Towards a Greater Understanding of Coffee Brewing Fundamentals

The Coffee Science Foundation, the research arm of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), teamed up with the UC Davis Coffee Center embarking on a two-year project to re-evaluate the scientific assumptions, measurement tools, sensory information, and, most importantly, consumer research that forms the foundation of the coffee industry’s fundamental understanding of coffee brewing.

This ground-breaking research is underwritten by a generous grant from Breville, a global leader in innovative design for high-end appliances, including coffee and espresso equipment.

This research project is co-led by Dr. William Ristenpart, a Chemical Engineer and founder of the now-famous “Design of Coffee” curriculum, and Dr. Jean-Xavier Guinard, a Professor and Sensory Scientist, whose research helped design the new Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel. Together, the two scientists have executed a comprehensive research program with chemistry, sensory, and consumer research elements, that updates, revises, and improves the fundamentals of coffee brewing science.

 
Coffee Center_center_2C.png
 

Featured Research Outputs

 
In 25, A Publication of the Specialty Coffee Association
How Strong is the Coffee You’re Cupping? New Model Captures the Equilibrium Extraction Nature of Full Immersion Brewing | 25, Issue 17
How Strong is the Coffee You’re Cupping? New Model Captures the Equilibrium Extraction Nature of Full Immersion Brewing | 25, Issue 17

Lead Author JIEXIN LIANG shares findings of a recent paper, “An Equilibrium Desorption Model for Strength and Extraction Yield of Full Immersion Brewed Coffee,” published in Scientific Reports, that outlines a predictive model for the equilibrium strength and extraction of “full immersion brewed coffee” (cupping) between 80°C and 99°C (176°F and 210°F) and suggests we’re more easily able to control our total dissolved solids (TDS) via brew ratio instead of our extraction yield (E).

Read More →
Manipulating and Measuring a Key Attribute in Drip Brew Coffee | 25, Issue 15
Manipulating and Measuring a Key Attribute in Drip Brew Coffee | 25, Issue 15

Lead author Dr. MACKENZIE BATALI outlines findings from a recently published paper, “Titratable Acidity, Perceived Sourness, and Liking of Acidity in Drip Brewed Coffee,” that illuminate a key specialty coffee flavor attribute.

Read More →
How Hot is Hot Enough? Brew Temperature, Sensory Profile, and Consumer Acceptance of Brewed Coffee | 25, Issue 15
How Hot is Hot Enough? Brew Temperature, Sensory Profile, and Consumer Acceptance of Brewed Coffee | 25, Issue 15

ANDREW COTTER considers the results of recent scientific publications focused on the impact of coffee’s brewing temperature on consumer preferences of brewed coffee.

Read More →
Towards a New Brewing Chart | 25, Issue 13
Towards a New Brewing Chart | 25, Issue 13

Postdoctoral scholar SCOTT FROST, PhD candidate MACKENZIE BATALI, Professor JEAN-XAVIER GUINARD, and Professor WILLIAM D. RISTENPART share the results of sensory descriptive experiments at the UC Davis Coffee Center, revealing new trends in brewed coffee that suggest an updated brewing control chart.

Read More →
Less Strong, More Sweet – 25 Magazine, Issue 11
Less Strong, More Sweet – 25 Magazine, Issue 11

If you ask most people to describe how black coffee tastes, you will almost invariably hear the word bitter.

Read More →
Flat vs. Cone: Basket Shape is as Important as Grind Size in Drip Brew Coffee - 25 Magazine, Issue 8
Flat vs. Cone: Basket Shape is as Important as Grind Size in Drip Brew Coffee - 25 Magazine, Issue 8

One of the most reliable ways of starting a passionate argument, at least in a room filled with coffee aficionados, is to ask a simple question: What is the best shape for a drip brew filter basket? Postdoctoral fellow Dr. SCOTT FROST, Professor JEAN-XAVIER GUINARD, and Professor WILLIAM D. RISTENPART share early results of an ongoing research project in partnership with the SCA and Breville Corporation.

Read More →
On the SCA Podcast
Recap #6 | April 3, 2020

This week on Recap: La Marzocco mourns Honorary President, Piero Bambi; the C market price of coffee has risen as large companies "stockpile" coffee ahead of expected decreased freight capacity; specialty coffee companies around the world continue to innovate new products and ways to work as the pandemic continues; a recent survey by the National Coffee Association USA has found that US Americans drink more coffee than ever; the second academic paper of the SCA's Brewing Fundamentals research project with the UC Davis Coffee Center, supported by Breville, was published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.

#85 | How to Maximize the Flavor Potential of Your Brewed Coffee | Expo Lectures 2019

In today’s lecture by Dr. Scott Frost, you’ll learn all about how flavor can be modified through the brewing process, and how the control chart can be used to create different flavors for a specific coffee. 

#82 | Sensory and Chemical Explorations into Drip Brew Coffee Flavor Over Time | Expo Lectures 2019

The UC Davis Coffee Center is engaged in comprehensive sensory research using trained panel descriptive analysis to investigate how different parameters related to coffee brewing impact the flavor, and how these can be manipulated to an individual’s desired effect.

#74 | Drip Coffee Brewing and the Coffee Brewing Chart | Bill Ristenpart, Expo Lectures 2019

The process for brewing coffee appears simple: One pours hot water over some coffee grounds, and then drinks the liquid that passes through a filter.

On SCA News
Just Published: Brewing Temperature and the Sensory Profile of Brewed Coffee
Just Published: Brewing Temperature and the Sensory Profile of Brewed Coffee

A new study by researchers at the UC Davis Coffee Center, titled “Brew temperature, at fixed brew strength and extraction, has little impact on the sensory profile of drip brew coffee,” was published today in the prestigious journal Scientific Reports. PETER GIULIANO, Chief Research Officer of the SCA and Executive Director of the Coffee Science Foundation, interviews Professor WILLIAM RISTENPART, Director of the UC Davis Coffee Center, about the newly published article.

 

Explore the original academic publications associated with this research project on the Coffee Science Foundation website here.