What Temperature do Coffee Machines Brew Coffee at and what you Can do To Increase their Temperature?
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Hands down the biggest complaint we hear from coffee enthusiasts is “My coffee is just not hot enough”. We know there is nothing worse than a luke warm cup of coffee, so why is cold coffee so prevalent? In this post, we’ll describe the limitations of certain coffee machines and why it is so common to get a cold cup of coffee (and most importantly, what to do about it).
What Temperature Should Coffee be Made At?
The hotter, the better right? Well, not really. If one pours boiling water over filter coffee or extracts an espresso at a temperature around boiling then one is guaranteed to actually burn the coffee. The boiling temperature of water depends on where in the world you are and what the altitude is but assuming water boils at 100 degrees Celcius where you live, the perfect temperature at which to brew coffee to avoid burning, but to ensure a hot cup of coffee is R93 degrees C.
How Hot Do Traditional Coffee Machines Make Coffee At?
Traditional or commercial coffee machines make use of boilers to heat the water to the correct temperature. Boilers are very effective in keeping water at a constant temperature however the final temperature of one’s cup is also affected by the efficiency and accuracy of the Barista. This is the reason why one’s coffee temperature can vary so much from restaurant to restaurant even if the coffee equipment used is identical.
What Temperature Do Automatic Coffee Machines Brew Coffee at?
Automatic coffee machines make use of thermoblocks rather than boilers to heat ones water. Thermoblocks are much quicker to heat up and only heat a small amount of water at one time (whereas a boiler heats all the water at once). The time to get an automatic coffee machine’s thermoblock to the right temperature is usually around 20 seconds whereas it typically takes an average sized boiler about an hour to do the same job. The downside of thermoblocks however is that they just don’t heat the water to the same level as boilers. The temperature of the coffee coming out of most automatic coffee machines is around the 80 degree Celcius mark. 80 degrees is actually still too hot to drink immediately however extracting coffee into a cold ceramic cup coupled with adding cold milk means the final concoction is closer to around 60 degrees, which is why many people feel the coffee from a coffee machine is too cold for their liking.
What Temperature Do Coffee Vending Machines Brew Coffee at?
Bean to Cup coffee vending machines brew coffee at almost the identical temperature to Automatic machines but instant coffee vending machines usually brew their coffee at around 10 degrees higher. Instant Vending Machines also use thermoblocks rather than boilers but because instant coffee is not as susceptible to burning compared to filter of whole bean coffee, the thermoblock can often be set at a considerably higher setting.
What to Do if your Coffee Is Too Cold? How To Make your Coffee Hotter
If you have already purchased a coffee machine and are unhappy with the temperature of your coffee there are 3 things that you can do, rather than buying another coffee machine:
- Preheat your cups or use disposable cups – This is probably the easiest thing to change and the one thing that can have the greatest effect on one’s coffee temperature. Pouring coffee directly into a cold cup can drop the temperature by almost 20 degrees in seconds. By preheating one’s cups or using disposable cups, which are almost always at ambient temperature, can have a massive impact on the heat of one’s coffee
- Adjust your milk or froth settings – Even a 60-70 degrees coffee is hard to drink immediately. But couple that with frothed milk and you are left with a mixture that seem ice cold. Frothed milk, especially airy frothed milk, is almost impossible to get over 50 degrees due to the high air content. If you want your cappuccinos to be hotter, you can either decrease your milk content or increase the thickness of your froth (if your machine allows for this)
- Add a touch of boiling water – I used to have a coffee shop, and I knew my customers loved their coffee piping hot. An easy way to do this is to add just a touch of boiling water to the coffee once brewed. Be careful not to add too much however as adding too much water can dilute the coffee and affect the taste.
If you are having a hard time getting your temperature just right, please don’t hesitate to reach out for some help and fill out the form below, or at the top of this page.
