Updated October 2026 · Filter Recipe Series
Hotter water extracts coffee faster. In the Filter Recipe Series the brew temperature rises with the density of your roasted beans, from 90 °C for the darkest roasts to 95 °C for the lightest, across all 121 recipes.
90 °C for the darkest roasts, 93 °C in the middle and 95 °C for the lightest. Light roasts need hotter water to extract fully; dark roasts extract easily and turn bitter if the water is too hot. The whole range sits inside the SCA's recommended 93 °C ±3 °C.
Why it changes
Light roasts are dense and resist extraction. Hotter water, up to 95 °C, helps them extract fully and taste sweet rather than sour.
Dark roasts are brittle and give up their solubles easily. Cooler water, down to 90 °C, keeps bitterness in check.
It's the same idea as the espresso temperature calculator, where the series runs from 85 °C to 95 °C. Filter's range is narrower and starts higher because the coffee is in contact with the water for minutes rather than seconds.
The temperatures
The temperature rises in 1 °C steps as density rises, from 90 °C at 0.330 g/ml to 95 °C at 0.450 g/ml, with 93 °C in the middle (Recipe 61).
Recipes 1–12
Recipes 13–36
Recipes 37–60
Recipes 61–84
Recipes 85–108
Recipes 109–121
Why this range
The Specialty Coffee Association's Golden Cup standard recommends water at 93 °C ±3 °C (90–96 °C) where it meets the coffee. The whole series sits inside that window, with its midpoint at 93 °C.
A UC Davis study found that when brew strength and extraction were held constant, brewing at 87, 90 or 93 °C made no appreciable difference to taste. Temperature matters because it changes how fast and how far the coffee extracts.
That's why the series moves temperature in small 1 °C steps alongside the dose, ratio, grind and brew time, rather than relying on temperature alone. Each lever nudges extraction in the same direction for your roast.
Tips
A variable-temperature kettle makes it easy to set the exact temperature on your recipe.
Pour the bloom straight from the kettle so the water is at its hottest when it first meets the coffee.
A degree either way won't ruin a cup. Taste, then use Extract More or Extract Less to move along the series.
References
Keep reading
Find your starting recipe, then dig deeper into what drives extraction.
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