Coffee Extraction Yield
Free Coffee Extraction Yield calculator with clear step-by-step results.
About Coffee Extraction Yield
Extraction yield is the share of the dry coffee that ended up dissolved in the cup. It is not something you can taste your way to precisely: you need the beverage mass and a refractometer reading of total dissolved solids, because yield = (beverage mass × TDS) ÷ dose. An 18 g espresso dose pulled to 36 g at 9.5% TDS gives 3.42 g of solids, which is a 19% yield — comfortably inside the 18-22% window that most tasters prefer.
Formulas
Dissolved solids
Solids (g) = beverage mass × TDS ÷ 100
Extraction yield
Yield % = dissolved solids ÷ dry dose × 100
Worked example
With the default values below, Coffee Extraction Yield returns Extraction Yield of 19.00%. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Dry coffee doseminimum 0.1 g
- 18 g
- Beverage mass in the cupminimum 0.1 g
- 36 g
- Measured TDSaccepts 0.1–30 %
- 9.5 %
Results
- Extraction Yield
- 19.00%
- Dissolved Coffee Solids
- 3.420 g
- Brew Ratio (beverage : dose)
- 2.00
- Assessment
- In the ideal 18-22% window
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2Dissolved solids
- 3Extraction yield
- 4Extraction Yield= 19.00
- 5Dissolved Coffee Solids= 3.420 g
- 6Brew Ratio (beverage : dose)= 2.00
- 7Assessment= In the ideal 18-22% window
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 3 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax or compounding frequency into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to 3 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
- Refractometer readings vary with sample temperature, filtering and calibration. Treat the yield as a repeatable measure of your own process rather than an absolute value comparable across instruments.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Refractometer readings vary with sample temperature, filtering and calibration. Treat the yield as a repeatable measure of your own process rather than an absolute value comparable across instruments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't I just use the brew ratio?
The ratio tells you how much liquid you pulled, not how much coffee dissolved into it. Two shots at the same 1:2 ratio can differ by several percentage points of yield depending on grind, temperature and distribution.
What is the ideal extraction yield?
18-22% is the widely used window, with espresso often landing 19-21% and filter 20-22%. Beyond about 22% the bitter and astringent compounds dominate; below 18% the cup reads sour and hollow.
Do I need a refractometer?
For a true yield, yes — TDS cannot be inferred from taste or from the ratio. Without one you can still use the brew ratio and taste as a coarse proxy, but the percentage will be a guess.