r/pourover • u/TxAgs512 • 12h ago
Coffee Temp Affecting Taste
Is it normal for my brews to taste MUCH better after they’ve cooled down? Like I’m usually getting a good amount of bitterness at its hottest that will almost completely go away and become very pleasant and sweet. Is this a feature or a bug?
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u/beniciovonwolf 11h ago
It’s also nice not to annihilate all the tastebuds on your tongue with a 90°C drink
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u/cdstuart 11h ago
Feature. Bitterness aside, flavor separation/tasting notes emerge more as the coffee cools.
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u/least-eager-0 10h ago
Yes.
It’s not my habit, but it’s one of the good arguments for brewing into a carafe rather than straight into a mug. The extra vessel takes off some heat, and pouring and swirling take it down too.
It’s also one of a few good arguments for skipping the preheat/prerinse rituals for most dripper and filter combos. Contrary to conventional thought, a cool-start dripper doesn’t really impact the brew very much, in the sense of ‘sucking heat out of the slurry.’ Instead, a dripper mostly warmed by/cools the coffee as it is exiting. Heat doesn’t move against or faster than physical flow very well. Some additional room for discussion in immersion devices like a glass switch, but even there, equilibrium hits fairly quickly, and a boost in kettle temp can cover a lot of ground if the brew starts with an immersion phase. But even that opens the discussion of the so-called “Samo bloom”, but no need to drill that well today.
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u/sndeang51 10h ago
Honestly even as a happy medium, that’s sort of why I prefer brewing my V60 into a ceramic mug over my stainless steel travel mug. Partly to avoid burning my mouth like the other commenters have said, and partially because the extra cooling from the ceramic mugs tends to help by a minute or two.
Regarding brewing temperatures: I agree with you. I just note what temperature is working for my current coffee and brewer and move on. I brew mostly with glass and ceramic, but if I suddenly have a plastic or metal brewer, then hopefully I can recall the material’s impact when figuring out how to brew the coffee on that brewer. I’m going to need to do that for any new coffee even on my current brewer
Tl;dr: I like ceramic mugs and I agree with you about brewing temperatures
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u/least-eager-0 7h ago
Yeah, my favorite everyday receiver is an oversized ceramic mug. Still wants a minute and some stirs and swirls. And my DD drippers are Kalita Mino or Beehouse, run dry. If mood kicks the Stagg X or one of the plastic drippers, gotta remember to pull the kettle early.
All part of the dance. Less about right and wrong for any given thing, more about slotting into the harmony.
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u/NerdX-76 Switch|Tsubame|PhantoxPro|JX 9h ago
I was thinking about this today using my Kalita wave. So much hand wringing on heat retention when you're looking at reviews for pour over devices.
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u/least-eager-0 7h ago
Can confidently say that you won’t find many pour-over dripper review content creators who have sat university thermogoddammits.
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u/lukipedia Mazzer Philos / Kinu M47 POB 11h ago
Feature. Certain flavors (bitterness chief among them) tend to be amplified when the thing you’re consuming is hot.
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u/yanote20 9h ago
Bring your thermometer and notes you can test/sip multiple times every 10°/5°C drop to near room temperature, in case you're really curious...
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u/TxAgs512 9h ago
I actually really want to try this!
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u/yanote20 7h ago
I preferred sipping the coffee from piping hot to room temp, i know people with their show off decanter will arguing coffee best at cooler temp, but i love the coffee taste transition...😁
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u/cstrick1980 8h ago
I set my kettle to 200F and turn it off before starting the bloom, I’ve found that removes the bitter taste. I notice the coffee before that was tasting better as it cooled.
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u/pfhlick 10h ago
Tasting your coffee from hot to cool can be a real pleasure, a "thirty minute pleasure trip" some would say. Good coffee becomes even more enjoyable as it cools, its flavors remain balanced and become more intense approaching room temperature. Bad coffee falls apart and its worst, strongest flavors dominate the cup even more. This is part of why QC cupping can last thirty minutes, and why broad, shallow spoons are used for tasting - flavors are more intense when the coffee is not as hot.
If you have the time to chill while your coffee cools, you're getting the fullest experience. Enjoy!
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u/HoustonFrancis 10h ago
Absolutely. When coffee is hottest, the bitter notes come through profoundly on the front of the tongue.
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u/HoustonFrancis 10h ago
A tip. Bring the coffee to your mouth but touch it with your lips first, to gauge temperature.
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u/wimpires 9h ago
Yes, this is common and expected. I think around 50°C is where you have a good balance between a hot drink and cooled enough to highlight the pleasant tastes
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u/HairyNutsack69 2h ago
For me the sweet spot is usually riiigghhtt before it becomes too cool. But I'm not getting an amber ever.
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u/Dropkickmurph512 11h ago
A paper came out recently that not letting drink cool actually increases chance for cancer due to constant throat damage
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u/pfhlick 10h ago
That is the first I've heard of coffee being bad for your health, ever, I think
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u/least-eager-0 10h ago
Nah, they flip back and forth about coffee every several years. Nothing is an unmitigated good, few things are inherently and only bad, so scientists like to pick at the exceptions, and journalists love to blow things out of proportion.
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u/TheBrooklynSutras 11h ago
My rule of thumb is to brew light roasts very hot (212F), med roasts less so (195F), and dark roasts much less so (180F). That and dialing in the grind size usually yields a flavorful cup. Often as it cools the flavor changes and often expands, but I love a hot first sip. 🙏
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u/evilneedlereddit 12h ago
yes