The Professional Barista's Guide to Extraction
Like Duolingo, but for The Professional Barista's Guide to Extraction. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
For the part of you with thirty open tabs that never became anything.
71 levels across 8 sections, about 142 minutes end to end, roughly 28 days at five minutes a day. It moves through The Precision Shot, The Ratio Matrix, Volume and Ounces, Dialing In Strategy, Advanced Extraction Science, Milk and Texture Synergy, Troubleshooting and Quality Control, and The Professional Workflow. It assumes you already know the basics.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in The Professional Barista's Guide to Extraction
- Consistent extraction requires a precise mass of coffee regardless of bean volume
- Dense beans take up less physical space than porous beans at the same weight
- Timed grinders dispense different masses depending on bean hardness and size
- Why weight-based dosing is superior to timed dosing for consistency
- Water finds the path of least resistance in a poorly tamped puck
- The flow rate indicates how much resistance the coffee bed provides
- Yield weight should be reached within a specific window to ensure balance
- Diagnosing puck health based on the time-to-yield relationship
- Fresh beans release CO2 which creates back-pressure against the pump
- As beans age and lose gas, the flow rate through the group head changes
- Volumetric pulses measure water movement, not the final weight in the cup
- Darker roasts are more soluble and require less water to extract flavors
- Lighter roasts are less soluble and need a longer ratio to reduce sourness
- The 1:2 ratio is a baseline that must be stretched or shrunk for roast depth
- Adjusting brew ratios based on roast profile
- The need for daily volumetric calibration due to bean degassing
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives The Professional Barista's Guide to Extraction the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
If you weigh out 20g of dense light-roast beans and 20g of porous dark-roast beans, what will you notice?
Get it right to open this lesson and 70 more in the app.
Where The Professional Barista's Guide to Extraction takes you
Master the precision of the modern espresso bar. Go beyond the basics of pulling shots to command ratios, liquid mass, and the nuanced science of the ristretto.
- 1
The Precision Shot
- Beyond the Timer
- Dose Consistency and Headspace
- Distribution Mechanics
- 2
The Ratio Matrix
- The 1:1 Ristretto
- The 1:2 Normale Standard
- The 1:3 Lungo and Beyond
- 3
Volume and Ounces
- Grams vs. Fluid Ounces
- Scaling for Cup Size
- 4
Dialing In Strategy
- The First Dial of the Day
- Micro-adjusting for Environment
- 5
Advanced Extraction Science
- TDS and Extraction Yield
- Temperature and Pressure Profiling
- 6
Milk and Texture Synergy
- The Ristretto Latte
- Cortado vs. Flat White Ratios
- 7
Troubleshooting and Quality Control
- The Espresso Compass
- The 'Dead Shot' Myth
- 8
The Professional Workflow
- Sequencing and Speed
- Customer Education
8 sections · 18 units · 71 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
You pick the voice
The Professional Barista's Guide to Extraction is taught in the The Professor style: clear, structured, thorough. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
More Food & Drink on Tomo
The Professional Barista's Craft
Move beyond basic brewing to master the precision, chemistry, and workflow of a professional espresso bar. Learn to manipulate extraction variables and perfect your microfoam for world-class drinks.
Espresso Drinks: From Macchiato to Flat White
Move beyond the basic brew and master the nuanced world of the espresso menu. Learn the precise ratios, milk textures, and regional variations that turn a simple shot into a craft beverage.
The Professional Barista
Move beyond basic brewing to master the precision, chemistry, and workflow of a high-end specialty coffee bar.
Espresso: Dialing in the Perfect Shot
Move beyond the basic 'push-button' espresso and learn to manipulate variables like a professional barista. Master the physics of the puck, the chemistry of water, and the sensory skills required to diagnose any shot.
Espresso Barista Techniques
Move beyond basic brewing and master the precision required for professional-grade espresso. Learn to dial in complex roasts, steam perfect microfoam for every drink size, and manage a high-speed bar workflow.
Espresso Extraction and Service
Master the science of the perfect shot, from the physics of puck resistance to the nuances of water chemistry and high-volume workflow.
Start The Professional Barista's Guide to Extraction today.
Download Tomo, search The Professional Barista's Guide to Extraction, and play your first lesson in under a minute.