Temperature Studies

[wgaggl]

After trying several brands of coffee at different temperature settings and tasted them as straight espresso as well as cappuccino while finding the temperature setting I liked best, I came to the conclusion that I typically like them as straight Espresso a couple of degrees hotter brewed than when consuming them as Cappuccino (or any Espresso drink with milk).

Had anyone on this forum a similar experience?

Wolfgang

[bobroseman]

I started out drinking espresso at 95C and am now at 88C. I quite like it at this temp although I am a fiddler and constantly change setings (one reason that I bought the S1 in the first place) :)

Bob

[wgaggl]

I started out drinking espresso at 95C and am now at 88C. I quite like it at this temp although I am a fiddler and constantly change setings (one reason that I bought the S1 in the first place) :)

Wow, 88 deg. never ever tried to go that low. What kind of coffee are you using with that?

Wolfgang

[bobroseman]

I started out drinking espresso at 95C and am now at 88C. I quite like it at this temp although I am a fiddler and constantly change setings (one reason that I bought the S1 in the first place) :)

Wow, 88 deg. never ever tried to go that low. What kind of coffee are you using with that?

Wolfgang

Wolfgang,

All types but some taste better than others. I just finished a pound of CoffeeKlatch Espresso and am working on Code Brown by Coffee Emergency.

Here is where I got the idea from -

Italian Espresso Institute:
What characteristics

[chas]

I've done most of my limited experimentation at 95+-2C. I keep coming back to 95C as the one that suits my taste buds best. However, some coffees do need a change, usually downward. It seems like some coffees have a sharp temp "spike" where you really have to nail the optimum temperature for that coffee while others are more forgiving and taste pretty good over a several degree range.

[wgaggl]

[quote="bobroseman"]
Italian Espresso Institute:
What characteristics

[bobroseman]

I've debated this with myself for some time. You are probably correct, now that I think about it. Isn't the S1 grand, though? Just a couple of button pushes and I'm back at 95C. If the past is any indicator, I will eventually lower it again though.

Bob

[mkc]

I got some time yesterday to play with temperatures a little, as I was using up some old Code Brown to test the Espro tamper and re-dial-in my grinder for that blend.

Now granted this was old coffee (12/6 grind) so I wasn't expecting much in the way of taste from the shots. One thing that was clear - without the Espro I was tamping too hard. I did end up tuning the Macap 1 click finer as a result.

At stock 95C there was some definite bitterness. So I tried 94. Not much of a difference to my palate. 93 - starting to lose the bitterness. 92 - not bitter at all! Wow - this temperature thing works! At that point, I'd run out of old CB and couldn't bear parting with what little fresh I had left, it being the start of a weekend and all. I haven't quite acquired a taste for pure espresso yet, either, but I could take more than a polite sip of the 92C brewed "old" CB. 92 translates to ~198C and I think I'd read on CG that was what someone had found as optimal brewing temp as well.

I definitely love the ability to change the temperature so easily!

I can see where, if you like several blends, you need to keep a notebook or cheatsheet with your grinder and temperature settings. Right now, I'm putting a piece of masking tape with a pictograph of the grinder setting on each bag of beans. As I experiment with temperature on more grinds, I'll be adding that info, too.

Michelle