{"id":14769,"date":"2022-07-29T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-07-29T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/freshcup.com\/?p=14769"},"modified":"2022-07-28T18:32:47","modified_gmt":"2022-07-28T23:32:47","slug":"extraction-variables","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/extraction-variables\/","title":{"rendered":"Coffee Basics: Understanding Extraction Variables"},"content":{"rendered":"

To extract means to remove or obtain something, usually by a particular method.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the case of coffee, we use water to extract, or remove, the parts of the coffee seed (bean) we want to drink\u2014not every part of a coffee bean tastes good or is desirable. We do this at a specific rate, to a desired concentration, and to get the flavor we like.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Coffee seeds have many different compounds inside them. Using water, we aim to extract just the right amount of these compounds to get a tasty, balanced cup that\u2019s neither too strong nor weak. Generally, the extraction yield is communicated as a percentage, which refers to how much of the coffee seed ends up in the finished product (\u201cthe cup\u201d).<\/span><\/p>\n

About 30 percent of roasted coffee is water soluble; target extraction ranges between 18 and 22 percent. Finding the balance between extracting enough of coffee\u2019s soluble compounds to deliver complex flavor yet not going so far as to over-extract is challenging. An under-extracted cup can taste weak and dull, while an over-extracted cup can pull out undesirable, bitter notes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Extraction is an incredibly complex process. Properly extracted coffee can be tied to several variables\u2014here are a few basics to kickstart your extraction knowledge.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Freshness<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n

You\u2019ve probably read that the fresher a coffee, the better it is\u2014but sometimes, coffee can be too fresh.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Photo by Adi Goldstein<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Freshly roasted coffee should undergo a period of aging that allows it to degas. Roasting creates carbon dioxide in the bean, which forms almost a protective layer around a newly roasted coffee. Gases from the roasting process eventually exit the pores of the bean over time, making it more permeable. Coffee not degassed sufficiently will be less permeable and challenging to extract.<\/span><\/p>\n

Water Type<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n

Water quality varies greatly depending on geographical origin, local water treatment, and in-house filtration systems. Water is full of dissolved minerals like calcium and magnesium, and you also need to consider the alkalinity, pH, and sodium levels.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

All the variables above impact your extraction yield, so it\u2019s important to know what\u2019s in your brewing water.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brew Ratio\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n

Brew ratio refers to how much coffee is used for a given quantity of water, which may be expressed in either grams or ounces. A 1:16 coffee-to-water ratio is commonly recommended as a starting point, but you can experiment with ratios based on taste.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Grind Size<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n

Imagine a whole bean of coffee. An entire bean has less surface area than a bean broken in half, which has less surface area than a bean divided in fourths, etc…<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Photo by Tyler Nix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Grind size directly correlates to the amount of surface area you expose of a coffee bean and is controlled by the settings on your grinder. The smaller, or finer, the grind size, the more surface area there is, and the easier it is for water to extract flavor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The opposite is also true: the coarser your ground coffee is, the less surface area there is. In addition to drastically affecting the coffee\u2019s solubility\u2014finer ground coffee is more soluble since there\u2019s more surface area exposed\u2014grind size also affects flow rate. Imagine water flowing through large boulders versus sand: water will take much longer to flow through the sand.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Temperature<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n

Hot water extracts coffee flavor faster than cold water. That\u2019s why cold brewing takes hours while hot brewing takes minutes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, too hot water can burn coffee grounds and lead to over-extraction.\u00a0<\/span>The Specialty Coffee Association<\/span><\/a>\u00a0generally considers the\u00a0<\/span>ideal brewing temperature<\/span><\/a>\u00a0to be between 195 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Temperature stability throughout the brew cycle is desirable for replicable results, which is why you want your water to stay the same temperature throughout brewing. Just as baking foods at different temperatures will result in drastically different results, different brew temperatures will extract coffee differently.<\/span><\/p>\n

Contact Time<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n

The contact time refers to the length of time water and grounds interact. Too short = under-extracted; too long = over-extracted.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bloom<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n

The bloom usually refers to the first pour of water onto a dry bed of grounds. This phase prepares coffee for extraction by helping to release CO2 and allowing subsequently added water to move more freely through the bed of grounds.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Usually, baristas will bloom their coffee with about double the weight of their dose (if they\u2019re brewing with 30 grams of coffee, the bloom is usually about 60 grams of water). An even pre-wetting should result in a more even extraction.<\/span><\/p>\n

Strength\/(TDS)<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n

TDS (total dissolved solids) refers to the solids dissolved in the cup, not including crema or oils formed on the surface.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Photo by Nathan Dumlao<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n


\nThis is measured with a\u00a0<\/span>refractometer<\/span><\/a>. TDS translates to the concentration of dissolved coffee solids in the cup and is described in terms of strength. The higher the concentration of TDS, the stronger the cup, and the lower the concentration of TDS, the weaker the cup.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In practice, strength is determined by how the coffee feels in your mouth. Strong cups feel thick or heavy, while weak cups feel thin or watery.<\/span><\/p>\n

Agitation<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n

This is the word we use for creating turbulence in coffee. You can do this with a spoon or with the water stream from the kettle.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Agitation directly relates to the extraction rate, so this variable should be kept consistent from brew to brew.<\/span><\/p>\n

Flow Rate<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n

The rate at which water flows through coffee.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jennifer Haare<\/strong> is the director of training and staff development at Ipsento Coffee.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

