Americano Water Temperature

[starry]

I've been contemplating the physics of making an Americano. It seems like if one pulls a shot at say, 185 degrees and adds water above that temperature, it would modify the taste in a way that is similar to pulling the original shot at the higher temperature. Is this true?

[jesawdy]

Probably not, the extracted coffee solution being exposed to hot water is a lot different than exposing the ground coffee puck to higher temperature.

That being said, the drink will likely be too hot to serve properly, and your crema gets obliterated when you add water to the shot(s). Ideally, you want to pull your espresso shots on top of the hot water. It is a lot prettier that way. Pull your water first, this warms the cup and lets the water cool a bit too (especially on most traditional HX machines that just have a down tube into the boiler side of the HX.... this water is flash boiled out and quite hot).

Order of ingredients discussed recently here.

EDIT - I just re-read your question... No, you do not want to use 185 degree water for your extraction.

[Matthew Brinski]

You would end up with a sour Americano.

[starry]

Probably not, the extracted coffee solution being exposed to hot water is a lot different than exposing the ground coffee puck to higher temperature.

Why?

[jesawdy]

Why?

Adding hot water to your espresso is going to make it dilute, and it could possibly make it hotter or cooler depending on the temperature difference of the two.

Using hotter or cooler temperature brew water for making your espresso is going to change the extraction properties and taste profile. Too cool a temp and it will be sour, too hot and it will be bitter.

Adding superhot water to your espresso shot isn't going to extract the bitters.... they're left in the spent coffee puck sitting in the knockbox.

[starry]

OK. I understand the bitter won't be extracted at lower brew temps, but I am surprised that higher-than-brew water temps, added to an Americano won't at least alter the flavor somewhat. BTW, my example of using a 185 degree brew temp in my original question was just for the sake of discussion.

The reason this question even came up in the first place is that when I make my Americanos on my Olympia Cremina, it's far easier to use the hot water already in the teapot from the stove which my wife just used to brew her tea. Since that water is right at the boiling point, I've wondered about it's effect on my coffee which is brewed at some temperature below that.