It's been suggested to me that in brewing one should achieve the highest possible extraction that doesn't taste dry with the coarsest possible grind.

This comes clearly as advice on brewing as well as proper grind size.

I think the theory is that fewer fines yield less total overextraction, so the modal size can be better extracted before the cup gets dry.
The cups are proving the concept with increased sweetness and better clarity.

What's the best way to achieve a coarse grind with minimum fines? Sieving? Ditting burrs?

Coarser grinds already tend to produce fewer fines.

endlesscycles wrote:It's been suggested to me that in brewing one should achieve the highest possible extraction that doesn't taste dry with the coarsest possible grind.

Taste "dry" ?

Perhaps dry as in astringent?

Are you incorporating stirring or other methods of agitation to increase extraction while using coarser grinds?

RapidCoffee wrote:Taste "dry" ?

"Dry" is one of the terms typically used to describe overextracted coffee. See this post on the tastes of unbalanced extractions by Matt Perger: Coffee Extraction and How to Taste It

Here is how Perger describes it:

Matt Perger wrote:Dryness in coffee is so incredibly bad because it's such a strong sensation, and it can last a long time. This sensation is called astringency and is the same as you get from unsweetened black tea, young red wine or white wines with extended barrel time.

That's what I suspected. Astringency is one of my least favorite characteristics in a cup. I realize that some beans just cup that way, meaning the astringency is part of the way the bean presents naturally, as it were. But otherwise I am very interested in understanding how to brew away from this characteristic.

"Dry" is one of the terms typically used to describe overextracted coffee. See this post on the tastes of unbalanced extractions by Matt Perger

Terrible nomenclature. As MP notes, the term "dry" is commonly used to describe wines - as the opposite of "sweet". This is quite different from astringency.

I'm not accomplished enough to know whether astringency is solely due to overextraction. I suspect it's also associated with the beans and the roast.

Some Kenyans, in particular, can have a generally excellent flavor profile, but then start to taste tannic/drying in the aftertaste. Whether I view this as a flaw or as part of their charm will vary depending on my mood.

I've been playing with Marshall's suggestion during the last 24 hours, and it does seem to be a nice way to get a bit more sweetness out of the grounds without a loss in clarity. I've coarsened the grind I used for my v60 pour-overs while raising the temp and slowing the pour a bit to compensate for what would otherwise be an under-extracted cup, with nice results. I haven't bothered to do this blinded and side-by-side, however, so take the results with the appropriate quantity of salt.

Why are all these extraction discussions like someone trying to weigh a box with a tape measure?