The Science of Coffee

Discover the incredible journey of organic coffee farming in Central America. Learn about the vibrant ecosystems that thrive without agrochemicals and the challenges that hinder the growth of organic farms. Uncover the inspiring story of the RAOS cooperative and the dedication of its founders to overcome obstacles. Explore how collaboration and community efforts have transformed local farming practices while enhancing farmer livelihoods. This deep dive into organic coffee reveals both the struggles and the beauty of sustainable agriculture.

Soil health is deteriorating rapidly due to conventional coffee farming practices. A trip to Honduras reveals the innovative methods of Don Rufino, a master of organic coffee, who enriches his soil with microorganisms and a variety of shade trees. The episode highlights the stark contrast between organic and chemical methods, emphasizing the importance of sustainable agriculture. Listeners learn about the trials of transitioning to organic farming and the captivating hidden world of soil ecosystems that nurture healthy coffee plants.

Discover the intricacies of coffee roasting with insights on temperature, time, and technology. Learn how smart technologies are revolutionizing the roasting process. Explore the challenges in achieving consistent batch-to-batch roasting results and the innovative solutions offered by ROEST's P3000 roaster.

Discover the fascinating process of coffee roasting and how heat transforms coffee beans. The podcast explores the flavor evolution from acidic to bitter, the chemical and physical transformations during roasting, and the potential impacts of advanced technology on the industry.

This podcast explores why people taste coffee differently, discussing genetic variations in flavor receptors, the influence of external factors like cup shape and music, and the impact of cultural backgrounds. It also touches on the consistency of coffee brewing, the science of roasting, and the challenges of organic farming.

Discover the fascinating connection between smell and taste, how our brain deceives us into tasting aromas on our tongue. Explore the mystery of sweetness in specialty coffee and the science of sweet receptors. Dive into the role of smell in coffee tasting and the impact of humidity. Get a preview of upcoming topics and the importance of scientific methodology.

We’re back with another series of The Science of Coffee! Across 10 science stories, narrative audio producer and coffee professional James Harper takes you on a journey into coffee's hidden microscopic secrets. James has spent the last year traveling to Central America, Greece, Norway, Switzerland and interviewing dozens of the world’s leading coffee scientists. This insights will help you appreciate coffee more deeply and make even better coffee at home. We'll explore organic coffee growing, delve into the science of roasting, uncover optimal storage and grinding techniques, enhance your tasting skills through sensory science, and share James' journey towards thinking more like a scientist. Press the Subscribe button so you don't miss future episodes! https://bit.ly/3TdDnHO Follow James on Instagram: https://bit.ly/2Mlkk0O The Science of Coffee is a spin-off series from James Harper's documentary podcast Filter Stories: https://bit.ly/3ajoT5e The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations: BWT Water and More Mahlkönig Marco Beverage Systems Sustainable Harvest ROEST How does Perfect Moose detect what kind of milk is in the pitcher? Click here to find out. Join me at World of Coffee Dubai, 18-20 January. Grab your tickets here. What does the Marco MilkPal look like to you? WALL-E? Something Steve Jobs would be proud of? Check it out here.

