Category Archives: Perception of Taste

Testing a Model of Extraction Dynamics

In a recent post, I presented a mathematical model for the dynamics of coffee extraction that is based on a few simple hypotheses. One of these is that the rate of extraction decreases exponentially. The rate at which it decreases can depend on many things: the type of coffee, the roast, the amount of agitationContinue reading “Testing a Model of Extraction Dynamics”

The Dynamics of Coffee Extraction

[Edit January 30, 2019: After receiving some feedback about this post, I would like to address a few things that I think were not clear enough. I’d like to thank Scott Rao for his comments. First, when I use language such as “over-extraction”, and “under-extraction”, I don’t mean that the associated extraction numbers are necessarilyContinue reading “The Dynamics of Coffee Extraction”

Statistics and Blind Tasting

A friend recently asked me a really interesting question about the statistical significance of blind tasting. He asked: “How many times should I successfully identify an intruder coffee by blind tasting among a set of three cups, in order for my experiment to be statistically significant ?“ As you might imagine, I really like thisContinue reading “Statistics and Blind Tasting”

Extracting Shells of Coffee

Recently, Barista Hustle posted a very interesting video on YouTube. I am embedding it to this blog post to make sure that you view it before reading more. I found this video rather illuminating, but at first the last minute or so was a bit confusing to me, so I decided it may be worthContinue reading “Extracting Shells of Coffee”

Water for Coffee Extraction

[Edit August 23, 2019: Please have a look at this new blog post if you are interested to craft your own brew water recipes ! ] Introduction In my first post, I mentioned how the water you use to extract coffee has a significant impact on the taste profile of your cup, in a way that doesContinue reading “Water for Coffee Extraction”

How to Brew Better Coffee with a V60

Table of Contents Introduction Percolation and Immersion Why use a V60 ? The Brew Variables Coffee to Water Ratio Coffee Beans Quality and Roast Profile Grind Size and Uniformity Coffee Freshness Filter quality Brew temperature Water Agitation Uniformity of Extraction and Repeatability Water quality Contact Time Determining Grind Size Practicing the Rao Spin How ToContinue reading “How to Brew Better Coffee with a V60”