What is the High Concentration Low Extraction Method for Pour-Over Coffee? Is High Concentration Low Extraction Rate Black Coffee Delicious?

"High concentration, low extraction" represents a direction in coffee brewing, referring to brewing methods designed to achieve coffee with "high concentration and low extraction rate." This brewing concept is being adopted by more and more people. Perhaps you're not familiar with this term, but you've likely already used this approach to make coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee will first explain the definition of "high concentration, low extraction." There isn't actually a specific data range to define what constitutes high concentration and low extraction. It's merely a concept used to distinguish from the current Golden Cup extraction philosophy.

Let's take a theoretical example. In the Golden Cup system, we would tend to choose coffee-to-water ratios with the highest probability of hitting the Golden Cup zone, such as 1:16.7. This way, when the extraction rate is 18%, the concentration becomes 1.16%; when the extraction rate is 22%, the concentration becomes 1.42%.

However, if using the "high concentration, low extraction" approach, the goal is to achieve higher coffee concentration with a reasonably low extraction rate, for example, coffee with an 18% extraction rate and 1.42% concentration. (These data are theoretically set examples to help everyone understand.)

This philosophy first gained popularity in competition brewing with designated beans. Due to insufficient time to understand the designated beans, it's difficult to customize the perfect extraction plan for these specific beans. Therefore, adopting brewing methods with high fault tolerance is the safest approach. For instance, using "large coffee-to-water ratio to extract high concentration, low extraction coffee + Bypass to adjust concentration" is the most common method.

Why Does High Concentration, Low Extraction Have High Fault Tolerance?

In coffee brewing, what we fear most are two situations: first, failing to extract the coffee's flavor, and second, extracting unpleasant flavors. High extraction rates can exchange for more complex and rich flavors, but simultaneously increase the probability of unpleasant flavors appearing—it's a high-risk, high-reward approach. Conversely, controlling for a relatively low extraction rate reduces the likelihood of unpleasant flavors like bitterness and harshness.

High concentration, on the other hand, provides greater adjustment flexibility. If coffee is too weak, it's difficult to adjust; but if coffee is too strong, it can be adjusted through Bypass (diluting with water). Through this extraction philosophy, you can create a cup of coffee that won't taste bad, putting yourself in an unbeatable position.

Highlighting Early and Middle Flavor Notes

Beyond fault tolerance, "high concentration, low extraction" also serves to highlight early and middle flavor notes. Whether by increasing coffee amount or reducing water amount, the essence is to raise the coffee-to-water ratio. This result increases the proportion of early and middle flavor notes, thereby emphasizing these flavors.

Specific Implementation Methods

How is high concentration, low extraction specifically implemented? The primary method is adjusting the coffee-to-water ratio, divided into active and passive approaches.

Active Adjustment

Active adjustment involves directly modifying the brewing recipe. For example, if a normal brewing ratio is 1:15-1:16, the high concentration, low extraction version would be adjusted to 1:13. This method is commonly applied to dark roast coffees. Using 1:13 is equivalent to a 1:15 version with the tail end removed, because dark roast coffee has a more porous structure, making coffee substances easier to extract. Reducing water volume helps avoid the slightly watery, bitter taste in the later stages, making the coffee richer with better texture. However, this brewing method also has its drawback—the coffee's aftertaste will be slightly shorter.

Passive Adjustment

Passive adjustment involves interception, where you still use a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio for pouring, but you don't intend to let all the coffee liquid drip through. Instead, you remove the filter cup while still retaining 1-2 times the coffee amount of water in the filter. The actual coffee-to-water ratio then becomes 1:13-1:14. This also belongs to the "high concentration, low extraction" category.

This method often appears in rescue brewing situations. For example, during the brewing process, you discover that the coffee bed is clogged. If you wait for all the coffee liquid to drip through, this cup of coffee will likely be harsh and bitter, while interception offers a glimmer of hope. The resulting coffee liquid actually exhibits "high concentration, low extraction" characteristics (low extraction doesn't mean under-extraction).

Another situation is choosing this approach to compensate for equipment limitations. For instance, if your grinder doesn't perform well and has significant particle size variation, then "high concentration, low extraction" is an excellent approach with high fault tolerance.

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