For those who enjoy espresso, the purpose of dialing in parameters after turning on the machine is often not for the espresso itself, but to see whether the specialty drinks made with it as a base actually taste good—for example, whether an Americano is aromatic enough after adding water, whether it turns bitter, whether a latte with milk is strong enough, whether it's rich and full-bodied, and so on. So the espresso's compatibility must be high.

As people try more and more, they gradually pick up on some patterns and can roughly find parameter combinations that match the coffee. But at the same time, some taste-focused folks have spawned many extraction-related questions. Among them, the one Front Street Coffee gets asked the most is this: for making Americanos and lattes, is it really necessary to use different parameters for extraction?

Why adjust espresso extraction parameters?

Just like with pour-over, which Front Street Coffee often talks about, under the espresso machine's extraction mode, the release of soluble flavor compounds also follows a certain order.

Once the coffee puck is fully saturated with hot water, it immediately enters the formal extraction stage. The caffeine, organic acids, lipids, melanoidins, and carbohydrates in the coffee are all released with the hot water at this moment, and their corresponding taste characteristics are what we commonly call aroma, acidity, sweetness, and bitterness (astringency).

As the espresso drips from the portafilter, you'll notice the coffee liquid constantly changing. The further along it goes, the darker the color, meaning the liquid contains more substances, and the taste is not only intense but also sharp. Further along, the color becomes lighter, and the flavor compounds decrease accordingly. When the espresso starts to turn pale, it means the good stuff is about to finish extracting, which also reminds us that we need to end the extraction.

Therefore, to give the final coffee a positive taste performance, we need to judge the extraction progress visually and also grasp the corresponding parameters based on the actual situation.

How to determine espresso extraction parameters?

Although there are many factors affecting espresso extraction, in practice, the ones we can adjust are really just water temperature, pressure, grind size, dose, and yield. The first two are generally fixed and rarely changed, so the focus of extraction is usually on the three parameters of grind size, dose, and yield. The combination of dose and yield is what baristas call the brew ratio.

Whether you're a beginner just starting out or a home enthusiast who occasionally makes a cup, rather than spending bags of coffee beans and lots of time trying things one by one, directly applying a conservative extraction formula is undoubtedly the optimal solution. It's known that the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) recommends an espresso brew ratio between 1:1.5 and 1:2.5, but since the range is quite wide and for better understanding, professionals including Front Street Coffee will in most cases suggest first applying the extraction formula of "brew ratio 1:2, time 25-30 seconds," and then fine-tuning on that basis.

Take Front Street Coffee's Warm Sun espresso blend, a standard offering in stores, as an example. When extracting the first shot, 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 clearly off—such as no crema at all, a pale color, sour and astringent taste, coffee liquid that won't flow out, severe splattering, etc.—after ruling out reasons related to the coffee beans themselves, the problem is most likely due to an incorrect grind size setting, which needs to be adjusted first. For specific improvement directions, you can refer to the previously shared educationalarticle.

If the actual extraction time falls within 25-30 seconds, or differs by only 1-3 seconds, and the espresso has a moderate layer of crema, we can directly taste it to judge its extraction state. When the espresso tastes of vanilla, cream, and berries without any bitterness or astringency, it indicates the coffee has been properly extracted, meaning the grind size is generally fine, and it also means we can move to the next stage: testing specialty drinks.

Next, we use the espresso tested with the "universal formula" to make an Americano or latte. If there are no major flavor defects in the taste, andboth show good strength, then we can simply settle on that as the espresso extraction parameter for the day, with no further adjustments needed.

Under what circumstances should Americanos and lattesuse different extraction parameters?

As Front Street Coffee mentioned at the beginning, since the difference between an Americano and a latte is that one adds water and the other adds milk, the tastes they pursue are actually different. So to highlight the essence of each, you need to find a more "tailored" extraction plan.

As a coffee that is diluted with water after extraction, whether it's a hot or iced Americano, its flavor core still lies in those few dozen milliliters of espresso. And a good Americano, in Front Street Coffee's view, should first of all carry a full coffee aroma, a smooth and balanced taste, and after drinking, not only have a lingering finish but also no defects like bitterness, sharp acidity, or astringency. In other words, as long as the coffee isn't over-extracted, the more flavor compounds the espresso contains, the richer the taste of the Americano will be.

Take Front Street Coffee's Classic Espresso Blend, known for its rich crema, as an example. When the espresso made with the 1:2 brew ratio formula shows base flavors of dark chocolate, cream, and roasted hazelnut, after adding 5 times the hot water, it becomes somewhat thin, especially lacking in finish.

To give it a better taste, Front Street Coffee will increase the extraction yield by adjusting the brew ratio to 1:2.2, i.e., extracting 44g of liquid from 20g of coffee grounds (extending the time by 1-2 seconds). The espresso made this way, after being diluted into an Americano, retains its original pleasant character while also maintaining balance and richness, as well as a clean, sweet aftertaste and other good qualities.

Having covered Americanos, let's move on to milk coffee. I believe many people think a good latte should demonstrate a full coffee taste, highlight lactose sweetness, and have no bitter burden. For more details on making it, you can refer to thearticle.

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

Take Front Street Coffee's Strawberry Candy espresso blend as an example. Since it needs toemphasize floral and fruity notes,it uses a medium roast level. If you directly apply the "universal formula" to extract the espresso and then use it as a latte base, after adding fresh milk, the positive flavor compounds originally expressed in the espresso will most likely be masked, and it will taste like a very bland "coffee-flavored milk."

To preserve the latte's characteristic of a "large cup size" while giving the coffee more delicate aromas,in this casewe can increase the overall strength by only reducing the yield, thereby highlighting the coffee flavor and milk sweetness,adjusting the brew ratio to 1:1.5 for extraction, i.e., getting 30g of coffee liquid from 20g of coffee grounds (time falling around 25-28 seconds). The Strawberry Candy latte made this way greets you with berry, candied fruit, and nutty aromas on the first sip, and with the help of the crema, there's also a hint of caramelbiscuit notes, with a very full-bodied taste.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.