> These are starting ranges rather than exact settings. Temperatures and grind positions are rounded from what the creators say, and your coffee, water, grinder, zero point and taste decide the rest. Start inside the range, then dial in by taste.
How water temperature and grind move together as the roast changes, for each brew method. The Brew matrix in the Notchbook app (Learn → Temperature, roast & grind) uses the same figures and adds a setting range for your own grinder, worked out from your brews, the grinder's known settings and its step size, or from the dial position when there's nothing else to go on.
How to read it
- Temperatures are rounded ranges taken from what the creators say below. Where a method has no sourced roast table, the row is marked derived and follows the pattern of the method next to it.
- Grind is a burr gap range inside the method's usual band. Lighter roasts sit towards the fine end and darker roasts towards the coarse end. At the same setting a dark roast also grinds finer than a light one, which is part of why it wants a coarser setting.
- Settings don't transfer between grinders, zero points or burr wear, and dense, fines-heavy or heavily processed coffees can break the pattern (see Where sources disagree).
Why grind goes coarser as roasts get darker:
- Dark roasts need coarser settings than light ones. (Lance Hedrick 9:49)
- At the same setting a dark roast grinds to a peak about 100 µm smaller, so moving from light to dark without changing the setting slows shots down. (Lance Hedrick 22:28)
- Medium roasts go a little coarser than light, and dark coarser again. (James Hoffmann 4:05)
- A 50 µm grind change does roughly as much as 3 °C of water temperature. (Lance Hedrick 10:52)
Espresso
| Roast | Water | Grind (burr gap) | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ultra light | 94 to 97 °C | 160 to 190 µm | 1:3 or longer |
| Light | 92 to 96 °C | 170 to 210 µm | 1:2.5 to 1:3 |
| Medium light | 91 to 94 °C | 190 to 230 µm | 1:2.5 |
| Medium | 89 to 93 °C | 200 to 240 µm | 1:2 to 1:2.5 |
| Medium dark | 87 to 91 °C | 220 to 270 µm | 1:2 |
| Dark | 85 to 90 °C | 240 to 290 µm | 1:2 or shorter |
What the creators say:
- Roughly 85 to 90 °C for dark, 88 to 92 °C for medium and 90 to 95 °C for light. Change it in steps of at least 1 °C, and only after ratio and dose. (James Hoffmann 6:03)
- His 2021 guide put dark at about 195 °F (≈90 °C), medium at 200 °F (≈93 °C) and very light at 205 °F (≈96 °C). (Lance Hedrick 17:45)
- Dense washed light roasts need more push, meaning finer, a longer ratio and hotter water. Soluble, processed or darker coffees need less. (Lance Hedrick 5:35)
- Set the starting ratio from the roast, about 1:2 for dark, 1:2.5 for medium and 1:3 and up for light. (Lance Hedrick 1:00)
Where sources disagree
Light-roast espresso: finer, or coarser with a longer ratio?
- Lance Hedrick (2022): finer, with a longer ratio and hotter water, for dense washed light roasts. 5:35
- Sprometheus (2020): for a sour light roast, grind slightly finer first, then raise the yield. 5:06
- Lance Hedrick (2023): his preferred route is a longer ratio with a coarser grind and a faster shot. 7:13
- Lance Hedrick (2025): for light or Nordic roasts, about 1:2.5 in 17 to 22 s, as coarse as stays balanced. 13:08
How hot for light-roast espresso?
- James Hoffmann (2020): 90 to 95 °C for light roasts. 6:03
- Lance Hedrick (2022): hotter for dense washed light roasts, for example 93 to 96 °C. 5:35
- Lance Hedrick (2025): light or Nordic shots around 90 °C. 13:08
Change temperature before or after grind?
- European Coffee Trip (2022): for a sour or salty light roast, add 1 to 2 °C (staying within 93 to 97 °C) before touching the grind. 3:09
- Sprometheus (2020): change grind and yield first, and only lower the temperature as a last resort. 4:05
Pour-over
| Roast | Water | Grind (burr gap) |
|---|---|---|
| Ultra light | 93 to 99 °C | 570 to 630 µm |
| Light | 93 to 97 °C | 600 to 670 µm |
| Medium light | 91 to 95 °C | 630 to 700 µm |
| Medium | 90 to 94 °C | 660 to 730 µm |
| Medium dark | 85 to 91 °C | 700 to 770 µm |
| Dark | 80 to 88 °C | 730 to 810 µm |
What the creators say:
- 95 to 97 °C for the lightest coffees and 92 to 94 °C for the rest. (Lance Hedrick 7:10)
- Dark roasts at 80 to 85 °C and medium at 90 to 95 °C. (James Hoffmann 7:45)
- Light roasts straight off the boil. For darker roasts, let the kettle rest 20 to 30 s to about 93 °C. (Sprometheus 3:03)
- Moves the temperature between 93 and 95 °C depending on the roast. (European Coffee Trip 6:14)
- A salty, rough cup came from a roast darker than its label said, and dropping to 87 °C fixed it. (The Coffee Chronicler 13:54)
Where sources disagree
Ultra-light filter: as hot as possible, or capped?
- James Hoffmann (2019): as hot as possible for light roasts. 5:05
- Lance Hedrick (2024): 95 to 97 °C for the lightest coffees. 7:10
- Lance Hedrick (2025): for ultra-light, gently processed coffees, no higher than 93 °C. Go a little finer and pour more turbulently instead. 16:21
- Lance Hedrick (2026): brews at 91 to 93 °C and moves extraction with grind, agitation or the number of pours, because going finer adds less bitterness than going 3 °C hotter. 11:22
Do all light roasts want a finer grind?
