more on water temperature

[bdatcabdes]

To explain my purpose for the poll...

I use a french press.

I have an electric tea-kettle to heat the water in. (RO water, btw) This thing heats it up to about 210-212 (it actually boils pretty good before clicking off, but a liquid thermometer says the temp doesn't really exceed 212) I have a mark that I fill it up to before heating, then after it clicks off, I go ahead and fill it up to another mark, by doing so, I arrive at a water temperature of about 200 or slightly less.

Anyway, I'm wondering if anyone else has toyed around with different temps of water and figured out what happens to the taste by doing so. Say, trying it at 220, 205, 195, and about 180.


My current bag is this:
http://www.theroasterie.com/coffee/Ethi ... e/450/15/1

I've been getting 5 lbs of either this or Sumatra about every 2-3 months, but I'm thinking of trying another, maybe Guatemala this time?

 

[ElPugDiablo]

To explain my purpose for the poll...

I use a french press.

I have an electric tea-kettle to heat the water in. (RO water, btw) This thing heats it up to about 210-212 (it actually boils pretty good before clicking off, but a liquid thermometer says the temp doesn't really exceed 212) I have a mark that I fill it up to before heating, then after it clicks off, I go ahead and fill it up to another mark, by doing so, I arrive at a water temperature of about 200 or slightly less.

Anyway, I'm wondering if anyone else has toyed around with different temps of water and figured out what happens to the taste by doing so. Say, trying it at 220, 205, 195, and about 180.


My current bag is this:
http://www.theroasterie.com/coffee/Ethi ... e/450/15/1

I've been getting 5 lbs of either this or Sumatra about every 2-3 months, but I'm thinking of trying another, maybe Guatemala this time?

That is correct. Water temperature cannot go over 212. At boiling point water turns into steam.

 

[cloudsipper]

Water turns to steam at different temperatures depending on altitude. Here in Canon City, CO at 5330' ASL water can't stay liquid above 195 F unless it's pressurized. Soooo... trying to make a french press with 200F water is just not possible. I believe at sea level, the recommended temperature for coffee brewing is 200F. That's what a formal cupping temp is, and if cupping is a reference, it makes sense. I get around the 200F rule by
a) Using an Aeropress (whose operating instructions suggest a lower temp and finer grind)
b) Make Espresso. (water is pressurized to 9 bar ~135 psi) and 94C ~ 201F
Interesting quote:

"Espresso, while apparently a simple drink, is in reality a complex product. It is derived from 1500 chemical substances (800 volatile and 700 soluble), and when prepared correctly involves 13 independent chemical and physical variables."