Coffee Extraction Yield
How extraction yield is calculated, what under-extraction and over-extraction mean, and why measurement should be combined with taste.
What is extraction?
Extraction is the transfer of soluble and suspended coffee material from ground coffee into the brewing water. Different compounds dissolve at different rates and under different conditions.
Extraction yield
A common brewing calculation estimates the percentage of the dry coffee dose that has entered the beverage. It uses beverage concentration and mass of beverage relative to the dry dose.
Under-extraction
Insufficient extraction can be associated with sharp acidity, saltiness, thinness or a short, underdeveloped finish. These are sensory clues rather than diagnostic proof.
Over-extraction
Excessive extraction can be associated with bitterness, dryness or a hollow finish. Again, taste should be considered alongside recipe and measurement.
Continue exploring
Green coffee
Follow coffee from plant and cherry through processing, drying, milling and storage.
Green coffee →Coffee chemistry
Explore the compounds and reactions that shape roasted coffee.
Coffee chemistry →Coffee extraction
Connect grind, water, temperature, time, concentration and extraction.
Coffee extraction →Coffee Knowledge presents technical subjects as an educational reference. Terminology, grading systems and production practices can vary by country, producer, equipment and commercial context.