Talked to a retired barista last week and he wrecked my whole brewing routine

I was gushing about my new $600 grinder and he just shook his head. He said the water temp matters way more than the gear. He showed me his old thermometer and my brew was off by like 8 degrees. I had been chasing fancy equipment for 2 years but my water was always too hot. Who else has had a simple fix blow up their whole coffee setup?

3 comments

3 Comments

dakota_miller9310h ago

Yeah but you said "if I had to pick one, I'd keep the grinder" and I gotta push back on that a little. I think water temp is the thing nobody checks because they're too busy buying new gear. I spent months messing with grind settings, trying to fix a sour taste, and it was just my water being too cool the whole time. A grinder can't fix bad temperature, but if you get the temp right, even a decent grinder can taste pretty good. I'm not saying grinders don't matter, they do, I just think most people care way too much about burrs and not enough about the basics. It's like tuning a car and ignoring the gas quality, you know?

viola_garcia5619h ago

I mean, I get his point about water temp but idk, my $200 grinder gave me way more consistent results than my old cheap one did, even with perfect water. Maybe it's just me, but I think the grinder matters more for dialing in different roasts, especially light ones where you need fine adjustments. So I'd say both matter, but if i had to pick one, i'd keep the grinder and just buy a $10 thermometer.

corap6114h ago

Oh yeah @viola_garcia56, I had the same thing happen with my old blade grinder! Night and day difference.