Effects of water temp on taste

dfk41

Many thanks to my good pal, @Clodius for the idea. We both share a like for beans from Cworks. I admit perhaps they are not to everyones taste but if you like medium/plus beans……

As documented, I have moved back to espresso based drinks. The filter stuff was all very nice (when it worked) but more for the purist and my guests were suffering! So, having no beans I received a supply from Bailies and Sage which would get me started whilst I re-learnt life with the Sage. Yesterday I opened my Chocolate Fondant and posted here. In response, @Clodius suggested (from experience) to drop the temp down from 93 to 90. I did this just now and apart from the chocolate smell which had not been present, the pour which had been perfect yesterday was down to 22 seconds for a 2:1 with 18 gms. The resultant taste was slightly thin and watery but as always, that is a starting point and will improve.

So, my question to one and all, is has anyone had a play, whether scientific or not with increasing or decreasing brew temp and if so, what happened?

Platypus

I always use lower temps for decaf and darker roasts and get good results.

LMSC

dfk41 So, my question to one and all, is has anyone had a play, whether scientific or not with increasing or decreasing brew temp and if so, what happened?

I’ve had to drop the Decent temperature to 90°C for light roasts, as anything north of that tends to push the acidity into sourness for my palate. Interestingly, I also pull my medium-dark decaf at 90°C, where it tastes balanced, while 88–89°C feels a bit underdone

dfk41

It never ceases to amaze me how many unwritten rules there are in coffee that are taken as read. Without a shadow of doubt the advancement in ‘clever’ machines has brought this on. Myths are generally for busting!

jrling

dfk41 Could I respectively suggest that dropping 3C in one go is quite extreme? You could try 1C drop three times to do the thought justice!

Clodius

What is espresso other than oils and compounds extracted by water passing through the coffee bed?

I found this out the hard way back in March during our group tasting session. Some people had great results, I didn’t really enjoy the coffee. So I did some research afterward and realized water temperature is just as important a variable as grind size. Different roast levels and bean densities have different levels of soluble compounds, so you have to adjust your temperature to match.

guyy

I usually try the suggested temperature from the roaster, if there is one. A couple of my coffees are supposedly best at 93C. It works well enough that i haven’t experimented. Otherwise, lower temperatures for dark roasts and higher for light roasts. I don’t do much of either, so my machine has been stuck at 93 for some time.

dfk41

guyy Same approach as I have taken, but……@Clodius is a scientist and he always takes the time to explain why…..I am running at 90 and I will go back to 93 to compare………..but with so many other variables in a shot (grind, distribution, tamp etc etc) if it helps great…..if not nothing lost (or gained)

Clodius

@dfk41 let us know how the taste has evolved after you’ve had some time to process the taste.

On top of the temperature reduction, for the medium roast I was drinking I’ve also switched to the tapered IMS basket. Seems to be a good combo.

I have some light roast coffee from Kenya that I’ll be finishing this weekend and had to switch to Pullman 876 basket and 96°C (also upped the dose from my normal 18g to 20g and aiming for a 1:2.5 yield). That has removed the sourness and even got compliments from my wife (who prefers medium roast, sweeter coffee)

dfk41

Clodius I dropped the temp to 90 from 93, then upped it to 91 but I have to be honest and say I cannot taste any difference and visually it looks the same. I wonder if going hotter would taste any different? My tastebuds are pretty well known!

Clodius

@dfk41 1°C isn’t enough to make a dramatic difference on most roasts! If you really want to test it, jump 4 or 5 degrees instead try 88°C. Going hotter will definitely change the taste: dark roasts will turn bitter.