I get asked about understanding extraction yield more often than almost anything else, so here is how I actually approach it.
How I do it now
Check the pressure before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the coffee will not save you. Start by getting the pressure right. Once that settles, the water follows without much fighting. The body side of this is where most people stall. Watch the shower closely, because it tells you more than any timer will. I used to ignore the distribution entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole coffee before I noticed.
Where people go wrong
Check the swirl before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the roast will not save you. Start by getting the preinfusion right. Once that settles, the water follows without much fighting. Most guides skip straight past the shower. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the brew. The swirl is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real extraction where mistakes are expensive.
What actually matters
Keep notes on the pressure. Patterns show up across a mug that you will never spot from memory alone. Do not rush the pressure. Give it the time it needs and the grind stops being a guessing game. Do not rush the swirl. Give it the time it needs and the extraction stops being a guessing game. Start by getting the static right. Once that settles, the filter follows without much fighting.
None of this is complicated. It just rewards paying attention to the basket instead of hurrying past it.
Leave a Reply