What's the Ideal Extraction Strength for Americano? Basic Knowledge Sharing on Espresso Extraction Tutorial

Understanding Espresso Extraction Parameters for Different Coffee Drinks

For friends who enjoy espresso-based coffee, the purpose of adjusting parameters after startup is often not for the espresso itself, but rather to see how the mixed coffee drinks prepared with it as a base taste. For instance, whether the Americano made by adding water is aromatic enough or becomes bitter, whether the latte paired with milk is rich enough and has sufficient body, and so on. Therefore, the compatibility of the espresso must be high.

As everyone tries more times, they gradually figure out some patterns and can roughly find parameter combinations that match the coffee. However, at the same time, some friends pursuing better texture have also derived many extraction-related questions. Among these, the one FrontStreet Coffee gets asked most frequently is: When making Americanos and lattes, is it really necessary to use different extraction parameters?

Why Adjust Espresso Extraction Parameters?

Just as FrontStreet Coffee often explains about pour-over coffee, under the extraction mode of espresso machines, the release of soluble flavor compounds also follows a certain sequence.

After the coffee puck is completely saturated by hot water, it immediately enters the formal extraction stage. Caffeine, organic acids, lipids, melanoidins, and carbohydrates from the coffee will all be released with the hot water at this moment. Their corresponding taste characteristics are what we commonly call aroma, acidity, sweetness, and bitterness (astringency).

When espresso flows from the portafilter, you'll notice the coffee liquid continuously changing. The darker the color at the beginning, the more substances contained in the liquid, and the taste is not only strong but also stimulating. As it progresses, the color becomes lighter, and flavor substances decrease accordingly. When the espresso starts to turn white, it means the good substances are about to be completely extracted, which reminds us that we need to end the extraction.

Therefore, to ensure the final coffee has positive flavor characteristics, we need to both visually judge the extraction process and grasp the corresponding parameters based on the actual situation.

How to Determine Espresso Extraction Parameters?

Although there are many factors that affect espresso extraction, in actual operation, we can really only adjust water temperature, pressure, grind size, dose amount, and liquid yield. The first two are generally fixed and rarely changed, so the extraction focus usually falls on these three parameters: grind size, dose amount, and liquid yield. The combination of dose and liquid yield is what baristas call the brew ratio.

Whether for beginners who are just starting out or home enthusiasts who occasionally make a cup, compared to spending large amounts of coffee beans and time trying one by one, directly applying a conservative extraction formula is undoubtedly the optimal solution. It is known that the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) recommends espresso brew ratios between 1:1.5 and 1:2.5. However, due to the large difference in values and for better understanding, industry professionals, including FrontStreet Coffee, in most cases will recommend first applying the extraction formula of "brew ratio 1:2, time 25-30 seconds," and then making fine adjustments based on this foundation.

Let's take FrontStreet Coffee's standard Warm Sun espresso as an example. When extracting the first espresso, we use 20g of coffee grounds to extract 40g of coffee liquid and observe whether the time falls within 25-30 seconds.

If the time is not within the recommended range and the extraction state is obviously problematic, such as completely lacking crema, pale color, sour and astringent taste, slow coffee flow, or severe splashing, after ruling out the coffee beans' own reasons, the problem is most likely that the grind size isn't correct and needs to be adjusted first. For specific improvement directions, you can refer to the popular science articles shared previously.

If the actual extraction time of the espresso falls within 25-30 seconds, or differs by only 1-3 seconds, and the coffee has a moderate crema layer, we can directly taste and judge its extraction state. When the espresso has vanilla, cream, and berry aromas without any bitterness or astringency, it represents that the coffee has been properly extracted, indicating that the grind size is not a major problem and means we can enter the next stage: testing with mixed coffee drinks.

Next, we use the espresso tested with the "universal formula" to make Americanos or lattes. If there are no major flavor defects in taste and both show good concentration, then we can actually unify this as the day's espresso extraction parameters without further adjustments.

Under What Circumstances Should Americanos and Lattes Use Different Extraction Parameters?

As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned at the beginning, since the difference between Americanos and lattes lies in adding water versus adding milk, the textures they pursue are actually not the same. To highlight the essence of each, we need to find extraction solutions that better "fit" each drink.

As a coffee that is extracted and then diluted with water, whether it's a hot or iced Americano, its flavor core still lies in those few tens of milliliters of espresso. What FrontStreet Coffee considers a good Americano should first have rich coffee aroma, smooth and balanced texture, and leave a pleasant aftertaste without bitterness, sharp acidity, or astringency. In other words, as long as we ensure the coffee is not over-extracted, the more flavor substances contained in the espresso, the richer the texture the Americano will have.

Take FrontStreet Coffee's Classic espresso blend, which features rich crema, as an example. When the espresso made using the 1:2 brew ratio formula shows basic flavors of dark chocolate, cream, and roasted hazelnuts, but becomes somewhat bland after adding 5 times the amount of hot water, especially lacking in aftertaste.

To give it better texture, FrontStreet Coffee will increase the extraction rate by adjusting the brew ratio to 1:2.2, meaning 20g of coffee grounds extracts 44g of liquid (time extended by 1-2 seconds). The espresso made this way, when diluted into an Americano, not only retains the original palatable characteristics but also maintains balance and body, as well as good tastes like cleanliness and sweet aftertaste.

Having discussed Americanos, let's continue with milk coffees. Many people believe that a delicious latte should be reflected in rich coffee texture, prominent lactose sweetness, and absence of bitterness. For more production details, you can refer to other articles.

Because a large amount of milk is added, as the base, the espresso here not only needs to provide good flavors but also successfully convert lactose into sweetness, thereby enhancing the richness of the entire coffee. Since milk itself has concentration (9-10%), if you use medium-roasted beans, you also need to ensure that the coffee's flavor is not masked after combining with milk.

Take FrontStreet Coffee's Strawberry Candy espresso blend as an example. To emphasize floral and fruity aromas, it uses a medium roast degree. If we directly apply the "universal formula" to extract espresso and then use it as a latte base, the positive flavor substances originally present in the espresso will likely be masked after adding fresh milk, making it taste like an extremely bland "coffee-flavored milk."

To retain the "large cup size" characteristic of lattes while allowing the coffee to have more light aromas, we can increase the overall concentration by reducing only the extraction amount, thereby highlighting both coffee flavors and milk sweetness. Adjust the brew ratio to 1:1.5 for extraction, meaning 20g of coffee grounds yields 30g of coffee liquid (time approximately 25-28 seconds). The Strawberry Candy latte made this way allows you to immediately feel berry, candied fruit, and nut aromas upon entry. With the enhancement of crema, there's also a hint of caramel biscuit charm, with a very full and satisfying texture.

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