Extraction
MDPublished
Extraction is the central diagnostic idea: taste tells you whether to extract more, extract less, or improve evenness.
What extraction means
Extraction is the movement of soluble coffee material from ground coffee into the beverage. Under-extracted shots tend to taste sharp, thin, or salty; over-extracted shots can taste dry, hollow, or bitter.
Diagnose by tasting
Taste is more useful than looking at crema. If the shot is sour and weak, increase extraction with a finer grind, longer yield, hotter water, or better puck preparation.
Workflow
Use Dose Yield And Time to keep strength and beverage size controlled while you adjust Grind Size. 1