Regarding extraction, these knowledge cannot be avoided

Extraction is the process by which water passes through coffee grounds, dissolving and removing some of the soluble substances . The extracted compounds have a direct impact on the flavor and aroma of the coffee. Through the extraction method, we can better control the flavor profile of the coffee.

The structure of coffee beans is very dense and complex. If you throw the whole coffee bean into hot water, the extracted substances are much less than the powder. The water cannot pass through the whole coffee bean and dissolve the flavor, so we have to "open it" so that the water can bring out the flavor of the coffee. By using a grinder to grind the coffee beans into powder, the surface area is increased so that water can work and extract easily .

Ideally, we grind the coffee into a very fine state, throw it into water and dissolve the beautiful flavor, but if we do this, it will be a very bitter and unpalatable cup of coffee. Not all coffee flavors are good, so we must control the amount of extracted flavors to brew a delicious cup of coffee.

Similarly, we cannot extract only a little bit to avoid over-extraction. Under-extracted coffee tastes terrible. Try to find a balance in extraction to avoid over-extraction or under-extraction . When you can control these, you can make the brewed coffee richer. Before that, let’s first understand the flavors of under-extraction, over-extraction and ideal extraction.

UNDER-EXTRACTED

Insufficient extraction

Under-extraction means that the water does not bring out enough coffee grounds, and there are still a lot of residual substances in the coffee grounds. A cup of espresso that has been extracted too early has a stinky and sour taste, lack of sweetness, a strange salty taste, and a disappointingly short aftertaste. These four characteristics are obvious signs of under-extraction.

• Sour taste

The tingling acidity of coffee can be tricky, especially when the acidity of the coffee is what you expect.

Many people may have this question: "Aren't sourness and acidity the same?"

A sour taste is a negative taste. The tongue will feel the sour taste quickly and strongly, which will cause an immediate physical reaction . You may pucker up your lips or have an electric, sharp feeling on the sides of your tongue. A sour taste is unpleasant and ruins your taste buds, and it is not a taste you want.

Acidity is more like a flavor . For example, "the acidity of the coffee is pleasant" or "the acidity of this coffee is very strong" are both logical. Acidity can be associated with sour taste/juicy feeling/bright acidity/pungent acidity.

• Lack of sweetness

The most important thing about coffee flavor is sweetness.

"This espresso is too sweet!" Do you think someone would complain like this? I believe that most people are looking for the sweetness of coffee. Insufficient extraction will not have sweetness, and it is far from sweet. Insufficient extraction will show the dissatisfaction after drinking coffee, making people feel empty like I want more coffee. And the lack of sweetness will highlight the thorny sourness of the coffee beans, making people feel the lack of extraction more obviously.

• Salty

Under-extracted coffee will taste salty.

It’s not salty like when you add salt to your coffee, but under-extracted coffee almost always tastes salty.

In terms of tactile sensation, it feels like the slippery feeling of touching alkaline food.

By the way, sour and salty flavors are easier to dissolve than sweetness, which is why under-extracted coffee tastes sour and salty. The sweet substances do not have enough time or opportunity to completely dissolve.

• Short aftertaste

The aftertaste of a well-extracted coffee can last for several minutes (or even hours) . Imagine someone put a piece of brown sugar on your tongue, or imagine you just finished eating a piece of delicious toffee. Under-extracted coffee has no such aftertaste. When you swallow the coffee, the flavor dissipates with it, and there is no pleasant feeling left in your mouth. This cup of coffee makes you feel short-lived and unsatisfactory. It is unpalatable and not delicious.

There are other unpleasant sensations that indicate under-extraction, but the four above are more obvious and certain. Whenever you experience these characteristics, you can be sure that you are drinking under-extracted coffee.

Next, let’s look at the other extreme of under-extraction: over-extraction.

OVER-EXTRACTED

Over extraction

Over-extracted coffee means that too many soluble substances in the coffee are brought out , and this extraction results in unpleasant flavor.

Imagine a cup of espresso that takes 40-50 seconds to extract. Such a coffee will be bitter, dry and hollow, which are the three most obvious characteristics of over-extracted coffee.

• bitterness

We've all had bitter coffee. Over-extracted coffee is really bitter, and a lot of the bitterness comes from the caffeine, but the bitterness is also related to many other chemical reactions. Dark roasted coffee will reach a charred state, forming more bitter chemicals.

• Dryness

The dryness is intense and lasts a long time.

This feeling is called astringency, just like when you drink unsweetened black tea, new wine, or over-brewed white wine.

The astringency in wine comes from the effect of polyphenols: chemicals found in plants, seeds and bark, which are likely the same chemicals that make coffee taste dry. Polyphenols are bitter and bind to proteins in your saliva, creating a sandy or drying feeling in your mouth.

• Empty feeling

It feels empty and lifeless, like the extraction killed all the good stuff in the coffee. Well-extracted coffee gives you a full body, is delicious, smooth and mouth-watering. Over-extracted coffee is hollow, harsh, disgustingly bland.

The above are the taste characteristics of over-extraction flavor. Of course, there are more adjectives, but these are the most recognizable and common ones. They can be extracted from noble Gesha coffee to make the coffee taste hollow, or from inferior and unpalatable coffee to extract such characteristics.

IDEALLY EXTRACTED

Ideal extraction

Imagine the best coffee you've ever had, with a sweet and ripe flavor! The clear flavor is like transparency, the acidity is balanced and rich and brings a positive feeling, and the aftertaste is long. This is the coffee that everyone is flocking to, and you will want to know more about it.

• Sweet and mature

Imagine a plum or similar stone fruit ripening. It will have a rich and strong acidity at first, then it will become sweeter and sweeter as it matures. The sugar content of the fruit develops and becomes more intense, thick, and even greasy . Then it reaches a point where it is like the sweet aroma you smell when you hold the fruit close to your nose. This is the sweet and ripe flavor you want from coffee. If you have never had such a coffee, you may be easily satisfied.

• Clarity and transparency

"Looking at the coffee through the coffee window", if the coffee in your cup is over-extracted or under-extracted, it will be difficult for you to "see" the actual flavor of the coffee. Common extraction mistakes will distract you and waste the painstaking efforts of the front-end processing of the coffee you taste.

• Sweet and sour balance

The sweetness of acidity is intoxicating. Delicate, rich and bright acidity is the most important element behind coffee. When you drink coffee, acidity reminds you of a specific fruit or even wine. This acidity can be clearly defined, and you can focus on recalling the feeling of the last time you ate this fruit.

• Long aftertaste

The meaning of the word itself speaks for itself. A good aftertaste can last for a long time, which is one of the signs of well-extracted coffee.

The above coffee extraction and flavor pros and cons are organized into a table. Hopefully, you can start to pay attention to the coffee you drink and be able to connect it to the coffee characteristics of different extraction results.

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