Probably the most troublesome thing when making coffee is how to extract it better. Whether it is Italian or hand-brewed, the most important thing for baristas or coffee lovers is extraction. So what factors will prevent us from extracting a good cup of coffee?

Italian Extraction

Regarding Italian extraction, I have talked to you before, such as whether there are any lumps when grinding the powder, paying attention to filling the gaps when spreading the powder, paying attention to the even force and how to adjust it when filling, etc. But regarding pressure extraction, sometimes it is still unstable resulting in varying coffee quality. Why is this?

1. Do you pay attention to your coffee machine?

If the espresso machine you are using is a high-end machine, many problems will not occur. However, the performance of many general commercial models actually depends on luck. After all, the coffee machine parts may be imported, but if they are assembled domestically, If the technology is not good, you probably won’t be able to make high-quality concentrate. The editor once used a commercial espresso machine. The water-dividing copper block in the brewing head was not installed properly. As a result, the water leaked from the side. The editor had to pour water into the brewing head every time when loading powder. Filling in more powder to balance the extraction is, of course, only a temporary solution. It is the problem with the coffee machine that prevents us from extracting concentrate.

2.Your pink hammer

The powder hammer is your weapon for pressing powder, whether it is a fixed pressure powder hammer or a traditional powder hammer. However, the powder hammer is not something that can be used just by hand, even the powder hammer that is compatible with the coffee machine manufacturer. You can take a look at the picture below

Indentation is a problem if you use too much powder, but more importantly, the powder hammer and the powder bowl do not match - you will know it when you see a layer of coffee powder on the outer ring. Although the diameter of most powder bowls on the market is 58mm, if there is a slight error in the powder bowl, or if you do not purchase a powder hammer that is most suitable for the diameter of the powder bowl, some of the coffee powder will not be compacted, making it easy to extract. Too good.

3. Pressure

The pressure 9bar displayed on most coffee machines is actually the boiler pressure, not the pressure acting on the powder during extraction (some high-end coffee machines have this function). Also due to process problems, some coffee machines will "spray water" at the beginning. ” (too much pressure), and then the water flow suddenly becomes weak after a few seconds. Such a coffee machine will of course hinder our normal extraction. If when you make espresso, the coffee flow rate is normal at first, but then the coffee suddenly turns white or the liquid column is unstable. If you rule out the problem with the technique, there may be a problem with the water pressure output of your coffee machine.

Hand brew extraction

The editor believes that uniform and complete extraction is the most important in hand brewing. This is the "framework" obtained from making espresso. By understanding this "framework", we can better understand what factors are hindering us. Extracted by hand.

1. Is the coffee ground well?

Although we have a reference (fine sugar) and data (calibration sifter), the editor thinks the most important thing about the quality of a grinder is the uniformity and fineness of the coffee powder it grinds. Because many friends (including the editor) use domestic ghost tooth grinders, and again due to process problems (it seems that our technology is really not very good), the grinding degree provided by the coffee bean store is not good for our machine, even if it is based on the Even if you use a home-made grinder to prepare it, problems such as the flow rate being too fast/too slow and the fine powder clogging up the water may still occur. If the flow rate is too slow, although we can improve it by adjusting the coarse grinding size, the fine powder has not been reduced and the uniformity gap has become wider, which will also cause the extraction state of the coffee powder to be more inconsistent during extraction. The coffee will definitely not taste good either.

2.Filter paper

The material of the filter paper is one issue, and another issue is whether it should be washed. In the past, raw wood pulp filter paper had a woody smell, and then white filter paper would be added with whitening agents or even fluorescent agents to make the product more beautiful, so washing the filter paper became a convention (the editor is from Cantonese, and there is a ritual of washing everything. feel). But does the current pure white filter paper still need to be washed? My personal opinion is that if you want to wash it, just wet it slightly instead of using a lot of water to rinse. The reason is that the filter paper is made of wood fiber, and excessive washing will change the permeability of the filter paper. This has also been mentioned in previous articles. Also, if the filter paper absorbs water, when the coffee powder is put in, it will immediately absorb the water in contact with the filter paper, that is, the extraction will begin, which will cause the coffee powder to be extracted unevenly. So if you are worried that the filter paper is "dirty", instead of washing it, you might as well just change it to a different brand!

3. Time/powder to water ratio

Of course, time and powder-to-water ratio are very important in hand-brewed coffee. Because of their importance, the editor found that many friends will pay too much attention to the changes in numbers and ignore the extraction itself. These data hinder our extraction. When you make hand-brewed coffee, are you more focused on the state of the water scouring the coffee powder bed, or are you paying attention to the changes in time and weighing? Time and water supply certainly require a process of practice and familiarity for novices, but the editor believes that if you always think about "how much water should be at this time", it will be too entangled, and may also affect the stability of your water flow. For example, you have just poured water around the outer ring, and suddenly find that it has almost reached the rated ratio and you need to return to the center to do the final water filling action. All of a sudden, you ‘rush’ from the outer ring into the center. This operation will lead to uneven extraction.

Finally, let’s talk about the factor that will hinder our extraction whether we are doing Italian style or manual brewing – mentality, or thinking. People often assume that something "is just that" and then act accordingly. For example, if the espresso is bitter, you need to adjust the grinding degree a little coarser; if the hand brew is sour, you need to lower the water temperature a little. This is of course true, but we must know that extraction is a process in which "one move affects the whole body". One quantity will lead to changes in other quantities. That is to say, if you only adjust one data and fix other data, obviously It's just impossible. When extracting coffee, especially when brewing by hand, it is recommended to pay attention to the coffee itself, in order to be able to adjust at any time and extract the coffee better, not just to get the coffee with the correct number.

Pay attention to the coffee itself, look at the characteristics of various variables in extraction with an open mind, and make dynamic adjustments. All changes are to keep the high-quality product unchanged, so any factors that hinder extraction will become the ladder of our progress~

Reference: kafeigongfang, makecoffee.cn