Making coffee, is water temperature that important?

[Riley Blue]

I'm a bit fussy when it comes to making coffee; I grind beans and use an aeropress but have never really thought about the temperature of the water, I just switch off the kettle before it boils. Does precise temperature make much of a difference? Would a variable temperature kettle be worthwhile? If so, which does anyone recommend?

[AllyBassman]

Yes it does,

I don't have a fancy kettle, but I just boil it and then open the lid for 5 mins to allow the water to cool. works for me!

[Mobile Chicane]

I have a Bosch variable temperature kettle for making tea. It heats water up to either 80C, 90C or 100C.

Green tea wants to be at 80C. Hotter and it will taste 'fishy'. I guess different types of coffee have similar requirements.

[Digger]

Mobile Chicane said:

I have a Bosch variable temperature kettle for making tea. It heats water up to either 80C, 90C or 100C.

Green tea wants to be at 80C. Hotter and it will taste 'fishy'. I guess different types of coffee have similar requirements.

Is that the one that goes BEEEEEEEEEEP?

[hutchst]

I have 3 Saeco bean-to-cup machines. They have a 3-stage water temp. setting (I think it's low/med/high). It makes no noticeable difference to the quality of the coffee, just the temperature. I brew at high temp because I like to add a bit of cold milk, but if I use the steam frother on the millk it gets a bit burnie at that setting.

[devnull]

Digger said:

Mobile Chicane said:

I have a Bosch variable temperature kettle for making tea. It heats water up to either 80C, 90C or 100C.

Green tea wants to be at 80C. Hotter and it will taste 'fishy'. I guess different types of coffee have similar requirements.

Is that the one that goes BEEEEEEEEEEP?

Yep! (I have one)

[Tickle]

Riley Blue said:

I'm a bit fussy when it comes to making coffee; I grind beans and use an aeropress but have never really thought about the temperature of the water, I just switch off the kettle before it boils. Does precise temperature make much of a difference? Would a variable temperature kettle be worthwhile? If so, which does anyone recommend?

I use an aeropress in work. I do find it tastes different if you scald the coffee. To get around this with no temp-control water in work I put a splash of cold on the ground coffee before adding the hot. Slightly off topic I will also stop the plunge just as the water goes and the press 'hisses', this can help against a more bitter coffee being made

[anonymous-user]

Provided the water is hot enough to fully dissolve the granules you should have no problem. I find our domestic hot water tap works for powder but struggles with granules.

[Tickle]

Roman Rhodes said:

Provided the water is hot enough to fully dissolve the granules you should have no problem. I find our domestic hot water tap works for powder but struggles with granules.

Ground coffee won't dissolve.

[anonymous-user]

Tickle said:

Roman Rhodes said:

Provided the water is hot enough to fully dissolve the granules you should have no problem. I find our domestic hot water tap works for powder but struggles with granules.

Ground coffee won't dissolve.

Ah, OK. I think we must be using tree coffee - different type of bean I suppose.

[dapprman]

I'm not sure if instant is affected, but coffee (grinds/beans) burns at ~95 degrees (can't remember precisely). If you make coffee above and below that temperature and compare you will find burnt/bitter notes in the higher temperature version. I used to pay the penalty for forgetting I had put my mokka pot on.