[Gogar]

The brewed temp in the cup needs to be 160-170; so the temp of the water hitting the coffee needs to usually be in the low 200s, but there's no absolutes because it has a lot to do with the pressure of the water through the coffee and how fine the grind is and the density of the puck after it has been tamped, etc.

For my machine to get a nice 165 or 170 degree shot I need to have the water right at boiling, which is about 202 here, and I need to 'shoot a blank' BWAHAHAHAHA to get the plastic water lines and the brew group preheated a little bit. Water boiling at around 200 is one of the difficulties of getting a perfect shot at altitude.

Just put a variac on that thing and get it hotter, man!