I just begining to explore new coffee's and my new temp gauge on my Anita. I understand that certain coffees do better at certain brew temps. For those of you who have expermented, please advise or point me to a good thread.

Thanks so much

Paul

The ideal temperature and dose for a blend will vary from machine to machine. The thing is to ask the roaster what they recommend or what they use on their test kit and start there and adjust to taste.

I usually start with their recommended brew temperature and vary the dose up and down to see what works best for my kit. Once I settle on a dose I will play with the temperature. Most of the threads in the coffee forum will contain notes about the dose/temperature. I would start there and run with it.

I prefer temperatures that are usually lower than prevalent here in the US. I usually start at 198°F and adjust dose and temp from there.

That being said, coffee is organic and varies tremendously over time. Slavishly using the same and / or someone else's settings is the first step on the road to utter frustration.

A blend that I used to love is no longer palatable. A couple of months after my reaching that conclusion, the roaster has changed the blend and, while not the same as before, is now again delicious.

Although I do use Scace thermofilters, thermocouples, etc. during test phases, most of the time I work with three temperatures: cool (around 198), medium (around 200), and hot (around 202). Where I start on this adhoc scale depends on the expected taste profile. For darker blends with lots of chocolates, I favor lower temperatures. Ones that have lots of brightness / acidity get the hotter treatment. That said, some of the best flavors emerge directly opposite to this recommendation. For example, fruity blends may get a bit wild (or sourish) on the low end, but you can be surprised by added complexity. I don't recommend this "opposites" strategy for guests, milk drinks, or new espresso drinkers.

I don't have very good taste buds nor can I define the different flavours in the cup. I can't really identify a cup of being acidic or bitter. Currently I have my PIDed silvia set to 220f which results at about 190f brewing temp (according to data from "thermologging the new pod capable Silvia" -thread). That temperature seems to fit most of the blends I use. Some blends work ok with 228f (198f brew), but usually the shots start to blond earlier. I have also tested with PID set to 216f (186f brew) and the result was not enjoyable.