Coffee Calculators
Espresso Extraction Yield Calculator
https://www.coffeesizing.com/calculators/espresso-extraction-yield/
Estimate only — not a cupping score, a water lab or a roast profile. Confirm on a test brew.
Espresso Extraction Yield Calculator
Extraction yield is the share of the dry dose that made it into the cup. Measure TDS, weigh dose and yield, and the SCA-style window is usually 18–22%. Under that often tastes sour and thin; over it can go dry and bitter. The refractometer reads strength; this page turns it into extraction.
Inputs
Results
- Extraction yield
- 20.00%
- Brew ratio
- 2.00
Yield divided by dose. 2.00 is a classic 1:2.
The Result is indicative and educational. It does not constitute a design, a technical opinion or medical advice and does not replace calculations or verification by a person with the appropriate qualifications and authorisations. Before purchase, installation or use in practice – in particular in electrical installations – the Result should be verified by a qualified specialist. Details: Terms of Service, point 4.
Example products
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Coffee refractometer
EY without TDS is folklore. A coffee-specific meter, distilled water and a clean well beat a $15 aquarium pen.
Typical range: $80–$400
Espresso machine
Repeatable temperature and pressure so yesterday’s 19.4% can happen again.
Typical range: $400–$2,500
0.1 g coffee scale
A 1 g dose error moves EY by about a full point at these masses; a 1 g yield error by about half a point. Weigh both.
Typical range: $20–$80
Calculation method
Extraction yield percent is TDS percent times beverage mass divided by dose. 10% TDS on 36 g from 18 g is 20% EY. Brew ratio is yield over dose (2.00 at those numbers). Filter coffee uses the same identity with a much lower TDS and a longer ratio.
Sampling
Stir, spoon off foam, cool toward the meter’s spec. Measuring a 70 °C crema cloud is how you invent 12% TDS.
Water TDS
Brew water brings its own minerals: 150 ppm is only 0.015% TDS. That is noise on a 10% espresso and about 1% of a 1.4% filter reading. Zero with distilled water, or with your brew water if the meter’s manual allows it, and do it the same way every time.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the formula say TDS not TDS% / 100?
If TDS and EY are both percents, EY% = TDS% × (yield / dose). 10 × 36 / 18 = 20. Do not divide by 100 unless TDS is a fraction (0.10).
Can I use this for V60?
Yes. Beverage in the server is yield. If you bypassed, take TDS and beverage mass at the same point, both before or both after the bypass: the dissolved coffee does not change, so EY comes out the same. A post-bypass TDS with the pre-bypass mass understates EY.
My EY is 24%. Success?
Often it tastes hollow or bitter. Some dark roasts get there easily; most light espresso does not want it. Taste first.
More in this topic
All tools in this topicGrind size & dialing in
Espresso Dial-In Calculator
From dose, yield, time and a sour–bitter taste call, get a suggested yield, grind direction and a time hint. Taste first; the numbers follow.
Grind size & dialing in
Grind Size Converter
Convert grinder clicks between machines into estimated microns and whether that setting looks like espresso or filter. A map, not a laser diffraction lab.
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Grinder Burr Lifespan Calculator
Estimate remaining burr life in kilograms and days from daily dose, rated life and kilograms already ground. A planning number, not a steel autopsy.
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TDS Target Calculator
Work backwards from dose, beverage yield and a target extraction yield to the TDS your refractometer should read. Strength is not extraction.