Why does a drip coffee maker brew faster when you put hot instead of cold water in it?
March 10, 2010 by
Filed under Coffee Makers
What are the mechanics behind this? I understand that the coffee maker no longer needs to heat the water, but why does it go so much faster?
I was looking for more of the mechanics of how the water is heated in a drip coffee maker. Why would it be faster? How would the heating element know that the water is already heated. Does it have a temperature indicator?
It’s…because it doesn’t need to heat the water as long.
By putting in hot water, you’ve already done half of the machine’s work for it, to raise it to the temperature it needs.
You’ve already answered the question, because the water is hotter. It will stream through the grounds quicker as well.
HOWEVER, you’re making a worse cup of coffee for it. The water which begins the brewing cycle isn’t as hot as the water that finishes the brewing cycle. The first few squirts of water that come out of the pump tend to be absorbed by the grounds, it doesn’t just run through it. By using hot water, you aren’t wetting the grounds, you’re just streaming through them.
Cheers
Never tried it. I’ve always put cold water in the coffee maker