- James Hoffmann (2022): medium a little coarser than light, and dark coarser again. 4:05
- Bluebird Coffee Roastery (2023): dense washed coffees, Kenyans in particular, often taste sweeter ground coarser for a quicker brew. 1:01
- Asser Christensen (2025): fines-heavy coffees, light-roast Ethiopians in particular, may want a few steps coarser. Grind Size Chart & Database
AeroPress
| Roast | Water | Grind (burr gap) |
|---|---|---|
| Ultra light | 95 to 100 °C | 460 to 480 µm |
| Light | 92 to 99 °C | 470 to 490 µm |
| Medium light | 88 to 95 °C | 480 to 510 µm |
| Medium | 85 to 92 °C | 490 to 520 µm |
| Medium dark | 82 to 90 °C | 500 to 530 µm |
| Dark | 80 to 88 °C | 520 to 550 µm |
What the creators say:
- For a light roast, grind fine (between pour-over and espresso) and use water straight off the boil. Darker roasts go coarser at about 85 to 90 °C. (James Hoffmann 1:32)
- Lower the water temperature for darker roasts and raise it for lighter ones. (Sprometheus 1:31)
- For a weak light-roast AeroPress, grind finer than for V60, use 99 °C water and extend the brew to about three minutes. (Kyle Rowsell 3:31)
Where sources disagree
Hot or cool AeroPress?
- James Hoffmann (2021): straight off the boil for light roasts. 1:32
- European Coffee Trip (2014): prefers 85 to 88 °C or lower, adjusting for each coffee. 2:39
- European Coffee Trip (2022): the 2021 winning recipe's low temperature and coarse grind gave a round, syrupy cup. 5:51
Immersion
Few creators give immersion temperatures by roast, so these follow the AeroPress and pour-over pattern.
| Roast | Water | Grind (burr gap) |
|---|---|---|
| Ultra light | 94 to 100 °C (derived) | 890 to 980 µm |
| Light | 92 to 98 °C (derived) | 930 to 1010 µm |
| Medium light | 90 to 95 °C (derived) | 960 to 1050 µm |
| Medium | 88 to 93 °C (derived) | 990 to 1090 µm |
| Medium dark | 85 to 91 °C (derived) | 1030 to 1130 µm |
| Dark | 82 to 89 °C (derived) | 1070 to 1170 µm |
What the creators say:
- Processed coffees may want 92 to 94 °C in a Hario Switch. (Brian Quan 12:18)
- Lower the water temperature for darker roasts and raise it for lighter ones. (Sprometheus 1:31)
Moka
Moka temperature isn't something you set. Start with boiled water whatever the roast, and change how full the pot is and when you stop it instead.
| Roast | Water | Grind (burr gap) |
|---|---|---|
| Ultra light | Freshly boiled water in the base | 340 to 370 µm |
| Light | Freshly boiled water in the base | 350 to 380 µm |
| Medium light | Freshly boiled water in the base | 360 to 390 µm |
| Medium | Freshly boiled water in the base | 370 to 400 µm |
| Medium dark | Freshly boiled water in the base | 370 to 410 µm |
| Dark | Freshly boiled water in the base | 380 to 420 µm |
What the creators say:
- Freshly boiled water in the base, gentle heat, and stop before it sputters. (James Hoffmann 1:30)
- Light roasts get a full boiler and maximum yield. Dark roasts get the boiler two-thirds to three-quarters full and an earlier stop. (James Hoffmann 4:32)
- Finer grinds raised extraction but also the brew temperature, and the hottest brews tasted worst. (James Hoffmann 7:36)
Cold brew
Cold brew steeps cold, so the roast changes the steep time and strength more than the water. No creator gives a grind change by roast here, so the grind stays the same.
| Roast | Water | Grind (burr gap) |
|---|---|---|
| Ultra light | Cold or room-temperature water | 1490 to 1670 µm |
| Light | Cold or room-temperature water | 1490 to 1670 µm |
| Medium light | Cold or room-temperature water | 1490 to 1670 µm |
| Medium | Cold or room-temperature water | 1490 to 1670 µm |
| Medium dark | Cold or room-temperature water | 1490 to 1670 µm |
| Dark | Cold or room-temperature water | 1490 to 1670 µm |
What the creators say:
- Room-temperature water (about 20 °C) for a cold AeroPress steep. (European Coffee Trip 8:39)
Batch
Most batch brewers fix their own temperature. If yours lets you choose, these follow the pour-over pattern.
| Roast | Water | Grind (burr gap) |
|---|---|---|
| Ultra light | 94 to 97 °C (derived) | 590 to 650 µm |
| Light | 93 to 96 °C (derived) | 610 to 680 µm |
| Medium light | 91 to 95 °C (derived) | 640 to 710 µm |
| Medium | 90 to 94 °C (derived) | 660 to 730 µm |
| Medium dark | 87 to 92 °C (derived) | 690 to 760 µm |
| Dark | 85 to 90 °C (derived) | 720 to 790 µm |
For Notchbook
- The Brew matrix shows one starting point at a time, a graph of how temperature and grind move by roast or by method, the whole table for the chosen method, and each disagreement above next to the method it affects.
- Settings for your grinder come from the same estimate as the grind bar, so they get better as you log brews on that grinder.
- All of it is shown as a starting range rather than an exact setting.
Summarised in our own words from the creators' videos, with every point linked to the moment it comes from. Notchbook isn't affiliated with or endorsed by any of these creators, so please watch the originals for full context. Sources
Notchbook is a free app that remembers the grind setting that worked for each coffee, grinder, brew method and filter paper, and keeps a journal of every brew. Get it free on Google Play. The iPhone app is coming soon. More about Notchbook.