All you need to know about the right temperature for coffee

Depending on the ingredients, some must be hotter than others

Although iced coffee is an immense trend, traditional hot coffee is not going anywhere. When it comes to pleasing this delicious craving in the mornings, there is nothing more unpleasant than burning your tongue and have that pain with you the rest of the day… oh, wait! There is, a drink not being hot enough, especially on these cloudy winter days.

The right temperature for serving coffee may be a myth if you are looking for an exact number of Fahrenheit and Celsius, but one thing is for sure: it will also depend on your clients’ demands. In this article, we will help you understand how heating is important to maintain the flavors and be truthful to the recipes.

Does the right temperature for coffee even exist?

When starting a business in this industry, the first fact you should know about heating is that the brewing temperature is different from the one you will serve to people. Now that we took those doubts out of the way, generally the rule in many cafés and restaurants is to heat up the water between 195°F and 205°F, but to drink the final result -as we mentioned before- is another story.

Do not exceed the 205°F line

The middle range in the rules for brewing coffee is 200°F. Playing save in this kind of context will save you from getting an angry client. But in a more serious note, the real problem of exceeding the 205°F is that the drink can taste bitterer than expected, and in the worst cases, it will have a burnt flavor and aroma.

Been that said, coffee should not be kept warm with a hot plate before serving. Ideally, it must be left alone, so the temperature drops just a bit to serve it afterward. An external heater would overcook the liquid and burn it. If what you want is to keep it warm, you may use a thermal carafe and wait at least 30 seconds to serve it.

Cannot be below 195°F

Respecting this general rule is not always about saving unprotected and innocent tongues. If it’s brewed bellow 195° F -in terms of chemistry- the flavor from the coffee beans will be under-extracted. This means that if exceeding 205°F makes the drink taste bitter, below 195°F it will make it a sour relish.

What about serving?

When it comes to serving coffee, the temperature, again, depends on the client's requirements. Nevertheless, the ideal heat in this matter is between 120°F and 140°F. Your employees should learn how to master serving between these ranges. In case a customer insists on having a piping hot coffee it’s probably because he or she wants for his o her cup to stay in a pleasant heat when arriving at work. When this happens, and the situation is clarified, the temperature it's normally 180°F.

By drinking your coffee in the recommended range, especially in the perfect balance of 130°F, flavors taste much better, so you can feel the qualities of all the ingredients used in its preparation. In Coffland Corp, we want to help you take care of every detail so you can offer a quality service. Follow us on our social media networks for more relevant information to catapult your business.