Coffee brewing is an almost exact science with a little bit of art thrown in to the mix. One of the most important factors for brewing great coffee is having the correct water temperature. So which coffee makers brew at 200 degrees F, the sweet spot for brewing temperature?
A Bit About Coffee Brewing Temperature
We already know that around 200 degrees F – or 93.3 degrees C – is a sweet spot for brewing coffee. So what’s the optimal range? Do you need to get your thermometer out and make sure you hit 93.3 C or 200 F every time you brew?
Not exactly. Coffee brewing has a range of optimal temperatures rather than one particular temperature. You’ll also find that some methods require slightly lower temperatures whereas others require slightly higher temperatures.
Examples of this are the Aeropress, which suggests a temperature of 185 degrees F or 85 degrees C. Cold brew, obviously will require cold water 🙂
So why can’t you just use boiling water?
How Coffee Is Extracted From Water
When water hits the coffee grounds, the first thing to happen is that carbon dioxide rapidly escapes from the beans forming what is known as the coffee bloom.
Next up, the water molecules start interacting with the coffee grounds and begin extracting the various oils and flavor compounds from it.
If the water temperature is too low, not enough flavor compounds will have been extracted and your coffee will seem tasteless.
If the water temperature is too high, the high temperatures will “burn” the coffee and produce a bitter and undesirable cup of coffee.
Brewing time is also essential: if you have the water contact with coffee for too little time, then you will have under-extraction. If the water interacts with coffee for too long, you will have over-extraction and the coffee will be bitter and excessively acidic.
Best Coffee Makers That Brew at 200 Degrees
In this list of the best coffee makers that brew at 200 degrees, we’ll be looking at drip and single serve coffee makers since those are definitely machines you can actually let the machine control the temperature in.
We’ll also look at one pour over kettle in case you wish to use the pour over or french press method and heat up the water yourself.
1. Breville BDC450 Precision Brewer
The Breville BDC450 precision brewer is an amazing coffee machine that almost justifies the high price tag due to the amount of customization you can put into your brew.
First off, since we’re most concerned about temperature, you can adjust the temperature with great precision using a digital control(to get it at the exact 200 degrees F you’re looking for). You can also change the brewing time to really dial in your brew and get it perfect.
There are 6 available brewing methods and in case you want to brew a small cup of coffee without having to use the carafe, you can use the steep and release valve to release smaller amounts of coffee.
The level of customization is really out of this world:
- Bloom time: you can adjust how long to let the coffee bloom before the actual brewing starts
- Flow rate: you can adjust how fast water will flow into the filter
- Filters: you can use flat bottom or cone filters
All of this is packaged in a gorgeous stainless steel exterior that will definitely catch a lot of eyes in your home or office. There is also an option for using a stainless steel carafe which helps to hold the temperature better than glass.
2. BUNN HB Heat N Brew Coffee Maker (SCAA Certified)
Another coffee maker that holds its own when it comes to brewing temperature is the Bunn Heat N Brew. It gets very close to 200 degrees C, as it is noted that it does not go lower than 198 degrees when brewing.
There is a built in digital thermometer that tracks the temperature inside the machine and starts the brewing process once the optimum temperature has been hit.
Additionally, there is a heated bed to keep up to 10 cups of coffee warm at a time so if you have a household where everyone drinks coffee this is a great way to get everything ready before your family members reach the breakfast table.
Another plus point for this brewer is the three year warranty and SCAA (specialty coffee association of America) certification.
Since this is a drip brewer after all, it takes a little bit of time to brew 10 cups: 10 minutes to be precise.
3. Technivorm Moccamaster 79114 KBT Coffee Maker
The Technivorm Moccamaster is another SCAA certified coffee maker that makes really good coffee. The main feature of course and the reason it is on this list is that is brews between 196 degrees to 205 degrees F (91 to 96 degrees C).
Of course, that means it hits our sweet spot of 200 degrees F!
