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Is the extracted flavor of hand-brewed coffee metaphysics? Hand-brewed single-item boutique coffee grinding ratio, water temperature time, which parameter is the most important?

Published: 2026-04-01 Author:

Last Updated: 2026/04/01, I believe it will not be difficult for you to find that friends often compare coffee extraction to "metaphysics." The so-called metaphysics refers to something that cannot be explained by science. The reason why coffee extraction is often compared to metaphysics is that Qianjie interviewed some guests and friends, and they said that it is because "every time the coffee is washed out

I believe it will not be difficult for you to find that friends often compare coffee extraction to "metaphysics." The so-called metaphysics refers to something that cannot be explained by science. The reason why coffee extraction is often compared to metaphysics is that Qianjie interviewed some guests and friends. They said that it is because "the coffee that is washed out tastes different every time" or because "once a very delicious coffee was washed out, but it has never been washed out again." They believe that since making good coffee depends entirely on luck, the extraction of coffee is metaphysics. So is this really the case?

Is coffee extraction metaphysics? Of course not. Coffee extraction is not metaphysics, but a quantifiable and reproducible scientific process. What is coffee extraction? It refers to the process of dissolving the flavor substances in coffee powder through water as a solvent. In this process, there are many factors that can affect the taste of the coffee we will eventually get. For example, the grinding degree of the coffee powder, the temperature of the water used for extraction, the contact time between the water and the powder, the amount of water used to brew the coffee...

The reason why they can affect the taste of coffee is because these factors can determine the substances dissolved, as well as the speed at which the substances are dissolved, which is the extraction efficiency. The higher the extraction efficiency, the faster the matter will be dissolved, or the amount of matter will be more dissolved at the same time, and vice versa. The reason why many friends make coffee tastes different every time is that these parameters used when extracting coffee are not controlled well, resulting in different coffee soluble substances or their amounts in the cup. Sometimes it is more, sometimes it is less, and it is changeable, so the taste will naturally differ.

To give a very simple example: When Qianjie brewed the beans of Qianjie Essi Huakui in the bean list, the parameters used were: 15g of powder, powder and water ratio of 1:15, grinding with fine sugar (75%~80% sieving rate of No. 20 sieve), extraction time of 2 minutes, and three-stage brewing. The extraction rate of the flower essence brewed in this way is 20%. It tastes sweet and sour, with obvious citrus, strawberry, cream, and flower flavors. It has a clean and full taste and a long aftertaste. It is very good.

If we use the same parameters and methods to brew the same beans, the taste and extraction rate of the coffee we end up with will not change much. Because the parameters you use are the same, the extraction efficiency is roughly the same, and the amount of dissolved matter is similar, it is naturally unlikely that the coffee will change much. But if you don't have time, temperature, or measurement, and make this Huakui coffee based on your feelings, then the taste of the coffee you end up getting will change due to too many variables. After all, the parameters and extraction efficiency you use to make coffee are different from cup to cup, and the dissolved substances and their amounts will naturally differ greatly. Because of this, it leads to the situation that every cup of coffee is different.

Therefore, if you want to make a cup of delicious coffee stably, or want to make a cup of delicious coffee, then Qianjie will recommend you to record the parameters you use to brew. This will not only make it easier to reproduce the same delicious coffee next time, but also help you correct problems in extraction (for example, you will know how to improve the extraction next time when there is insufficient extraction).

In addition, some friends will think that changing the taste and flavor of coffee by changing parameters is a "metaphysical operation." In fact, this is also scientifically based. Sour, sweet, bitter and salty are the four flavors commonly found in coffee. Their dissolution rates will vary depending on the size of the molecules. Sour substances dissolve fastest, sweet substances are second, and bitter substances dissolve slowest.

Because there are checks and balances between tastes, if we want to make a cup of coffee with a sweet and sour taste mainly, we can choose to dissolve more sour and sweet substances in the coffee, and dissolve more bitter substances; If you want a cup of coffee with a balanced taste, then more bitter substances can be extracted, so that its taste can balance the sour and sweet flavors. To achieve these goals, we need to control the parameters used in the extraction process, namely, the grinding, water temperature, water volume, and time mentioned in the previous street. The dissolved substances are controlled by controlling parameters, thereby adjusting the taste of coffee. Taking time as an example, if other parameters remain unchanged, the flavor of Huakui coffee with an extraction time of 2 minutes and 30 seconds will be stronger than that of Huakui coffee with an extraction time of 2 minutes, and will be more balanced, less sour, and less bitter. This is because the time difference between them is 30 seconds. The extra 30 seconds of extraction time will dissolve more substances, especially bitter substances (the detailed reasons can be understood in previous tweets on Qianjie, and I won't go into it here).

Because there are checks and balances between flavors, the increase in bitterness will balance the acidity and sweetness of the coffee, so the taste of Huakui coffee will be more balanced when drinking, and no taste is too prominent. On the contrary, since Huakui coffee extracted in 2 minutes does not contain too many bitter substances, its acid and sweetness will be more prominent. The same goes for aroma! The dissolution rate of aroma substances in coffee varies, so we can also control the final amount of it retained in the cup by adjusting the extraction parameters.

So, the above is all the content shared on Qianjie this time. In addition to the extraction of coffee, some friends also think that the flavor of coffee is a metaphysics. For example, many times you only drink sour and bitter in one cup of coffee, but merchants can describe dozens of flavors and describe their various characteristics in detail. Such a big difference cannot help but cause people to have a misunderstanding of "flavor metaphysics." But this is actually not metaphysics. Qian Jie has shared it in past tweets, and interested friends can find out through search ~

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FrontStreet Coffee is a long-established specialty coffee roaster in Guangzhou China, selling freshly roasted beans from its own farm in Yunnan as well as dozens of carefully selected single-origin beans from around the world for both pour-over and espresso. The products deliver consistently excellent quality and great value, with shipping within 24 hours. Guangzhou’s FrontStreet Coffee shop is recommended by many coffee lovers, and the beans are now available online at the Tmall 。