Been lurking here for a while and finally have a question that's bugging me. Every guide says "195-205F" like it's gospel, but I just have a regular electric kettle with no temp dial, not one of those fancy gooseneck ones with a display.
Right now I just boil it and then wait around a minute before pouring over. Is that actually close enough, or am I scorching my beans every single morning without knowing it?
Would love to know if there's a simple trick that doesn't involve buying a $90 kettle.
You're basically doing the right thing already! Off the boil (212F) and waiting 30-60 seconds gets you into that 195-205F window depending on your kettle size and how cold your kitchen is. No thermometer needed.
If you want to get nerdy about it, a $6 instant read thermometer from the kitchen aisle works fine too. You don't need anything coffee-branded.
Priya's numbers match what I do. Only thing I'd add is that with darker roasts you actually want to lean toward the lower end (195-200F) because they're already more soluble and hotter water pulls out bitterness fast. For lighter roasts I let it rip closer to 205F, sometimes I don't even wait the full minute.
Also worth saying, this matters way less than grind size and how much water you're using. Get those two dialed first, water temp is the fine tuning knob not the main dial.