A Lush experiment with coffee and water temperatures.
A lush experiment with coffee and water temperatures.
One of the fascinating blog entries on Roaste is by Scott Lush and can be found here
http://www.roaste.com/CoffeeBlogs/scott/2-Surprising-Finds-about-Coffee-...
he does something, which is always worth doing and he challenges conventions of brewing and tries brewing coffee “the wrong way.”
In the post he finds that his favorite temperature for brewed chemex and for Aeropress coffee is around 175 degrees.
I decided to see the impact on a clever dripper kind of brewed coffee. I made consecutive pots. First I made one at a conventional temperature just off the boil. I do not have a digital kettle or any method for precise temperature control so I just used an instant read thermometer and boiled and then waited for the temperature to drop to the target temperature.
The first was just under 210 degrees. The dose was right in the middle of the recommended range as was the grind.
The second cup was just under 180 degrees with the same dose and grind.
For both cups I used a friend’s home roast that he had made for me for espresso, but he said it would work fine for brewed coffee, too. I had used it for espresso and quite enjoyed it.
By the time the second one was done they were not too different in temperature in the cup. They were surprisingly similar to me. If you tried anything like this with espresso a swing of 10 degrees would take you from good to undrinkable, not to mention 30 degrees.
They were similar, but not identical. Scott Lush took the honors today as the one brewed closer to his advice was ever so slightly better. It was a little smoother and softer, while the hotter one had a slightly harsher edge to it. I did not love either cup, but in the end I kept reaching for the cooler brew so I am glad I tried his recommendation and I will certainly try it again with coffee intended for brew!
One of the fascinating blog entries on Roaste is by Scott Lush and can be found here
http://www.roaste.com/CoffeeBlogs/scott/2-Surprising-Finds-about-Coffee-...
he does something, which is always worth doing and he challenges conventions of brewing and tries brewing coffee “the wrong way.”
In the post he finds that his favorite temperature for brewed chemex and for Aeropress coffee is around 175 degrees.
I decided to see the impact on a clever dripper kind of brewed coffee. I made consecutive pots. First I made one at a conventional temperature just off the boil. I do not have a digital kettle or any method for precise temperature control so I just used an instant read thermometer and boiled and then waited for the temperature to drop to the target temperature.
The first was just under 210 degrees. The dose was right in the middle of the recommended range as was the grind.
The second cup was just under 180 degrees with the same dose and grind.
For both cups I used a friend’s home roast that he had made for me for espresso, but he said it would work fine for brewed coffee, too. I had used it for espresso and quite enjoyed it.
By the time the second one was done they were not too different in temperature in the cup. They were surprisingly similar to me. If you tried anything like this with espresso a swing of 10 degrees would take you from good to undrinkable, not to mention 30 degrees.
They were similar, but not identical. Scott Lush took the honors today as the one brewed closer to his advice was ever so slightly better. It was a little smoother and softer, while the hotter one had a slightly harsher edge to it. I did not love either cup, but in the end I kept reaching for the cooler brew so I am glad I tried his recommendation and I will certainly try it again with coffee intended for brew!
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