The Science of Coffee

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3) Plant Genetics Oct 25, 2022

Show notes

How can you make better coffee at home? Well, an easy way is to buy higher quality beans.
But, I’m concerned this is going to get harder and harder for you in the future.
Climate change is making coffee taste worse while also pushing farmers into financial hardship.
In this episode we explore how genetic development can produce a coffee tree that might save the day. Is there a wild coffee tree happily growing in the forests somewhere that could be our silver bullet? What about if we mix existing documented species together?
But, the big problem is that genetic research is slow, and farmers can’t wait around. So, in the second half, we learn how coffee farmers in Kenya are trying to fix the problem right now.
And I’m actually tentatively hopeful the beans you brew in the morning are not going to get worse. But, it all depends on you, me and the coffee industry making a couple of changes right now.
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Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee!
Follow me on Instagram and tag me in an Instagram story
Write a review on Apple Podcasts
Leave a 5 star rating on Spotify
Learn more about how Trabocca, this episode’s sponsor, works with coffee farmers
Support the work of World Coffee Research
Become a member of Kew Gardens
Find some of Alvans Mutero’s and Thiriku’s coffee to taste for yourself
Learn more about cloning coffee plants on my other podcast, Adventures in Coffee
Want to listen to more documentary podcasts about coffee? Check out Filter Stories
Connect with my very knowledgeable guests:
Sarada Krishnan - LinkedIn and Research Gate
Aaron Davis - Kew Gardens
Hanna Neuschwander - LinkedIn
Bernard Gichimu - LinkedIn
Learn more about the coffee varieties discussed on this episode:
SL 28
SL 34
Ruiru 11
Batian
The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations:
BWT Water and More
Marco Beverage Systems
Trabocca
Eversys
Oatly
Fiorenzato
Subscribe to A History of Coffee podcast

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What kind of racing car does the Gaggia Classic GT home espresso machine remind you of? Use discount code FS202610 to get 10% off.

2) Coffee Extraction Oct 25, 2022

Show notes

How you brew your coffee dramatically affects what you taste. And I do mean dramatic! Brewing up the same bag of coffee beans can taste like a slice of heaven, or a slap in the face.
So, what exactly is happening at a microscopic level when water swirls through coffee grinds? Why does boiling water extract certain flavours, while letting the kettle cool for five minutes make it taste markedly different?
In this episode, we dive deep into the academic research conducted at the UC Davis Coffee Center so you can choose your flavour adventure: Do you like your coffees when they’re a sour bomb? A floral caress on the lips? A smokey drag on a pipe? Or a treacle of sweet syrup?
We also explore why it can be so difficult getting the same flavours from the same beans consistently. And finally, I equip you with tools so you can begin finding your perfect brew.
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Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee!
Follow me on Instagram and tag me in an Instagram story
Write a review on Apple Podcasts
Leave a 5 star rating on Spotify
Explore this episode’s sponsor Marco Beverage Systems SP 9 brewer and how it delivers consistent brews in the cafe (https://link.filterstories.org/3Tgh18r)
Listen to the Adventures in Coffee episode about making dramatically different brews using the Aeropress: https://link.filterstories.org/3TghsQ7
Want more to listen to more documentary podcasts about coffee? Check out Filter Stories - https://link.filterstories.org/3zb5vnO
Want to go deeper into coffee extraction?
Mackenzie Batali’s fractionation research - https://link.filterstories.org/3CFnvH0
UC Davis’ brewing control chart research - https://link.filterstories.org/3CLoiGz
Take courses on coffee brewing with the Specialty Coffee Association - https://link.filterstories.org/3EQFoVV
Study at the UC Davis Coffee - https://link.filterstories.org/3TwSgod
Read ‘The Craft and Science of Coffee’ - https://link.filterstories.org/3zb7bN8
Connect with my very knowledgeable guests:
Samo Smrke - LinkedIn (https://link.filterstories.org/3EKrjtg) and Instagram (https://link.filterstories.org/3IdrfRz)
Bill Ristenpart - Academic profile (https://faculty.engineering.ucdavis.edu/ristenpart/)
Mackenzie Batali - LinkedIn (https://link.filterstories.org/3s7VRxr)
Peter Giuliano - LinkedIn (https://link.filterstories.org/3yT66tv)
Danny Pang - LinkedIn (https://link.filterstories.org/3Sd9mqq)
David Walsh - LinkedIn (https://link.filterstories.org/3VEH7Uo)
The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations:
BWT Water and More
Marco Beverage Systems
Trabocca
Eversys
Oatly
Fiorenzato
Subscribe to A History of Coffee podcast: https://link.filterstories.org/2NArChO

What kind of racing car does the Gaggia Classic GT home espresso machine remind you of? Use discount code FS202610 to get 10% off.

