Over-extraction

Over-extraction happens when water pulls out too much material from the ground coffee during the brewing process. You can think of it exactly like leaving a tea bag steeped in your mug for way too long. The resulting cup loses its natural sweetness and fruit flavors, replacing them with a dry, hollow sensation that coats the tongue. This typically occurs when the brewing water is too hot, the coffee is ground too fine, or the water stays in contact with the coffee for too much time. Baristas constantly tweak their grinders throughout the shift to keep the water flowing at the right speed and prevent this from happening.