The Basics of Coffee Extraction

Summary

In this informative video, Paul dives into the art of coffee extraction, a crucial yet often overlooked aspect of brewing. He explains that the balance of fats, acids, sugars, and plant fiber determines the flavor profile, with under-extraction resulting in sourness and over-extraction in bitterness. Paul outlines four key variables—grind size, brew time, temperature, and brewing ratio—that can be adjusted to control extraction, offering viewers a guide to mastering the perfect cup of coffee. He encourages experimenting with these variables to enhance both the brewing process and the final taste experience.

Takeaways

• 😀 Coffee is essentially a combination of water and extracted compounds from coffee beans, including fats, acids, sugars, and plant fiber.
• 📚 Extraction involves the process of water pulling flavors from the coffee bean, with the goal being to extract fats, acids, and sugars while minimizing plant fiber.
• 🍯 The taste of extraction can be described as sour for under-extracted coffee and bitter for over-extracted coffee, with a balanced extraction avoiding these extremes.
• 🔄 Four variables impact coffee extraction: grind size, brew time, temperature, and brewing ratio, each playing a role in how flavors are extracted.
• ⚙️ A finer grind exposes more of the bean's interior to water, leading to increased extraction, while a coarser grind does the opposite.
• ⏱ Longer brew times result in more extraction, as water has more time to interact with the coffee grounds.
• 🌡 Hotter water temperatures increase extraction rates due to the increased movement of water molecules, while cooler temperatures slow down extraction.
• 💧 A higher brewing ratio (more water to coffee) leads to more extraction, as more water is available to pull flavors from the coffee grounds.
• 🔍 Understanding these variables allows one to adjust a brewing recipe to achieve a desired extraction level and, consequently, flavor profile.
• 🛠️ Experimenting with different variables can lead to discovering new brewing techniques and flavors, encouraging coffee enthusiasts to explore beyond their usual methods.
• 📈 The video encourages viewers to try a variable they haven't used before to control extraction, potentially enhancing their coffee experience.

Q & A

What is the basic composition of coffee?

The basic composition of coffee is essentially bean and water, where water extracts compounds from the coffee bean.

What compounds does water extract from coffee beans to make a cup of coffee?

Water extracts fats, acids, sugars, and plant fiber from coffee beans to create a cup of coffee.

What is the ideal point for coffee extraction according to the video?

The ideal point for coffee extraction is to extract the fats, acids, and then sugars, while minimizing the extraction of plant fiber.

What are the taste characteristics of under-extracted and over-extracted coffee?

Under-extracted coffee tends to taste sour, while over-extracted coffee is bitter. A balanced cup of coffee avoids these extremes.

What are the four variables that can impact coffee extraction?

The four variables that can impact coffee extraction are grind size, brew time, temperature, and brewing ratio.

How does grind size affect the extraction of coffee?

Finer grinds increase the surface area for water to extract compounds, leading to more extraction, while coarser grinds result in less extraction.

How does brew time influence the extraction process?

A longer brew time allows for more extraction as water has more time in contact with the coffee, whereas a shorter brew time results in less extraction.

What is the relationship between water temperature and coffee extraction?

Hotter water leads to more extraction due to increased molecular movement, while cooler water slows down the molecules and results in less extraction.

How does the brewing ratio affect the amount of extraction?

A higher brewing ratio, meaning more water, leads to more extraction because the water extracts more compounds from the coffee. A lower brewing ratio results in less extraction.

Why does using more water in the brewing process increase extraction?

Using more water increases extraction because the additional water extracts more compounds from the coffee, including plant fiber, once the acids, fats, and sugars have been extracted.

What challenge does the video suggest for the next cup of coffee?

The video challenges viewers to try using a variable they haven't used before to control extraction, potentially leading to a new and surprising coffee experience.

Outlines

00:00

👨‍🍳 Coffee Extraction Basics

Paul introduces the concept of coffee extraction, emphasizing its importance in achieving the perfect cup of coffee. He explains that coffee is essentially a mixture of bean and water, where water extracts compounds like fats, acids, sugars, and plant fiber from the bean. The goal is to achieve a balanced extraction of fats, acids, and sugars while minimizing plant fiber. Paul outlines the consequences of under-extraction (sour taste) and over-extraction (bitter taste), and highlights the four variables that can be adjusted in brewing to control extraction: grind size, brew time, temperature, and brewing ratio. He provides a brief explanation of how each variable affects extraction and invites viewers to explore a summary chart in the video for more details.

