Hit 200 degrees on my French press and got burned literally

So I'm team French press all the way, but I did a test last month where I tried water at 195F vs 205F for the same 4 minute steep. The 205 batch came out bitter and over-extracted, while the 195 was smooth as hell. But then my buddy swears by boiling water right off the stove for a darker roast. Which temp camp are you in for press coffee? Does it really matter that much or am I overthinking this?

3 comments

3 Comments

gonzalez.vera1mo ago

Okay is it REALLY that deep though? I mean I French press every morning and just dump the kettle when it starts screaming and it always comes out fine. 200 degrees versus 195 sounds like a difference maybe only a coffee snob with a PhD could actually taste blindfolded.

parker_jones501mo ago

And @gonzalez.vera you're probably right for most people, but some roasts really do get fussy around those few degrees.

samthompson1mo ago

Between you and @parker_jones50, I'm curious what roast levels you're both talking about. Dark roasts seem pretty forgiving in my experience, but lighter ones can get kinda sour if the temp is off. Maybe it's just me but isn't that where the precision actually matters?