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What Factors Affect Coffee Extraction? An Analysis of Contact Time's Impact on Coffee Extraction

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee
Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional coffee knowledge exchange For more coffee bean information please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account cafe_style ) FrontStreet Coffee - sharing the impact of extraction time on coffee extraction Many factors affect coffee extraction, and after baristas master these influencing factors, they also need to control them reasonably to obtain a perfect coffee and create their desired

Professional Coffee Knowledge Exchange - For more coffee bean information, please follow Cafe Style (WeChat official account: cafe_style)

FrontStreet Coffee - The Impact of Extraction Time on Coffee Extraction

Many factors affect coffee extraction. After baristas master these factors influencing coffee, they need to properly control them to achieve a perfect cup of coffee and create the desired flavor profile.

In any brewing method, extraction time and extraction area are two variables that are closely related and inseparable. You cannot change one variable without affecting the other.

Extraction Time (Time)

If you increase the contact time between water and coffee grounds, more flavor compounds will be extracted. If water and coffee remain in contact long enough, extraction will continue until nothing more can be dissolved. What we need to do is find the point where extraction reaches optimal flavor value.

Regarding the variable of extraction time, there are actually two different aspects that need to be considered separately. The first point is what water can extract and when extraction begins - this basically depends on the contact time between water and coffee grounds. The second point is whether water can successfully extract flavor compounds from the coffee grounds - this is related to both extraction time and extraction area.

What Can Water Extract & When Does Extraction Begin

The soluble components contained in coffee each have different solubility characteristics. Salts, sugars, acids, phenols, fats, and lipids all take different amounts of time to dissolve in water. Some begin dissolving the moment water contacts the coffee grounds, while others may require slightly more time. When brewing coffee, we need to consider these factors because changing the contact time between water and coffee affects the amount of soluble substances that are dissolved.

The easiest and first parts of coffee to be dissolved are fruit acids and organic salts (which bring light, bright fruit-like flavors); followed by light aromatic substances produced by Maillard reactions and caramelization reactions (bringing flavors such as nuts, caramel, vanilla, chocolate, and butter); finally, heavy organic compounds (bringing woody, ashy, malt, tobacco, and other flavors).

The most common mistake people make is over-short extraction, which often sacrifices sweetness.

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