increasing water temperature, you should also pay attention to some heat preservation measures during brewing to prevent your water temperature from dropping too quickly. For example, remember to put the lid on the kettle when brewing coffee, and before officially starting to brew coffee, pour out a small amount of hot water to preheat the kettle spout.

When pouring water, don't let the water stream be too long. The larger the surface area of the water stream exposed to air, the more significant the heat loss. Generally, maintaining a pouring height of 3-5cm is sufficient.

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473