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What's the Ideal Temperature for Coffee Cups? Should Coffee Cups Be Preheated? Should Pour-Over Coffee Cups Be Refrigerated?

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, As is widely known, most coffee aromas are volatile, and their evaporation rate is influenced by temperature. The higher the coffee temperature, the faster the aroma compounds evaporate, and vice versa. Coffee aromas are typically extracted in large quantities during the initial brewing phase and then continuously dissipate. If I

The Science of Coffee Aroma and Temperature

As we all know, most coffee aromas are volatile, and their evaporation rate is affected by temperature. The higher the coffee temperature, the faster the aroma volatilizes, and vice versa. Coffee aromas are typically dissolved in large quantities during the initial extraction phase and then continuously evaporate. If we want to experience more aroma from a cup of coffee, besides increasing the extraction rate, we can also cool the initially dissolved coffee liquid to slow down the aroma evaporation rate.

The Paragon Golden Ball Experiment

The popular Paragon Golden Ball from recent years was created for this purpose. When we use this stainless steel ice ball during coffee brewing, the "cold air" it releases can rapidly freeze the initially dissolved coffee liquid, thereby "locking in" the coffee aroma (slowing down the aroma evaporation rate), allowing us to experience richer aroma expressions in the cup. Then some friends asked: "According to this theory, can chilled cups achieve the same effect? Or, the lower the temperature of the container we use when brewing coffee, the more coffee aroma will be retained?"

Excellent! So today, FrontStreet Coffee will conduct an experiment using cups of three different temperatures: high, room temperature, and low, to see if the cup temperature truly affects coffee aroma.

Experimental Design

FrontStreet Coffee has actually conducted such experiments before, but the cups used for comparison at that time were refrigerated cups. Perhaps because the temperature wasn't low enough, the final results showed little difference from room temperature cups. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee will be more daring this time and use frozen cups for the comparison experiment! (Good kids, don't try this at home)

The coffee beans used this time are Kenya Assalia, which has outstanding flavor and taste. If cup temperature affects the coffee itself, its changes will be more noticeable, better demonstrating the impact brought by the cup. Similarly, to ensure minimal human brewing influence, we will still use a shower drip filter for assistance during this brewing. The extraction parameters remain identical as follows: Coffee amount used: 15g, Grind degree: EK43's 9.5 scale, 75% pass-through rate with #20 sieve, fine sugar grinding, Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15, Brewing water temperature: 92°C, Brewing method: Three-stage method, Filter cup used: V60, Extraction time: 2 minutes. (Process omitted)

(From left to right: Hot cup, room temperature cup, low temperature cup/frozen cup)

Experimental Results

Hot Cup Coffee

The hot cup is one that has been preheated with hot water before brewing. When we use this type of cup as a container for pour-over coffee, the final coffee temperature will be around 71°C. The coffee smells very aromatic, but it feels somewhat hot to drink. The taste and flavor expressions are not very obvious due to the high temperature, allowing only a slight caramel sweetness and faint black plum acidity to be detected. However, when the temperature cools down, the flavors and taste immediately become more prominent.

Room Temperature Cup Coffee

The room temperature cup is one stored at ambient temperature. When we use this type of cup as a container for pour-over coffee, the final coffee temperature will be around 68°C. The coffee also smells very aromatic, but compared to the previous cup, it's not as hot to drink. Therefore, this cup of coffee allows for more noticeable flavor expressions, including black plum and cherry tomatoes. Similar to the previous cup, when the temperature cools down, the flavors and taste begin to stand out.

Low Temperature Cup Coffee

The low temperature cup here is an ice cup that has been frozen in the freezer. When we use this type of cup as a container for pour-over coffee, the final coffee temperature will be around 62°C. This cup of coffee doesn't smell as aromatic as the first two, but because this temperature isn't hot and very easy to drink, compared to the first two cups, the taste and flavor of this coffee are more prominent from the first sip. Black plum, cherry tomatoes, fragrant pear, caramel - sweet and sour delicious! Frankly, although there are certain differences in the flavor and taste of the three cups when first sipped, with the hot cup having the weakest flavor expression among the three, the room temperature cup being moderate, and the iced cup coffee being outstanding. However! The main source of difference doesn't come from the quantity of aroma, but rather from how the coffee temperature affects our perception of taste.

Analysis and Conclusion

When the hot cup coffee and room temperature cup coffee cool down, they also develop the same taste expressions as the low temperature cup coffee. This is because high temperature reduces the "sensitivity" of our tongues, making it difficult to properly perceive the coffee's taste and flavor. When the temperature cools down, we can naturally capture a more complete coffee experience.

Since FrontStreet Coffee has shared many times before about the effects of temperature on taste, we won't elaborate on the specific theory here. Interested friends can search for related content from previous issues. As for whether there are significant differences in aroma... FrontStreet Coffee feels it's about the same, similar to the Golden Ball, with more impact coming from temperature.

Practical Applications

In summary, we can know that cup temperature does affect coffee, though it mostly affects temperature aspects. Although the results differ somewhat from our imagination, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. After learning that cup temperature can affect coffee temperature, we can more flexibly choose containers of different temperatures for coffee brewing based on different weather or environments.

For example, in cold weather, we can follow the standard practice of preheating the coffee container to maintain a higher temperature for the brewed coffee, preventing it from cooling down too quickly. In suitable ambient temperatures, when you want guests to experience full flavors from the first sip, you can choose room temperature cups or add a Golden Ball (iced cups are not recommended) to cool down the coffee, allowing guests to quickly experience the coffee's flavors and taste. (In short, whatever makes you happy)

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