Told me my pour-over water temp was too hot and I fought it for months

My buddy who works at a shop in Portland said I was burning my coffee by using water straight off boil. Spent like 4 months insisting I knew better because my coffee tasted strong and good to me. Then I actually tried his method with a 30 second wait after boiling one morning. The difference was wild - I could actually taste the fruit notes in a Kenyan roast I had been drinking for weeks. Now I keep a thermometer in my kettle set to 205. Anyone else get defensive about their brewing habits and then have to eat crow?

2 comments

2 Comments

hannah38515d ago

You ever have one of those moments where you realize you've been doing something the hard way for no reason? I used to argue with my brother about preheating a mug before pouring coffee. Told him it didn't matter, called it a waste of time. Then I tried it one morning when my hands were cold and the mug was cold and the coffee went lukewarm in like two minutes. Felt pretty dumb after that. Now I pour hot water in every mug before I even start brewing, even if it's just a quick rinse. Sometimes you gotta get humbled by a simple thing to actually improve.

barbara96714d ago

Read a little tip online once that said warming your mug in the microwave for 30 seconds works just as good as pouring hot water in it, @hannah385. Tried it and it's true, keeps my coffee hot way longer than I thought it would. I used to think it was all fussy nonsense too, but now I do it every morning and I can't go back. It's such a small thing but it really does make a difference with that first sip.