If you want to brew coffee just like your favourite barista, you’ll need to do more than just buy the right beans and use the right equipment. You’ll also need to understand water temperature.

Coffee’s forgotten variable, water temperature can drastically change the taste of a cup. So if your 87-point Red Bourbon is tasting sour, or your 83-point Yirgacheffe has bitter, ashy notes, you’ll want to play around with it.

Fortunately, we’ve found two videos that will break down the effect water temperature has on coffee – and give you tips on getting it just right.

SEE ALSO: Hydrosols: How to Make Brewing Water as Aromatic as Perfume

Barista Mike Jones runs us through the optimal water temperature, along with the dangers of brewing too hot (over-extraction) or too cool (under-extraction). He finishes with some advice for those of us brewing with a basic kettle.

For those of who don’t use Fahrenheit, 195-205°F works out at 90.5-96°C.

Moving on to our next video, the team at Whole Latte Love is here to give advice on how to adjust your water temperature to match your roast level. They also recommend some machinery that will heat the water up to a specific temperature, allowing for precision in your brewing.

Let’s just say that it’s a shame it’s not December, because some of those products would definitely be on our Christmas list.

Feature photo credit: HowcastFoodDrink

Please note: Perfect Daily Grind does not own the rights to these videos and cannot be held accountable for their content.