What Is Coffee TDS? Understanding Strength, Extraction, and Taste
When you brew coffee, water extracts soluble compounds from ground beans. Those compounds shape flavor, aroma, and texture in the cup. A coffee’s Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), or how concentrated the brewed coffee is, describes how much of that material ends up in your cup.
Understanding coffee TDS helps explain why a cup tastes light, intense, thin, or full, and why small changes in brewing can lead to very different results. It provides a practical way to think about brewed coffee without relying on specific equipment or rigid recipes.
What is Coffee TDS?
Total Dissolved Solids is the percentage of dissolved coffee solids in brewed coffee.
For example, a coffee with a TDS of 1.3% contains 1.3% dissolved coffee compounds and the rest water. These compounds include acids, sugars, lipids, and bitterness-inducing compounds that together define the structure and mouthfeel of the cup.
Most filter coffees fall between 1.15% and 1.45% TDS.
What Coffee TDS Explains and What It Does Not
Coffee TDS describes strength, not quality.
A higher TDS indicates a more concentrated brew. A lower TDS indicates a more diluted one. Neither is inherently better. What matters is how clearly and comfortably the coffee expresses itself.
A balanced cup is not defined by a number, but by the relationship between concentration, extraction, and flavor.
A Note From Coffee with Remï
At a recent Katï Coffee pairing event, we brewed a light roast and a darker roast side by side. Their measured coffee TDS levels were nearly identical.
Despite similar strength, the coffees tasted very different. One felt brighter and more transparent, the other rounder and heavier. The difference came from what was extracted, not how much.
This illustrates an important point. Roast level and coffee TDS are not the same thing. Strength alone does not explain flavor.
Strength and Extraction Are Not the Same Thing
Coffee TDS tells you how strong the brew is.
Extraction describes which parts of the coffee were pulled into the cup, and in what proportion.
As coffee brews, different compounds extract at different moments. Early in the brew, acids dominate. As extraction continues, sweetness and structure appear. Later still, heavier and more bitter compounds begin to show.
This is why extraction is often felt as balance over time rather than as a single outcome.
A coffee that tastes sharp or sour is often under-extracted. One that tastes dry or hollow is often over-extracted. In both cases, the issue is not strength, but where the extraction landed. This relationship between strength and extraction is often visualized in brewing charts, but it is easiest to understand through taste.
Two cups of the same coffee can have the same TDS and still taste very different if one emphasizes early-extracting compounds and the other pulls further into the brew.
In some cups, brightness dominates and the flavor falls away quickly. In others, sweetness carries through the sip and the finish feels more complete. These differences are often the result of extraction, even when the coffee is brewed at a similar strength.
For home brewers, this may mean that improving a particular coffee is less about adding more coffee and more about adjusting how long and how evenly water interacts with the grounds.
Ultimately, the goal is not maximum concentration, but balance between strength and extraction.
When Strength Is Too Low
When strength is the primary issue, coffee with low TDS often tastes light or incomplete. A few things that might cause this:
- The coffee to water ratio is too low
- The grind size is too coarse
- Brew time is too short
So, to increase strength, adjust one variable at a time. Slightly increase the dose, grind a bit finer, or allow more contact time.
When Strength Is Pushed Too Far
When strength is pushed too far, high TDS can present as a cup that feels dense or tiring, sometimes with masked clarity or sweetness. This often results from:
- Too much coffee relative to water
- A grind that is too fine
- Extended contact time
Reducing strength usually means adding a bit more water, grinding slightly coarser, or shortening the brew.
Do You Need to Measure Coffee TDS at Home?
No.
Professional tools can measure coffee TDS, but at home, taste remains the most reliable guide. Pay attention to mouthfeel, sweetness, clarity, and finish.
If a small adjustment improves the cup, that information is more useful than a specific percentage.
How We Think About Coffee TDS at Katï Coffee
At Katï Coffee, we use coffee TDS as a reference point, not a target. It helps us understand how a coffee behaves and how to guide brewing decisions without reducing the experience to numbers.
We think about brewing in terms of intent rather than equipment. Over time, we will share more guidance focused on how each coffee wants to be brewed, rather than prescribing specific tools or recipes.
Closing Thought
Coffee TDS gives language to what you are already tasting.
Used thoughtfully, it supports more intentional brewing and clearer adjustments. The goal is not precision for its own sake, but a cup that feels complete.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does TDS mean in coffee?
TDS stands for Total Dissolved Solids. In coffee, it is the percentage of dissolved coffee compounds in a brewed cup, which describes how concentrated the coffee is.
Is higher TDS better coffee?
No. Higher TDS means a stronger, more concentrated brew. Lower TDS means a lighter brew. Quality depends on balance and clarity, not on TDS alone.
What is the difference between coffee strength and extraction?
Strength describes how concentrated the brewed coffee is. Extraction describes which compounds were pulled from the grounds and in what proportion, which shapes balance and flavor.
