Ever since that chemex demo at the shop in Denver, I've stopped caring about water temp

I used to be one of those guys who would pull out a thermometer every single pour over and obsess over getting it to exactly 205 degrees. Then last fall I was at this little coffee spot in Denver called Huckleberry Roasters and the barista just poured boiling water straight from the kettle onto some Ethiopian beans. I asked him about temp and he said he just lets the kettle sit for maybe 30 seconds after it clicks off and calls it good. That blew my mind at first because everything you read online says you gotta be precise. But I tried it at home and honestly I can't tell the difference between my careful 205 pours and his lazy method. My morning routine is way faster now and my coffee tastes just as good if not better. Anyone else ditch the thermometer or am I missing something obvious?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_ray18h ago

wendysmith said it right about listening to the kettle, and I think this whole thing connects to a bigger pattern I've noticed. So many hobbies are basically gatekept by people who turn simple stuff into rocket science. Like with grilling, every dude with a smoker will tell you gotta babysit those temps to the degree, but my dad's been throwing pork shoulders on his old Weber with zero temp control for decades and it always comes out incredible. Or photography where everyone obsesses over gear specs and you see these insane landscapes shot on a phone that blow your mind. Kinda makes you wonder how much of the precision stuff is just people selling thermometers and fancy kettles instead of just enjoying the damn thing.

wendysmith5d ago

Oh honey, just ditch the thermometer and listen to the kettle, it'll save you so much hassle.