「Sharing experience」How to adjust brewing parameters according to the flavor of hand-brewed coffee?

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When you make coffee at home, you may not know why it tastes bad or how to adjust it. So I suggest you remember your brewing parameters and the flavor you taste every time you brew, and then make adjustments.

Factors that influence coffee flavor

| Water temperature

When the water temperature is high, the extraction degree is high, and the brewed coffee has a thick and rich taste; when the water temperature is low, the extraction degree is low, and it tends to be refreshing and elegant. Temperature has a relatively large impact on the extraction rate of coffee. Bitterness, astringency, and burnt flavors are the flavors of the later stages. If the brewed coffee is bitter, burnt, and astringent, then you need to lower the extraction water temperature to adjust; on the contrary, if the brewed coffee feels bland and watery, it means that there are still a lot of flavors left in the coffee grounds, so you can consider increasing the temperature for extraction.

Tips:

Light baking: water temperature is 89-92 degrees;

Dark roast: water temperature is 84-88 degrees.

| Grinding degree

If the grind size is too fine, the extraction rate is high; if it is too coarse, the extraction rate is low.

The coarseness of the powder also affects the flow rate of coffee. If the powder is too fine, the water flow rate will slow down, and the powder in the filter cup will continue to be soaked and extracted, which may lead to over-extraction. If the powder is too coarse, the water flow rate will be fast, and the water will flow out before the coffee powder is fully extracted, which may lead to under-extraction.

Another situation is that the fine grinding is uneven or there is too much fine powder. If the grinding is uneven, it will easily cause uneven extraction. Although appropriate fine powder can improve the layering of the product, too much fine powder will become the source of off-flavors.

If there is a lot of fine powder, you can actually solve the problem by buying a powder sifter, but if the grinding is uneven, the editor still recommends that you buy a new one.

| Steaming technique

You never thought that just a steaming method would affect the flavor of a cup of coffee. Generally, the astringency is caused by too long extraction time, but steaming can still be the source of astringency, and this astringency can be felt from the entrance to the swallowing, making your flavor flaws explode. The astringency caused by steaming is mainly reflected in two aspects:

1. Uneven water supply.

When the water absorption of the powder layer is uneven, the exhaust will naturally be uneven as well. In this case, the extraction in the powder layer depends on luck. It is natural that some parts are over-extracted and some parts are under-extracted, which will lead to the production of astringency.

2. Watering too gently or “spreading water”.

When the water is applied gently, or the so-called water spreading technique is used, where water is gently placed on the surface of the coffee powder to allow the coffee powder to absorb the water thoroughly, there is actually no big problem. However, it should be noted that if the steaming time is too long, it may cause astringency. The reason is that when the water is applied gently/spread, the water is placed on the surface of the coffee powder and there is not enough force to push the water into the coffee powder. The coffee powder can only be slowly soaked by gravity and diffusion. Therefore, the contact time between the water and the coffee powder will be longer than that of forceful water application. If the steaming time is too long, it may lead to over-extraction and astringency.

Therefore, the editor recommends testing several times to determine the limit of the steaming time. If you do not exceed this time, it will basically not cause astringency. Also, add a little force when adding water, or control the water as you like. If the water adds some force, it will not stay in the powder layer for too long. Then, explore the limit of the steaming time, and you can achieve a balance between the softness of the water and the steaming time.

However, I recommend changing only one parameter at a time, because if you change too many parameters at once, it will be unclear what affects the extraction of the coffee. With more practice, you can brew good coffee!

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