My barista buddy told me my water temp was ruining my pour over

I was making pour over coffee for like 6 months and it always tasted kinda bitter or flat. My friend who works at a shop in Portland watched me brew one time and said dude your water is way too hot, you're scorching the beans. I had been using water right off the boil, like 212 degrees. He told me to let it sit 45 seconds after boiling to get down to around 200. Now I use a cheap thermometer and wait for 205 to 207. Huge difference in flavor, way smoother and I can actually taste the fruity notes. Anyone else struggle with getting water temp right without a fancy kettle?

3 comments

3 Comments

tarar276d ago

Figured that out the hard way too... I was wondering why my coffee tasted like licking an ashtray. @zarab24 you're lucky if 30 seconds works for you, but my tap water must be different because I was still getting that burnt taste. Grabbed a $10 instant read thermometer off Amazon and realized I was off by like 15 degrees. Now I let it sit a full minute and it's a totally different cup... not bitter at all, actually get some sweetness now. Still feels dumb having to babysit a kettle like this though.

bennett.patricia7d ago

Right off the boil for pour over, might as well be making charcoal.

zarab246d ago

Oh cmon, it's not that dramatic! I usually wait like 30-45 seconds after boiling and it comes out fine, not bitter at all.