Sia Enko

Sia Enko
posted in mentor circle: Charlotte City Circle

Jan 17, 2026 at 16:07

Hi everyone, I’ve been trying to improve the way I brew coffee at work and realised I don’t fully understand what affects the final taste. Sometimes the coffee comes out quite bitter, and other times it feels sour or thin, even though I’m using the same beans. I usually adjust things randomly, like changing the grind or leaving it to brew longer, but the results are inconsistent. I’ve heard people talk about extraction, but I never really looked into what that actually means in practice. Since we use different brewing methods in the office, from espresso-style machines to filter coffee, it gets even more confusing. I’d like to understand what’s really happening during brewing rather than guessing every time. If anyone has a clear way of explaining this, it would really help.

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  • Olga Summas

    Olga Summas

    Jan 20, 2026 at 14:34

    This topic comes up often among people who want more consistency from their coffee. Brewing can seem unpredictable until the basic principles behind extraction become clearer. Once those fundamentals are understood, changes in taste feel more logical and easier to control. It also explains why different brewing methods exist and why they require different settings. Learning how flavour develops during brewing can make everyday coffee more enjoyable. Even small adjustments can have noticeable effects when the process is understood properly.
  • Madina Tarin

    Madina Tarin

    Jan 20, 2026 at 12:32

    From what I’ve learned, the key idea behind brewing is understanding how coffee extraction actually works during the process. It refers to the moment when hot water dissolves soluble compounds from the ground coffee, which then define bitterness, acidity, body, and overall balance. If the water moves through the coffee too quickly, not enough compounds are extracted and the drink can taste sour or weak. When the contact time is too long, heavier compounds dominate and bitterness becomes more noticeable. Grind size plays a major role here, since finer grinds speed up extraction while coarser ones slow it down. Water temperature and brew time also affect how efficiently flavours are pulled out. Once these variables are adjusted with intention, the results usually become much more consistent across different brewing methods.

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