AeroPress Coffee Temperature: 80–95 °C by Density

Updated October 2026 · AeroPress Recipe Series

Hotter water extracts coffee faster. In the AeroPress Recipe Series the water temperature rises with the density of your roasted beans, from 80 °C for the darkest roasts to 95 °C for the lightest, across all 121 recipes.

The short answer

80 °C for the darkest roasts, 88 °C in the middle and 95 °C for the lightest (Recipe 61, 0.390 g/ml). Light roasts need hotter water to extract fully; dark roasts extract easily and turn bitter if the water is too hot.

The range Why this range References

Where it is measured

The temperature you brew at

The recipes give the temperature of the brew water, the water you pour onto the coffee for the concentrate. Heat it to that figure, ideally with a variable-temperature kettle. The top-up that finishes the cup just brings it to the cup weight.

Rinse, then pour

Heat to the temperature shown, rinse the filter, then pour as soon as the water is ready.

You brew with very little water, so a cold chamber takes heat from it quickly. Rinsing the paper filter and cap with hot water warms them and helps you stay close to the recipe.

The cup will be cooler

You dilute the concentrate with water to reach the cup weight, so the cup ends up cooler than the brew water. That is normal. The brew temperature is the part the recipe controls.

The range

The range: 80 °C to 95 °C

The temperature rises in a straight line with density, about 1 °C every eight recipes, from 80 °C at 0.330 g/ml to 95 °C at 0.450 g/ml, shown to the nearest whole degree on the recipe.

80 °C

0.330 g/ml, the darkest roasts (Recipe 1)

88 °C

0.390 g/ml, the middle (Recipe 61)

95 °C

0.450 g/ml, the lightest roasts (Recipe 121)

And in between:

83 °C

Recipe 21

85 °C

Recipe 41

90 °C

Recipe 81

93 °C

Recipe 101

Find your recipe

Why this range

Why the temperature changes with roast level

Temperature controls how quickly the water pulls flavour out of the coffee. The AeroPress steeps a strong concentrate for a short time, so the series uses temperature, together with the ratio, grind and dose, to match the extraction to each roast.

Dark roast · 80 °C

Dark roasts are brittle and give up their solubles easily. Cooler water keeps bitterness in check. AeroPress’s own advice for dark roasts is 80 °C, where the series starts.

Light roast · 95 °C

Light roasts are dense and resist extraction. Hotter water, up to 95 °C, helps them extract fully so they taste sweet and clear rather than sour.

The same logic as espresso, filter and French press

It’s the same principle as the espresso, filter and French press temperature guides: hotter for light roasts, cooler for dark. The AeroPress range, 80 to 95 °C, is wider than espresso or filter and narrower than the French press.

Where it sits

Why this range

Recipe 61, at 0.390 g/ml, is the middle of the series, and its temperature is 88 °C.

Starts where AeroPress starts

AeroPress recommends 80 °C for dark roasts and 85 °C for medium and light roasts as starting points. The series begins at 80 °C and goes hotter as the roast gets lighter.

Inside the championship range

Winning recipes from the World AeroPress Championship mostly use water between about 80 and 96 °C, so the whole series sits within what competitors use.

Time stays fixed

Every recipe steeps for the same time, so temperature, ratio, grind and dose do the work of matching the brew to your roast.

Where to start

Haven’t measured your beans? Start at Recipe 51 (0.380 g/ml), then use Extract More or Extract Less. Measured? The coffee density calculator takes you straight to your recipe.

References