This article was originally published on August 21, 2017 and has been updated to reflect Fresh Cup’s current editorial standards.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Using water to extract the parts of the coffee seed that we want to drink. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1116,"featured_media":14774,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"limit_modified_date":"","last_modified_date":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}},"beyondwords_generate_audio":"","beyondwords_project_id":"","beyondwords_content_id":"","beyondwords_player_style":"","beyondwords_language_id":"","beyondwords_title_voice_id":"","beyondwords_body_voice_id":"","beyondwords_summary_voice_id":"","beyondwords_error_message":"","beyondwords_disabled":"","beyondwords_podcast_id":"","beyondwords_hash":"","publish_post_to_speechkit":"","speechkit_hash":"","speechkit_generate_audio":"","speechkit_project_id":"","speechkit_podcast_id":"","speechkit_error_message":"","speechkit_disabled":"","speechkit_access_key":"","speechkit_error":"","speechkit_info":"","speechkit_response":"","speechkit_retries":"","speechkit_updated_at":"","_speechkit_link":"","_speechkit_text":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCoffee Basics: Understanding Extraction Variables - Fresh Cup Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We use water to extract the parts of the coffee seed (bean) that we want to drink. There are a lot of variables in proper extraction.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/extraction-variables\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Coffee Basics: Understanding Extraction Variables\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Using water to extract the parts of the coffee seed that we want to drink.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/extraction-variables\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Fresh Cup Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/FreshCupMagazine\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-07-29T11:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-07-28T23:32:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/tyler-nix-MFx3aIBHKG0-unsplash.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jennifer Haare\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@FreshCupMag\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@FreshCupMag\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jennifer Haare\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/extraction-variables\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/extraction-variables\/\",\"name\":\"Coffee Basics: Understanding Extraction Variables - Fresh Cup Magazine\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-07-29T11:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-07-28T23:32:47+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/#\/schema\/person\/704083a1dcce878c91764da8dbb22893\"},\"description\":\"We use water to extract the parts of the coffee seed (bean) that we want to drink. There are a lot of variables in proper extraction.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/extraction-variables\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/extraction-variables\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/extraction-variables\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Coffee & Tea\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/category\/coffee-tea\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Coffee Knowledge\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/category\/coffee-tea\/coffee\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Coffee Basics: Understanding Extraction Variables\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/\",\"name\":\"Fresh Cup Magazine\",\"description\":\"Coffee Industry Stories and Insights\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/#\/schema\/person\/704083a1dcce878c91764da8dbb22893\",\"name\":\"Jennifer Haare\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6d2e643946ef19c38b9319e32e332e52?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fp194.p3.n0.cdn.getcloudapp.com%2Fitems%2FNQu4LeXQ%2Fd67247f7-9611-4038-b16a-7478cd067ca3.jpg%3Fv%3Dfdbe2c631762f9448134eee172d9efb5&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6d2e643946ef19c38b9319e32e332e52?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fp194.p3.n0.cdn.getcloudapp.com%2Fitems%2FNQu4LeXQ%2Fd67247f7-9611-4038-b16a-7478cd067ca3.jpg%3Fv%3Dfdbe2c631762f9448134eee172d9efb5&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Jennifer Haare\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/author\/jennifer-haare\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Coffee Basics: Understanding Extraction Variables - Fresh Cup Magazine","description":"We use water to extract the parts of the coffee seed (bean) that we want to drink. There are a lot of variables in proper extraction.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/extraction-variables\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Coffee Basics: Understanding Extraction Variables","og_description":"Using water to extract the parts of the coffee seed that we want to drink.","og_url":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/extraction-variables\/","og_site_name":"Fresh Cup Magazine","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/FreshCupMagazine\/","article_published_time":"2022-07-29T11:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-07-28T23:32:47+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1800,"height":1200,"url":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/tyler-nix-MFx3aIBHKG0-unsplash.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jennifer Haare","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@FreshCupMag","twitter_site":"@FreshCupMag","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jennifer Haare","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/extraction-variables\/","url":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/extraction-variables\/","name":"Coffee Basics: Understanding Extraction Variables - Fresh Cup Magazine","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2022-07-29T11:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2022-07-28T23:32:47+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/#\/schema\/person\/704083a1dcce878c91764da8dbb22893"},"description":"We use water to extract the parts of the coffee seed (bean) that we want to drink. There are a lot of variables in proper extraction.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/extraction-variables\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/freshcup.com\/extraction-variables\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/extraction-variables\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Coffee & Tea","item":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/category\/coffee-tea\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Coffee Knowledge","item":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/category\/coffee-tea\/coffee\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Coffee Basics: Understanding Extraction Variables"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/","name":"Fresh Cup Magazine","description":"Coffee Industry Stories and Insights","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/#\/schema\/person\/704083a1dcce878c91764da8dbb22893","name":"Jennifer Haare","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6d2e643946ef19c38b9319e32e332e52?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fp194.p3.n0.cdn.getcloudapp.com%2Fitems%2FNQu4LeXQ%2Fd67247f7-9611-4038-b16a-7478cd067ca3.jpg%3Fv%3Dfdbe2c631762f9448134eee172d9efb5&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6d2e643946ef19c38b9319e32e332e52?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fp194.p3.n0.cdn.getcloudapp.com%2Fitems%2FNQu4LeXQ%2Fd67247f7-9611-4038-b16a-7478cd067ca3.jpg%3Fv%3Dfdbe2c631762f9448134eee172d9efb5&r=g","caption":"Jennifer Haare"},"url":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/author\/jennifer-haare\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/ExtractionONE.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pf7LWY-3Qd","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14769"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1116"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14769"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14769\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}