[jurf]

> Both espresso samples were served at 22 °C to ensure a fair like-for-like comparison […]

> It is noted that espresso is normally consumed hot and has transient sensory attributes that are temperature- and time-dependent. Hence, serving espresso at 22 °C will alter its sensory characteristics.

This is a weird test, coffee get’s so much worse when cold. So people can’t distinguish between two bad coffees.

[cush]

> coffee get’s so much worse when cold

This is a myth. Bad coffee tastes better when hot because your sense of taste is dulled - reducing bitterness. Also, at higher temperatures, aromatics and volatile compounds are more airborne, improving the smell of coffee. Good coffee is better enjoyed around 60-70C

[jurf]

I don’t understand, you say it’s a myth and then said it’s better when warm?

Regardless, I would say it’s an objective fact that good coffee is ruined at room temperature. It still tastes fine, but no where near as good.

What especially irks me is that they could have just heated the stuff in a microwave [1] to 50°C and have a much better test.

[1] https://youtu.be/yqgKlqAUM9g

[cush]

I meant it's better when cooled, not straight off the boil. Bad coffee tastes better when it's too hot to drink. Good coffee tastes better when it's cooled.

[petre]

No way. I make espresso over ice and it's great, a lot better than cold brew. The Greek make just about any coffee using the espresso machine over ice and Koreans are quite fond of their iced Americanos, which are a bit dilluted for me but I also enjoy them from time to time. I also made Aeropress over ice with specialty coffee and its was better than the hot drink prepared using the same cofee and recipe. I just do it during summer when one would normally enjoy ice cream, the rest of the time I drink the usual hot espressos.

Room temperature coffe is just like room temperature water: boring.

Our espresso machine (De'Longhi) makes cold brew in like a minute or two. Brilliant. It's tastes like normal cold brew but I enjoy espresso over ice better. Maybe this ultrasonic espresso machine could achieve better extraction with cold water than purely pumping water at high pressure through coffee?

Anyway I'd be quite excited to see a review by James Hoffmann when it hits the market.

[hylaride]

> coffee get’s so much worse when cold

Coldbrew is a thing and done right it brings out a refreshing sweetness. Also iced coffee. Bad coffee is bad hot or cold.

[david-gpu]

"Cold brew" means that the coffee was brewed with "cold" water. Whether or not it is served cold is orthogonal -- iced coffee is usually brewed hot.

[jurf]

I love coffee on ice in summer, but I think that’s a different category, like ice cream.

I would rather have room temperature coffee than a cold brew usually though. I just did not have good luck with it so far

[nickff]

"Good" (well-extracted) coffee is still relatively good when warm, especially compared to "bad" (over-extracted, or under-extracted) coffee. That said, many believe that the optimal temperature for serving coffee is 50-60 degrees celsius (122-140 degrees fahrenheit).

[jurf]

Yes, but the test was at 22°C, which I wouldn’t consider warm. And it’s too cold for the differences to be even perceptible well, making the test flawed. Disregarding the fact that it’s also much colder than people use to drink coffee, making it even harder to distinguish for non-experts.