Can I use boiling water for coffee?
In this article, we are going to answer the question “can I use boiling water for coffee?”
and we’ll discuss the reasons to use the right temperatures when brewing your coffee.
Can I use boiling water for coffee?
For best results, boiling water should not be used for brewing or coffee preparations. The ideal temperature for extracting a good brewed coffee is HIGH, somewhere between 94°C and 96°C, if you are one of those people who love precision in the kitchen and have a thermometer, HAVE FUN and find the temperature that best suits you.
If you, like me, don’t have a thermometer and don’t want to make a mistake: Anyway, boil the water! Blanch the filter, change the container, wait 30 seconds and continue making your coffee.
In the following topics, we will see the reasons for this.
What effect does boiling water have on coffee?
One of the factors that decisively influence the flavor (taste, aroma and tactile sensation) of coffee is the method of preparation.
There are at least 14 different methods for preparing coffee, however, the possibilities are much greater, since some of these methods can be used with coffees from different roasts and grinds.
“Do not use boiling water to avoid burning the coffee”. You’ve probably received the alert many times and probably passed the tip on many times. But the story is not quite like that. At least in part. If taken literally, the advice can be considered a myth.
Since the coffee is roasted at a temperature that starts at 180°C and ends at 200°C, it makes no sense to talk about burning with water, which reaches 100°C at the most.
But calm down. Before pouring the bubbling water over the powder, know that boiling does interfere with the final flavor of the coffee.
In most homes, it is common to leave the water on the fire until it boils, but the ideal is not to let the water go above 90 degrees. The barista’s tip is to remove the water from the fire when the first balls start to come out. When water is boiled it loses all oxygen.
The lack of oxygen will interfere with the quality and flavor, making the coffee more bitter. In the case of coffee makers, they are already programmed to heat the water without exceeding 90 degrees.
What other precautions should we take?
When preparing any type of infusion, the water cannot come to a boil. The ideal temperature is when the water starts to release air bubbles from the bottom of the kettle. If it comes to a boil, remove the water from the heat and wait around three minutes before using it to lower the temperature.
The only thing you need to prepare delicious coffee at home is quality coffee and good water. Two ingredients that, if they are of quality and mixed at the correct time and temperature, will change anyone’s day.
Because they are so simple, some details make the difference and still generate many questions, such as what is the best water and whether or not the coffee water can be boiled.
The biggest risk today is not boiling water, but not having enough temperature to dissolve many wonderful solids in coffee that need high temperature. For fear of boiling water, which at worst would make the water just 2°C above ideal, people are making poor coffee. Without sufficient temperature, the coffee is under-extracted, incomplete.
Besides, there are other factors that matter.
Your grandmother probably puts the sugar in the water when preparing the coffee, but this is a serious mistake. This practice alters the taste of the drink, changes the boiling point, in addition to being an impolite habit to receive visitors, as many people enjoy a coffee straight or with a sweetener.
The most common error in coffee preparation is precisely the lack of discretion in the use of water. Filling the teapot with tap water may be the most practical and economical solution, but it is not the right one. If it has impurities or excess chlorine, the quality of the drink will be affected. Therefore, the best way is to use mineral or filtered water.
Other FAQs about Water that you may be interested in.
Can you drink distilled water?
How long does it take for water to become urine?
Conclusion
In this article, we answered the question “can I use boiling water for coffee?” and we discussed the reasons to use the right temperatures when brewing your coffee.
