Over-Extraction: Learn From Bad Coffee

In this episode, I dive deep into one of the most misunderstood aspects of coffee brewing: bitterness and over-extraction. I deliberately over-extracted a cup of dark roast coffee to explore why we dislike bitterness, where that aversion comes from, and what we can learn from these brewing mistakes. I walk through my thought process as I taste the bitter coffee, analyzing the harshness, heaviness, and cloudiness that over-extraction brings to the cup. Then, I demonstrate a simple fix by adding water to see how dilution affects the flavor profile.

Throughout this episode, you'll learn how to identify over-extraction in your coffee, understand the specific characteristics that make bitterness unpleasant, and discover practical techniques for mitigating bitterness in future brews. I emphasize that imperfect cups aren't failures—they're learning opportunities that help us calibrate our brewing methods and understand what each coffee is truly capable of. By the end of this episode, you'll have a better framework for troubleshooting bitter coffee and making intentional adjustments to your grind size, brewing technique, and coffee-to-water ratio.

Chapters

• 0:00 Intro
• 0:50 The Deliberate Experiment
• 1:42 What Bitterness Tells Us
• 2:32 The Simple Fix
• 4:00 Learning Through Tasting
• 5:25 Why Bitterness Matters
• 6:54 The Sensory Experience
• 8:29 Calibration and Mindfulness