The Moccamaster uses a copper boiling element to boil the water quickly. It then steeps the coffee grounds for 4 – 6 minutes, resulting in a rich, full flavored cup.
You can brew up to 10 cups in one go with this machine. Coffee brews into a stainless steel, double-walled carafe, so the temperature is maintained without burning from a warming plate.
The Moccamaster is a durable machine that will last and last and last. They are built in Netherlands, and they have a 5-year warranty. What more can you ask for a great cup of coffee?
4. Cuisinart CPO-850 Pour Over Coffee Brewer
Ah, the Cuisinart CPO-850 coffee maker. SCAA certified, you know you’re getting a world class coffee maker that brews coffee with all variables under control.
Give or take a couple of degrees, this machine does indeed brew at 200 degrees F. Along with temperature control, there is an automatic blooming feature that pre wets the grounds with hot water to let the gases out, and then starts the proper brewing and extracting process.
The exterior is stainless steel, but a lot of parts that the water comes into contact with are indeed made of plastic, so that’s one thing you may wish to consider before choosing this coffee maker. The carafe is stainless steel though, so that’s a plus.
A charcoal filter fully filters your water from many kinds of impurities (though not all) and results in a good brew.
The Bonavita BV1901TS is a superb 8 cup coffee maker which is SCAA certified, which means it can brew at exactly 200 degrees to get the best coffee possible.
A powerful heating element gets the water ready very quickly and you’ll have brewed coffee in less than 7 minutes. A warming plate will keep the coffee warm until you drink it.
Operating the machine is super easy as you just push a single button to get it going. Holding the button will wet the grounds to bloom them, and then the machine will brew normally.
There are a couple of things it misses out on, though. You can’t pause the brew halfway to pour yourself a cup, and there is no way to program the coffee maker to have a cup ready for you first thing in the morning.
But it’s the cheapest SCAA certified coffee maker available, so that’s a huge plus in its favor.
6. Keurig 2.0 K575 Programmable Coffee Maker
The Keurig K575 programmable coffee maker makes this list as a single serve coffee maker with temperature control. This is a Keurig 2.0 machine with a touch screen that lets you adjust a lot of parameters:
- Strength of the brew
- Temperature control (5 different settings)
- Setting favorites
- Auto on-off
It is worth noting that Keurig 2.0 machines are significantly better than the original Keurigs mainly because of the added programmability. The original Keurigs did not have much scope for customization, as you just had to pop in a pod and go.
An 80 ounce reservoir lets you brew 8 cups of coffee before having to refill, which is more than enough for a single household of 4 people.
The biggest advantage of Keurig is the wide variety of coffee pods that are available. If you’re in a hurry to brew your coffee these pods are the way to go, but if you’re a coffee purist, then you won’t like the taste or concept.
However, if you’re still into quick brewing, you can use a reusable K-cup and fill it with your own freshly ground coffee so your cup tastes better.
So far, we’ve looked at some coffee makers that brew at 200 degrees. What if you wanted to make perfect french press or pour over coffee? How could you achieve that elusive 200 degree brew?
The answer is by using a temperature controlled gooseneck kettle, of course!
The Bonavita kettle is available in a 1 liter or 1.7 liter size and has a 1000 watt capacity for fast heating. You can adjust the exact temperature to the degree, all the way from 140 degrees F up to 212 degrees F.
There’s also a timer you can utilize when you’re actually brewing.
Gooseneck kettles are advantageous because they allow you to control the exact speed and location of pouring. You’ll want to wet the grounds as easily as possible and it’s very difficult to achieve that with a regular spout kettle.
A heat and hold feature lets you maintain the temperature of the water after heating for up to one hour at a time(though you’ll be using up a lot of energy if you do this).
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Conclusion
These 6 machines are the best options that we’ve found for temperature controlling your coffee to as precise a degree as possible. They’re relatively expensive but considering the precision and customization you’re getting, they’re definitely worth the price – if customization is that important to you.
Last update on 2024-04-06 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