1) Water For Brewing Coffee Oct 25, 2022

Show notes

A newer, updated version of this episode is out — listen here instead!

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Water really matters when you’re brewing coffee. Different waters can dramatically change how a single coffee will taste.
But what is the right water for the best coffee?
In this episode I will give you the answer, but I will first take you back billions of years to tell you the story of a single mineral and how it's responsible for making our coffees taste lame. Because here’s the thing: water science is chemistry, and chemistry is very complicated and easily forgettable. But with a great story, I’m hoping you’ll remember!
In the second half, I show you why Christopher Hendon’s book Water for Coffee made a big splash in the coffee community, but also why some academic chemists are critical of the book, and how this all manifested in the creation of the Specialty Coffee Association’s Water Quality Handbook.
And, to cap it all off, I offer you some environmentally conscious ways to get hold of good water for coffee, so your coffee brews can finally explode in flavour.
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Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee!
Follow me on Instagram and tag me in an Instagram story
Write a review on Apple Podcasts
Leave a 5 star rating on Spotify
Discover this episode’s sponsor BWT’s water filtration products. I use their Penguin Magnesium Mineralised cartridges and cafes can use their BestAqua ROC
Read Marcia Bjornerud’s amazing book, Reading The Rocks
Want more to listen to more documentary podcasts about coffee? Check out Filter Stories
Want to go deeper into water chemistry?
SCA’s Water Quality Handbook
BWT White Paper on the effects of magnesium (German)
How to add magnesium to your soft water out of the tap (scroll to bottom)
Christopher Hendon’s Water for Coffee
Certificate of Advanced Studies at Zurich’s Coffee Excellence Center online course
Read ‘The Craft and Science of Coffee’
Barista Hustle's Water course
James Hoffman's water video
Connect with my very knowledgeable guests:
Samo Smrke - LinkedIn and Instagram
Chahan Yeretzian - Linkedin
Frank Neuhausen - LinkedIn
Marcia Bjornerud - Academic profile
Christopher Hendon - LinkedIn and Instagram
The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations:
BWT Water and More - https://link.filterstories.org/3EEpuxN
Marco Beverage Systems - https://link.filterstories.org/3T2YDzY
Trabocca - https://link.filterstories.org/3Tjn8bV
Eversys - https://link.filterstories.org/3CBkp6X
Oatly - https://link.filterstories.org/3exvlKS
Fiorenzato - https://link.filterstories.org/3T3nmUQ
Subscribe to my A History of Coffee podcast

What kind of racing car does the Gaggia Classic GT home espresso machine remind you of? Use discount code FS202610 to get 10% off.

Introducing: The Science of Coffee Oct 10, 2022

Show notes

The Science of Coffee is a journey into coffee's hidden microscopic secrets to help you make even better coffee at home.
Across six episodes, documentary maker and coffee professional James Harper takes you deep into the world of water for coffee, coffee extraction, plant genetics, espresso technology, latte foam and sonic seasoning.
Press the Subscribe button so you don't miss future episodes!
The Science of Coffee is a spin-off series from James Harper's documentary podcast Filter Stories.
Follow James on Instagram: https://link.filterstories.org/2Mlkk0O
Listen to Filter Stories: https://link.filterstories.org/3zb5vnO
The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations:
BWT Water and More
Marco Beverage Systems
Trabocca
Eversys
Oatly
Fiorenzato
Listen to A History of Coffee here: https://link.filterstories.org/2NArChO

What kind of racing car does the Gaggia Classic GT home espresso machine remind you of? Use discount code FS202610 to get 10% off.

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