05:02

🔧 Controlling Extraction with Brewing Variables

In this paragraph, Paul delves deeper into how to manipulate the four brewing variables to control extraction. He explains that a finer grind increases the extraction rate by exposing more of the bean's interior to water. Conversely, a coarser grind reduces extraction. Paul also discusses the impact of brew time, noting that a longer time results in more extraction, while a shorter time yields less. Temperature is another key factor, with hotter water leading to increased extraction due to the increased movement of water molecules, which in turn extracts more compounds from the coffee. Lastly, he addresses the brewing ratio, explaining that a higher ratio of water to coffee increases extraction because the water seeks to extract more flavors from the finite amount available in the coffee grounds. Paul concludes by encouraging viewers to experiment with these variables to enhance their coffee brewing skills and possibly surprise their taste buds.

Keywords

💡Extraction

Extraction refers to the process of drawing out or removing something from a substance. In the context of the video, it is the process by which water pulls flavors and compounds from coffee beans, which is essential for making a cup of coffee. The video emphasizes the importance of proper extraction to achieve a balanced cup, avoiding under-extracted sour taste or over-extracted bitter taste.

💡Coffee Bean

A coffee bean is the seed of the Coffea plant, which is roasted and ground to make coffee. The script discusses how water extracts various compounds from the coffee bean, such as fats, acids, and sugars, which contribute to the final flavor of the coffee. The bean's composition and how it is processed are central to the video's theme of coffee brewing.

💡Fats and Acids

Fats and acids are compounds found in coffee beans that contribute to its flavor profile. The video script explains that these are the first compounds to be extracted during the brewing process. The balance of these compounds, along with sugars, is crucial for achieving a well-extracted and flavorful cup of coffee.

💡Sugars

Sugars in coffee beans are another set of compounds that, when extracted, contribute to the sweetness of the coffee. The script mentions that sugars begin to break down after fats and acids have been extracted. The proper timing of extraction is important to ensure that sugars are extracted without over-extracting and leading to bitterness.

💡Plant Fiber

Plant fiber refers to the structural material found in coffee beans. The video script explains that if extraction continues beyond the point of extracting sugars, the water will begin to extract plant fiber, which can result in a bitter and less desirable cup of coffee. Minimizing plant fiber extraction is part of achieving a balanced extraction.

💡Under-extracted

Under-extraction occurs when not enough compounds are extracted from the coffee beans, resulting in a cup of coffee that is sour. The video script uses this term to describe a brewing outcome that is not ideal, as it lacks the full range of flavors that come from proper extraction.

💡Over-extracted

Over-extraction is the opposite of under-extraction, where too much is extracted from the coffee beans, including plant fibers, leading to a bitter taste. The video script warns against over-extraction as it can ruin the coffee's flavor, emphasizing the need for a balanced extraction.

💡Grind Size

Grind size is a critical variable in coffee brewing that affects extraction. The script explains that finer grinds increase the surface area for water to extract flavors, leading to more extraction, while coarser grinds do the opposite. Adjusting grind size is a common method to control the extraction process.

💡Brew Time

Brew time is the duration for which water is in contact with coffee grounds during the brewing process. The video script states that a longer brew time results in more extraction, while a shorter time results in less. Controlling brew time is essential for achieving the desired level of extraction.

💡Temperature

Temperature is another variable that impacts extraction, with hotter water extracting more compounds from coffee beans due to increased molecular movement. The script explains that cooler water slows down this movement, leading to less extraction, which is a key factor in controlling the flavor profile of the coffee.

💡Brewing Ratio

Brewing ratio refers to the proportion of water to coffee used in the brewing process. The video script indicates that a higher ratio leads to more extraction, as more water is available to extract flavors. Conversely, a lower ratio results in less extraction, which can affect the strength and flavor of the coffee.

Highlights

Extraction is the key process in coffee brewing, transforming beans and water into a flavorful cup.

Coffee is essentially a combination of bean, water, fats, acids, sugars, and plant fiber.

Fats and acids are the first compounds extracted from coffee beans, followed by sugars and then plant fiber.

Under-extracted coffee tends to be sour, while over-extracted coffee is bitter.

A balanced cup of coffee avoids the extremes of sourness or bitterness.

Four variables in brewing can impact extraction: grind size, brew time, temperature, and brewing ratio.

A finer grind size increases extraction by exposing more of the bean's interior to water.

Longer brew times result in more extraction, while shorter times result in less.

Hotter water temperatures lead to increased extraction due to increased molecular movement.

A higher brewing ratio with more water leads to more extraction of coffee compounds.

A lower brewing ratio with less water can lead to under-extraction if not enough is used to extract all the flavors.

Adjusting grind size is one of the easiest variables to change for altering extraction.

