Warning: I think pour over grind size debates are missing the real issue

I've been arguing with a guy at my local shop in Austin for weeks about how people focus too much on exact grind settings when the real problem is water temperature consistency. He insists a 1 degree swing doesn't matter, but I've done 20 batches side by side and it totally changes the extraction. Who's closer to the truth here, the precision crowd or the temperature truthers?

3 comments

3 Comments

drew_reed6224d ago

My old Bonavita kettle was bouncing 10 degrees every pour until I put a cheap Thermapen in there and saw it myself. I set my grind fine enough that a 3 degree drop stalls the drawdown completely, so temperature has to come first or you're chasing ghosts. Try this - dial in your temp to exactly what the roast level suggests, lock that in for a week, then touch the grind. You'll figure out real quick which variable was lying to you.

uma_ellis24d ago

Wait, have you tried using a thermometer on your kettle yet? I was totally on the grind side until I actually temp tracked my water and realized I was off by like 5 degrees most pours.

the_anthony24d ago

Track that temp with a cheap probe and watch your mind get blown. My buddy swore he was pouring at 205 but his cheap electric kettle was cycling from 198 to 212 every pour. I dialed in the same beans at exactly 203 steady and the difference was night and day. Grind size matters sure but if your water temp is all over the place you're just guessing. Those precision guys need to check their kettle first before blaming the burrs. Temperature is the foundation, grind is just the final tweak.