Do I need a wet filter paper to make coffee by hand? Should I use hot water or cold water to wet the filter paper?

As we all know, before officially making coffee, we use a small amount of water to moisten the filter paper. The purpose is to soften the filter paper so that it can better adhere to the filter cup and play its role.

But did you know that the water temperature of the water used to wet the filter paper is also very particular. When you use water at different temperatures to wet the filter paper, the final coffee you get will be affected.

Impact 1. The status of the filter paper The first thing that affects nature is the status of the filter paper! We all know that the water temperature determines the thermal movement of molecules. When the water temperature is higher, the faster the molecules move. The lower the water temperature, the slower the molecular movement. Take an example that is often mentioned in the street-extraction efficiency. The higher the water temperature we use to brew coffee, the faster the flavor substances in the coffee will be dissolved, and vice versa will be slower. The filter paper will also be affected by the same effect. When the water temperature we use to wet the filter paper, the faster the filter paper will soften, and the paper smell in the filter paper will be released faster.

If the filter paper used by friends has a strong paper smell, then Qianjie will recommend using hot water to moisten the filter paper. In this way, the paper flavor of the filter paper can be dissolved when the filter paper is wetted and will not be added to the coffee, which can greatly reduce the appearance of foreign odors in the coffee; and if the filter paper you use does not have a strong paper flavor, then the wet filter paper The water temperature can be decided based on the latter two effects.

Impact 2. The extraction efficiency is right! The water temperature when wetting the filter paper will also affect the efficiency of extraction, but this depends on the material of the filter cup. As we all know, filter cups are made of many materials, including ceramics, glass, resin, metal, etc. Different materials have different thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity. When we use some filter cups with high thermal conductivity and high specific heat capacity for brewing but do not preheat, the filter cups will draw hot water during the brewing process. The temperature to replenish themselves until its own temperature is the same as the temperature of the hot water. So what kind of consequences will this have?

Yes! The extraction efficiency of hot water will be reduced. Many friends found that when using ceramic filter cups, coffee brewed with ceramic filter cups would be sweeter than resin filter cups. The reason is that the ceramic filter cup will absorb the temperature of hot water during the brewing process, which will lead to a decrease in the extraction efficiency. Not so much substance will be dissolved, and the coffee will taste sweeter (compared with it). But if we use hot water in advance for preheating, then the filter cup will not affect the temperature of the hot water during brewing, and the extraction efficiency of the hot water during extraction will not be greatly affected.

Therefore, when you use ceramic or similar filter cups with high specific heat capacity and high thermal conductivity to make coffee, Qianjie will recommend using hot water to wet the filter paper. Because this way, hot water can soften the filter paper while increasing the temperature of the filter cup, reducing its impact on subsequent extraction.

Impact 3. The temperature of the coffee If you are like Qianjie, you will place the filter cup above the sharing pot when you wet the filter paper, and plan to wash the sharing pot with the water from the wet filter paper, then the water temperature of the wet filter paper will also affect the temperature of the coffee.

In the same way, the sharing pot will also replenish itself by absorbing the temperature of the surrounding liquid. When the sharing pot is not preheated, it will absorb the temperature of the coffee in the pot, which will affect the temperature of the coffee. Qianjie once conducted such an experiment in which two pots of coffee were brewed. The only difference between them was whether the sharing pot that received the coffee liquor was preheated. As a result, the temperature of the coffee liquor in the preheated sharing pot is 70°C+, while the temperature of the coffee liquor in the unpreheated sharing pot is around 65°C.

The temperature of coffee directly affects the taste of coffee we taste. When the temperature of the coffee is higher, the flavor details we taste and the taste we feel will be relatively weaker, because the high temperature will reduce the sensitivity of our tongue, making it impossible for us to capture the taste and detailed flavor of coffee very quickly. The opposite is the opposite, so this is why friends often say that the aroma of coffee becomes richer after the temperature drops. Whether there is a need to preheat this depends on everyone's own thoughts. If you want guests to quickly taste the delicate flavor of the coffee, then there is no need to use hot water to moisten the filter paper/preheat the sharing pot; but if the weather is cooler, the coffee temperature drops quickly, so we can use hot water to moisten the filter paper and preheat the sharing pot. This can make the coffee cool slightly slower. In short, each has its own benefits ~

So the above is the impact of the water temperature of the wet filter paper on coffee. You can refer to it and then choose whether to use normal temperature water or hot water to wet the filter paper according to your needs ~

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