Some brewing devices make controlling brew time easier, such as the French press.

Molecular friction caused by hotter water against coffee beans results in more extraction.

Using ice cubes on coffee grounds demonstrates the absence of extraction at very low temperatures.

Understanding these variables allows for better coffee brewing recipes and techniques.

The video encourages viewers to experiment with different variables to find new extraction techniques.

A summary chart is provided for quick reference on how to control extraction with the four variables.

Transcripts

yo yo paul here so today we're going to

talk about extraction

and this is going to be a a super juicy

video because it's the one thing

that i wish someone had taught me in my

early coffee days

if you break down coffee to its basic

forms it's pretty much

just bean water it's water that has

extracted some compounds

from the coffee bean let's talk about

what the water

actually extracts from the bean what is

it

what makes a cup of coffee coffee well

it's the balance of fats acids

sugar and plant fiber

the first thing that gets extracted are

fats and acids

after that the sugars start breaking

down

and if you keep on pouring a lot of

water it will go into the plant fiber

itself if you stop too early you might

not have extracted all the sugars

creating a under extracted cup if you

extract it for too long

you will bring in plant fibers creating

a over

extracted cup so the ideal point is to

extract the fats acids and then sugars

and try to minimize the plant fiber

aspect

now what does extraction taste like well

i've made a video on that so you should

check out that in the description

but in a nutshell under extracted is

sour

over extracted is bitter and a balanced

cup

has none of the qualities of either

under or

over extracted coffee

there are four different variables you

can change in your brewing recipe

that can impact extraction the four are

grind size brew time temperature and the

brewing ratio

feel free to skip forward in the video

to this time stamp if you want a

quick summary chart on how the four

variables can control

extraction the first one grind size

so how can you change grind size to

impact extraction finer grinds

equal more extraction

coarser grinds equal less extraction but

how does this work let's

just wrap our heads around this so by

grinding a bean finer

what you're doing is you're exposing the

insides of that bean

to water which then leads to a increase

in extraction and this is one of the

easiest

variables to change because most people

unless you're using pre-ground beans

can just turn a knob on their grinder to

then change

their grind size another variable you

can tweak

is time so how can you control time

to impact extraction longer brew time

equals more extraction shorter brew time

equals less extraction the reason why

this works is that

the longer the water is in contact with

the bean

the more it extracts some brewing

devices

can control time easier like the french

press

the clever dripper and the inverted

aeropress method because all the water

is in contact with the beans

until you decide to stop the extraction

with other brewing devices like a pour

over the liquid leaves the brewing

device

which then stops that liquid from

extracting

more from the coffee the next variable

you can control

is temperature now the way temperature

impacts extraction

is that a hotter temperature equals more

extraction

a cooler temperature equals less

extraction

why does hotter water extract more

from the coffee bean so let's look at it

from a molecular

level what is boiling water it's pretty

much

just h2o molecules

moving around trying to break free from

each other

and if they do break free from each

other they become

water vapor now this movement over here

is

what's causing the extra extraction

so once those h2o particles come in

contact with coffee beans

that extra friction causes more

extraction

now the opposite is also true where

cooler water

slows down the molecules which then

causes a slower extraction

if you put an ice cube on coffee grounds

there is no extraction at all so the

last way you can control

extraction in your coffee is through

your water to coffee ratio

and the way it works is that a higher

brewing ratio

equals more extraction while

a lower brewing ratio equals less

extraction

so the reason why increasing the brewing

ratio

increases extraction is because when

you use more water in your recipe that

water

also wants some of the action of the

extraction

and sadly enough coffee has a finite

amount

of good coffee flavors that it can give

to the water

so when you're pouring your water the

coffee will start giving out its

acids and fats and then it will be

giving out as sugars

and then when that extra water comes in

it'll be like oh i don't have any more

acids fats and sugars well here's some

plant fiber

and that is why using more water

increases

extraction now the flip side is that

when you start using less water

it will be giving out the acids and fats

and then there won't be any more water

to then start extracting those sugars

now that you know how to control

extraction through the four variables

size brew time temperature and the

brewing ratio

you can now look at a brewing recipe and

understand

why it wants you to do specific steps to

then brew a better cup of coffee

and for your convenience here is a chart

showing all the different ways

you can control extraction with these

variables

for your next cup of coffee i challenge

you to try to use a variable that you

haven't used before

to then control extraction who knows

you might not just surprise yourself but

also your taste buds

so if you've liked this video make sure

to subscribe

hit that like button and perhaps hit

that bell if you really like the content

right now we're aiming to post at least

one video every week

and i hope to see you there in the next

one

until next time peace

you