Why can't I make a "hot" cup of coffee?

by Michael Moorman
(Newark, Delaware, USA)


QUESTION:

Whether I go to my local coffee house or restaurant for breakfast, the coffee is always hot and stays hot for quite a while.

At home, I've gone through several fairly pricey coffee makers and inevitably, I can't get the coffee hot enough or it cools off very quickly. To compensate, I usually microwave my cup, but it does cool off within minutes.

Just trying to understand why some coffee bought outside stays hot for much longer.

Thanks

ANSWER:

I'm not sure I can answer your question completely. But I can offer some suggestions.

I'm assuming you are using a drip brewer with a glass carafe.

If this is the case, heat up the carafe before you start brewing. I do this by running hot water from the tap into the carafe, swirling it around, and then pouring the water away. I preheat my coffee mug in the same way.

This is just a simple way to ensure that the coffee retains all its heat and isn't cooled by either the carafe or the mug.

Beyond that, I'm not sure what to suggest. Home brewers, even the cheaper ones, do a pretty good job of heating the water to the correct temperature. So there should be no temperature difference between a mug poured in a coffee shop and a mug poured at home.

Comments for Why can't I make a "hot" cup of coffee?

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Jan 26, 2008
 bad advice
by: Anonymous

Home brewers do NOT do a good job of heating the water to the right temperature, and in fact they are notoriously unable to do that. The poster should either invest in an expensive machine such as the Technivorm, or use a manual method such as french press, Chemex, or Melitta.

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At Coffee Detective, we explore coffees, coffee gear and coffee-making best practices. Our companion publication -- The Coffee Culture Newsletter -- explores the cultures, the rituals, and the human story of coffee.

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