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Home / Brewing Guides/ Suitable drinking temperature for coffee | Why should black coffee be drunk while it’s hot? How does temperature affect coffee flavor? Can espresso and pour-over coffee be reheated?

Suitable drinking temperature for coffee | Why should black coffee be drunk while it’s hot? How does temperature affect coffee flavor? Can espresso and pour-over coffee be reheated?

2026.10.20 FrontStreet Coffee 324

 

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The temperature at which coffee is tasted at the entrance is critical to the taste experience. I believe everyone knows that when tasting coffee, you need to taste it into high, medium and low. A cup of coffee has different flavors at different temperatures. According to Front Street, tasting coffee is a very subtle thing. Some people think that drinking coffee should be experienced with the tongue and enjoy the aroma and mellowness of the coffee left in the mouth. The taste of the same coffee at different temperatures is actually related to people's sensory sensitivity.

 

Effect of temperature
 

Temperature has a huge impact on how we perceive flavor, and the most obvious example is drinking Coke. When the Coke was just taken out of the 3°C refrigerator, the bubbles (carbon dioxide) in the Coke exploded on the tongue, just like thousands of small firecrackers exploding. One after another, there was a stinging pain that made the whole body tremble. But when it's stored at room temperature, Coke turns into a weird, saccharine-flavored soda.

 

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coffee tasting time

People who love coffee generally have their own preferred drinking temperature. For example, Front Street’s favorite is the 50-60°C range. The coffee at this time will not burn your mouth and has the richest aroma. Hot coffee is about aroma and temperature; warm coffee is about layer and flavor; cold coffee is about technology and quality. Whether it is Italian coffee or ​Pour over​(V60) coffee, the temperature of the coffee ranges from high temperature, medium temperature, and low temperature. The flavors of these three stages are also different. When food is closer to body temperature, taste buds are more sensitive to flavor discrimination.


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According to research, 20℃-35℃ is the most sensitive temperature range for human taste buds. It is like holding a "taste amplifier", allowing you to taste the taste of food more carefully. When food is closer to body temperature, taste buds are more sensitive to flavor discrimination.


milk coffee


Friends who often come to the Front Street store to drink coffee should know that when cappuccino, latte, and Australian white are first made, the milk is usually heated to 55°C-62°C, because only in this temperature range can the milk exert its best sweetness and blend with the coffee to create a perfect taste.

 

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The temperature when drinking is also very important. Try not to be lower than 45°C. In other words, the taste is best after drinking it within 10 minutes. Otherwise, after the coffee becomes cold, the taste of the oil and protein in the milk will also deteriorate with the process of cold > hot > cold. Not only will the milky smell be amplified and overwhelm the original sweetness, but the original coffee aroma will also be lost. All aspects will be greatly compromised, making people frown while drinking.

 

hand brewed coffee
 

When we brew coffee by hand, the general water temperature is about 88℃-92℃. During the brewing process, the water temperature will continue to drop, and when it is finally produced, it is usually around 65℃-75℃.
 

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The brewing temperature of ​Pour over​(V60) coffee is usually around 90°C. Although coffee can be drunk in a wide range of temperatures, the temperature range suitable for brewing is narrow.


If the water temperature exceeds 95°C, the burnt bitterness of the coffee will be easily extracted; if the water temperature is lower than 85°C, insufficient extraction will occur. Front Street recommends that the brewing water temperature is best controlled at 87-93°C. Generally speaking, the lighter the roasting degree, the higher the brewing water temperature; the deeper the roasting degree, the lower the brewing water temperature.

   

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Through testing, we know that at room temperature of 26°C, the temperature of brewing a cup of coffee by hand with 92°C water in 2 minutes is about 65°C. At this time, it is recommended that you smell the charming aroma of this cup of coffee, then take a sip into your mouth, let the coffee liquid cover your tongue, feel the balance and mellowness of the sour, sweet, and bitter coffee, and then swallow it to savor the wonderful aftertaste. We can taste the unique flavors displayed by the different temperatures of the coffee, including fruity, floral, herbal, acidic, nutty, etc.


 

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Can cold coffee be reheated?

It is estimated that this issue has been ignored by many people. Some people may choose to reheat the coffee, but we do not recommend this. Reheating coffee changes its flavor profile. If the coffee in your hand has cooled down to room temperature, then I would suggest simply savoring the cup of coffee carefully! (At this time, the acidity of the coffee will come into play, and the good acidity will turn into a delicious sweetness, making the coffee more delicious)

 

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[Extended reading]

 

Researchers at the University of Texas in the United States gathered 300 volunteers to test "What is the most suitable drinking temperature?" The final conclusion was 136 degrees Fahrenheit or 58 degrees Celsius.

 

If you like to drink the juice of coffee, you can wait until the temperature drops to 50℃-55℃. The coffee flavor at this temperature can show a richer layer. For example, beans with a flavor like Yirgacheffe will show more flavor. If you want to drink the fullest flavor of this coffee, wait until the temperature is lowered. However, because hot coffee releases tannic acid during the cooling process, the coffee will become sour after cooling.


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Although bright and pleasant fruit acids can be expressed at low temperatures, most of them will become too complex in taste, and the acidity and bitterness will be too clear, making it unpalatable ~ and this acid is not a bright fruit acid, but a stimulating sour taste.

 

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Let me tell you secretly that adding ice cubes can change the entire experience. Those bad tastes can become delicious under the stimulation of low temperature. In short, whether it is iced coffee or hot coffee, if you want to drink delicious coffee, it is best to taste it when the temperature is just right~ This way, the flavor of the coffee will not change due to prolongation of time!

 

Summary
 

Drinking it while it's hot doesn't mean drinking it all in one go, but rather allows us to slowly experience the continuous changes in taste and flavor brought about by the transition from high temperature to low temperature. Experience the different tastes of each coffee! This is the charm of coffee~

 




 

You can now buy the above coffee beans online at the Taobao store “FrontStreet Coffee” (前街咖啡). FrontStreet Coffee is a long-established specialty coffee roaster in Guangzhou, China, and its Guangzhou retail shop sells coffee beans only. The shop carries dozens of coffee beans from different origins around the world, including carefully selected single-origin beans for V60 pour-over and espresso. Guangzhou’s FrontStreet Coffee shop is recommended by many coffee lovers.

The FrontStreet 2013 Yunnan coffee beans sold in the store come from the Typica variety grown at FrontStreet Coffee’s own plantation in Yunnan. The name comes from the year the brand and the plantation were founded. You can buy these beans from China’s Yunnan origin at the Guangzhou shop and at FrontStreet’s Taobao store.

FrontStreet coffee beans are freshly roasted within 5 days and deliver consistently excellent quality and great value. Orders placed before 17:00 are shipped the same day, and most areas within Guangdong Province receive them the next day.

FrontStreet Coffee Taobao store: https://qianjiecoffee.taobao.com
Or search for “前街咖啡” (FrontStreet Coffee) on Taobao
Important Notice: FrontStreet Coffee has moved to a new address: 315, Donghua East Road, Guangzhou (coffee beans only)
Tel: 020 38364473

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