Hello.

Having recently gotten a Brazen Pro brewer, I can now play with brew temp and see how it affects flavor in the cup. I use Indonesian coffees roasted in my Gene cafe, and favor smooth over tangy/tart, i like a complex cup, but not via brightness or high acidity....

I've dropped the brew temp setting from 205 to 200, and I get a nice buttery mouth-feel with the lower temp that I like. The flavor in the cup seems better to me when the coffee cools just a bit (I do not have much tolerance for piping-hot food or drinks). So here's the "dumb" question. If it tastes better 'cooler', should I lower the brewing temp? Or are the two temps 'different'?

Any thoughts are appreciated as the Brazen has so many variables to play with that it would take me a long time to cover them all - and of course, have to waste coffee


Thanks for your help!

There are people who can explain this better than me, but no you should not lower the brew temperature just because you like the coffee better when it has cooled.The brewing temperature affects the actual extraction of dissolved solids from the coffee. Changing the brew temp, as you've noticed, can drastically change the flavor profile. The cooled coffee tasting better than the piping hot coffee is simply a matter of hot food/drink "numbing" your taste buds. This is true for all hot foods and drinks.

Thanks for the info - Is there a rule of thumb as to what higher/lower brew temps do to the cup, or is it totally bean-specific? I also have a Technivorm CDGT(?) with the thermal carafe, and am trying to get the Brazen to make a 'better' cup than the TV - So far, it seems like the Brazen has more 'range/complexity' of flavor (more brighter notes), but the TV has that rich, smooth thing going on.

I like the Brazen, but wish I had ore free time, and the ability to drink coffee (even decaf) later in the evening, so I could work through the relevant range of variables... I'd also like to try the Brazen as a water cooker for the Chemex, but apparently the one that fits is the 5 cup Hand-blown, which is $99.

EvanOz85 wrote:There are people who can explain this better than me, but no you should not lower the brew temperature just because you like the coffee better when it has cooled.The brewing temperature affects the actual extraction of dissolved solids from the coffee. Changing the brew temp, as you've noticed, can drastically change the flavor profile. The cooled coffee tasting better than the piping hot coffee is simply a matter of hot food/drink "numbing" your taste buds. This is true for all hot foods and drinks.

Sounds to me like the OP enjoys the lower brew temperature. The brewing temperature does affect the extraction but it is significantly less than say compared to espresso. The range you'll typically see recommended is 195-205 but Taste is king.

changing the extraction would be accomplished much more dramatically by the grind setting or the coffee to water ratio.

I think you missed the point. I was simply stating that there is no correlation between liking the flavors of a cooled cup of coffee and brew temperature.

There is a direct correlation between liking the flavors of a cooled cup and temperature.

How ridiculous. You either misrepresented what I said on purpose, or you are not comprehending the topic at hand. I'm betting on the latter. I never said there wasn't a correlation between a cooled cup's flavor and temperature. I said there is no correlation between liking a cooled cup's flavor over a very hot cup's flavor and BREWING temperature. You conveniently left that out, which makes your sarcastic emoticon look rather silly.

Why don't you explain to us how preferring coffee BREWED at a lower temperature relate to preferring brewed coffee after it has cooled? This should be one for the books.

By saying that coffee brewing temperature doesn't have a great/significant effect on the resulting cup tells me that you haven't experimented much with brewing coffee.

Last time I checked, pretty much every coffee lover/enthusiast/geek prefers to wait until the brewed cup has cooled sufficiently before enjoying it. I guess by your logic, that means we ALL prefer coffee brewed at low temperatures, right? And people who prefer the taste of iced coffee must also prefer cold brewed coffee. Right?

it was actually misrepresenting you on purpose. But to get back on topic. my first post summed it all up. stay between 195-205 generally but i've seen people go all the way down to 180 with no issues.

As to your point, hot coffee masks flavors. He dropped from 205-200 and the flavor changed positively. If he keeps dropping, it will keep changing towards sour if he doesn't compensate by increasing the extraction rate (GRIND, longer brew time or using more coffee per the same water volume). It does not hinge 100% on water temperature like your first reply represented. I have easily brewed around the 170 range and still had good results.

So to answer the OPs question...it depends. Thanks for the southern hospitality Evan

fzman wrote:Or are the two temps 'different'?

The ideal drinking temperature and the ideal brewing temperature are decoupled.

You will taste more in the cup as it cools. Some subject matter experts identify 160°F as an ideal drinking temperature. George Howell recommends letting it cool even further to 135°F.

For best tasting results as the cup cools, however, you generally want to brew coffee in the 195° to 205°F range, as Briani suggests. Some recipes do use lower brewing temperatures, but often there is a corresponding increase in the coffee to water ratio.

With the Brazen, I'd stick conventional brewing temperatures and brewing ratios for a while. Then you'll have a baseline established if you decide to brew outside those ranges later.