Many friends always assume that black coffee naturally carries a burnt bitterness, and when they want to drink a cup that is rich, smooth, and full of aroma, they often do not know where to start. In fact, whether coffee tastes good or not depends largely on two key indicators: extraction yield and strength. As long as you understand the principles behind extraction, the coffee beans in your hands can reveal a clean, sweet character, completely saying goodbye to that mouth-puckering burnt astringency.

We can think of extraction as brewing a cup of lemon black tea. The depth of the tea color is like strength: use less water, and it tastes rich; use more water, and the flavor becomes light and clear. The time and force with which the lemon is steeped and stirred is like the extraction yield. If the white pith of the lemon peel is rubbed too much, it releases an unpleasant bitterness, and coffee works the same way.

If your usual brew tastes a bit weak, it is often because the grind is too coarse or the pour is too fast, so not enough soluble material is dissolved out. If it tastes too heavy or even bitter and astringent, it is usually because the grind is too fine or the water temperature is too high, causing the unpleasant notes in the final stage to be over-extracted. Just make the grind half a step coarser, or lower the water temperature by two degrees, and you can quickly smooth out that tongue-biting astringency.

Besides grind and water temperature, the coffee-to-water ratio is the most direct dial for adjusting coffee strength. If you want a rich, full-bodied cup with the weight of fruit juice, the coffee-to-water ratio can be slightly tighter. If you want something light and fragrant, as clear as an herbal tea, you can add a little more water. Through fine-tuning these parameters, the same bag of beans can find a pleasant balance between rich and refreshing.

At the bean-selection stage, you should also first be clear about whether you prefer to drink coffee strong or light. If you want a flavor experience that is not bitter and is rich and full-bodied, light-to-medium roasted specialty beans are a very ideal direction. For example, Qianjie Ethiopia Huakui has a very prominent tropical fruit aroma, with strawberry and passion fruit-like sweetness interwoven, extremely low bitterness, and a smooth, juicy entry that many friends even describe as as easy to drink as fruit juice.

If you like a refreshing citrus profile, Qianjie Yirgacheffe Gudingding is a popular choice for many enthusiasts starting out with specialty coffee. It has distinct citrus, berry, and floral notes, accompanied by a green tea-like sweet aftertaste. Its fruit acidity is very soft and bright, like the natural sweet-and-sour of fresh fruit. Brew it slightly lower in strength, and it drinks like a soothing cup of citrus black tea, fresh and brisk.

If you want to experience a more elegant and delicate layering, Qianjie Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Red Label Geisha is a classic not to be missed. It has an elegant jasmine floral aroma, accompanied by bergamot and black tea notes, with a clean, transparent mouthfeel and a long, lingering sweet finish. This bean is especially suited to a slightly lighter extraction, allowing its rich aromatic substances to fully unfold and bloom layer by layer in the mouth, with an extremely long finish.

Using pour-over to bring out the flavor of these floral and fruity beans is actually very easy. Take 15g of grounds, with a recommended grind of medium-fine, set the water temperature at 91°C, and prepare 225ml of water at a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio. First pour 30ml of water and bloom for 30 seconds, then pour in stages up to the full amount, keeping the total time at around 2 minutes. The cup brewed this way is full of aroma with balanced sweetness and acidity.

If you want to do pour-over to taste the layers and also occasionally want to make espresso, you can also consider medium-roasted Qianjie Strawberry Candy. It combines sweetness with moderate body; in pour-over the fruity aroma is clear, and as a milk coffee or Americano it also shows a soft sweetness. Perceive the changes in extraction with care, and choose good parameters according to the characteristics of the beans, and anyone can serve a cup of good coffee at home that is not bitter, rich, and full of flavor.