A few degrees separate good espresso from bad. What's the perfect brewing temperature?

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Espresso brews best at about 200°F (93°C), just under boiling. Hotter water extracts more, and what it extracts hardest is bitterness, from compounds the roaster creates that don't exist in a green bean. Most people blame caffeine, which turns out to contribute to only about 15% of coffee's bitter taste.

Espresso brews best at 200°F, just under boiling. Hotter water pulls out more bitterness.

Source: NIST (Taking Measure) · checked Aug 2026