Burnt my tongue on a $7 pour-over in Austin and learned a lesson

I finally tried this fancy pour-over at a shop on South Congress last weekend. Paid $7 for a single cup because the barista swore it was worth it. Took a sip right away and scorched my tongue so bad I couldn't taste anything for two days. Turns out the water was around 200 degrees and I should have waited three or four minutes. The coffee itself was probably great but I'll never know because all I got was pain and regret. Now I always ask for a temp check or let it sit way longer. Has anyone else ruined a good brew by being impatient like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

zarag1712d ago

I read somewhere that baristas actually test the water temp before brewing, but they never warn customers to let it cool. That $7 pour-over must have been amazing under all that heat damage. Sorry you had to learn that lesson the hard way, I would have probably done the same thing.

parker_hall512d ago

Wait, is the shop supposed to babysit you and tell you how to drink your coffee? You paid seven bucks for a pour-over, not a temperature tutorial. The barista's job is to make the coffee right, not hold your hand while you sip it. If you can't figure out that freshly brewed coffee is hot, that's on you, not on them. I bet the coffee was fine, you just learned why sane people wait a minute before drinking lava. Next time blow on it like a normal adult.

joseph_green1312d ago

@parker_hall5 is mostly right but I gotta jump in on one thing. Baristas don't always test the water temp before every single pour-over, especially in a busy shop. They trust their kettle settings most of the time. And honestly, the coffee being too hot right away isn't really "heat damage" unless the water was literally boiling when it hit the grounds. That would ruin the flavor but still not scald your mouth at the same level as fresh lava. Blowing on it for thirty seconds is just common sense, not a sign the barista messed up.

-1