5.

1 Adding Water to Coffee

Adding Water to Coffee

What really happens during the transformation of beans into beverage?

What happens as the water passes through the brew bed?

Inside each coffee bean there are many different flavor and aromatic
compounds. These are drawn out of the bean at different times in the
brewing process; some compounds have flavors that are pleasing, and
others have flavors that are not. When you brew, the water pulls out
these many different compounds from the ground coffee, creating the
alluring aroma, taste, mouthfeel and color of the finished coffee or
espresso. This process is called extraction, and it’s at the heart of the
:
 story of excellently brewed coffee.

Extraction: The Great Controller of Flavor

Coffee is a chemically complex drink that contains around 900

chemicals extracted during the brewing process. Technically, it’s
possible to dissolve about 30% of the roasted coffee bean into the
brewed coffee. As you have experienced, not all the compounds that
can be extracted should be.

Consider brewing with a coffee press. If you rush the brewing and let
the coffee extract for only two minutes, the coffee will be under-
extracted and taste vegetal and sour. If you forget the coffee press and
it brews for 10 minutes, the coffee will be over-extracted and taste
bitter and astringent. To prepare a press perfectly, you would follow the
brewing recipe and let the coffee steep for four minutes, resulting in a
balanced and flavorful cup. Each of these three brewed coffee
examples taste different; each has had a different amount of flavor and
aromatic compounds pulled out of the grounds and into the brew. In
other words, each brew has a different amount of extraction.

As a barista, when you brew it is your job to stop the extraction process
at the point that achieves a delicious balance of flavors. Between the
two extremes of over- and under-extraction is the right amount of
dissolved compounds that will result in a great-tasting cup of coffee. A
team of Starbucks experts makes sure that the coffee crafted by the
baristas in our stores consistently hits this target.
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