Imagine you’ve got a cup of coffee in front of you. You haven’t tasted it yet. You therefore don’t know what it tastes like, right? Wrong. Some scientists argue that you actually do know what it will taste like (more or less), and the act of tasting simply confirms what you have already imagined it will taste like. And that’s because a growing body of research is revealing that sight, sound and touch all affect your expectation of a coffee’s flavours. In this episode, I explore how certain sounds might make your coffee taste sweeter, while other sounds translate to bitterness. And I expose how some cafe owners might be ruining the flavours of the high-end specialty coffee you paid for without even realising it. In the second half, I show you why so many of our scientific questions about coffee are going unanswered. I take you deep into the future of coffee science by explaining who’s doing research into coffee science, why they’re doing it, how much it costs and how you can get involved. ---------- 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 the technology behind Fiorenzato’s AllGround home coffee grinder Want to listen to more documentary podcasts about coffee? Check out my Filter Stories podcast Get more involved in coffee science! Buy Brita Folmer’s The Craft & Science of Coffee Read the Specialty Coffee Association's 25 Magazine for cutting edge insights into coffee science, business and sustainability, including Charles Spence’s article on sonic seasoning Partner with the Coffee Science Foundation Explore Felipe Reinoso Carvalho’s sonic research, including Diego Campos’ winning World Barista Championship routine Apply to study at the UC Davis Coffee Centre Do an online course with ZHAW’s Coffee Excellence Centre Subscribe to Barista Hustle and complete their online coffee courses Become a member of the Barista Guild, Coffee Roaster’s Guild, Coffee Technicians Guild and attend their events! Connect with my very knowledgeable guests Charles Spence - Academic profile Fabiana Carvalho - Instagram Janice Wang - LinkedIn Felipe Reinoso Carvalho - LinkedIn Chahan Yeretzian - LinkedIn Bill Ristenpart - Academic profile Peter Giuliano - LinkedIn Jenn Rugolo - LinkedIn Giulia Bagato - LinkedIn Denis Girardi - LinkedIn 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 How does Perfect Moose detect what kind of milk is in the pitcher? Click here to find out. Join me at World of Coffee Dubai, 18-20 January. Grab your tickets here. What does the Marco MilkPal look like to you? WALL-E? Something Steve Jobs would be proud of? Check it out here.

When was the last time you picked up a cappuccino with a mountain of foam perched on top? Maybe these are the cappuccinos you make every morning at home. I personally really, really dislike them! The foam is cold, raspy, and gets in the way of the actual coffee liquid. How much better would your mornings be if, instead, your cappuccino had that creamy, silky “microfoam” you find in a specialty coffee cafe? In this episode, I take you deep into the bubbles of latte foam to show you what makes them, what destroys them, and how you can craft mouth-melting lattes. Along the way I also settle the big debate: what is the actual difference between regular Oatly and Oatly Barista Edition!? --------- 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 Try Oatly Barista Edition (this episode’s sponsor) for yourself Want to listen to more documentary podcasts about coffee? Check out my other show, Filter Stories Go deeper into latte foam science! Measure your latte foam’s bubble size! Marvel at tetrakaidecahedra foam for yourself Check out Steven Abbott’s brilliant science website Learn how to create microfoam with Lance Hedrick Study milk science with Barista Hustle’s online courses Connect with my very knowledgeable guests Steven Abbott - website Rituja Upadhyay - LinkedIn Nidhi Bansal - LinkedIn Thom Huppertz - LinkedIn Sofia Eldhe - LinkedIn Toby Weedon - LinkedIn 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 How does Perfect Moose detect what kind of milk is in the pitcher? Click here to find out. Join me at World of Coffee Dubai, 18-20 January. Grab your tickets here. What does the Marco MilkPal look like to you? WALL-E? Something Steve Jobs would be proud of? Check it out here.

A good espresso is a sublime experience: rich, sweet, and wonderfully caffeinated. But, who woke up one morning and thought to themselves, ‘I’m going to build a contraption that forces a tiny amount of super hot water with incredible pressure through a bed of very finely ground coffee’? Well, the fact is, the first “espresso” machine built 150 years ago was awful in almost every way. Worst of all, if you gave that coffee to anybody on the street, nobody would say it’s even an espresso! But, over the decades, problems begat solutions that begat more problems that culminated in espresso machines like Eversys that produce gorgeous espressos at just the push of a button. And it’s got me wondering: what is the perfect espresso machine? How far can we go? But, before clicking play, be warned: this story gets explosive and bloody! ------- 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 Eversys espresso machines (this episode’s sponsor) produce high quality espressos Listen to my A History of Coffee podcast series with Prof. Jonathan Morris Want to listen to more documentary podcasts about coffee? Check out my other podcast, Filter Stories Pictures of the espresso machines featured in this episode Angelo Moriondo (1884, “Big water boiler with gnarly bits”) La Pavoni Ideale (1905, "Fire hydrant") Gaggia Tipo Classica (1947, “Lever”) Faema E61 (1961, “Retro 60s toaster”) Eversys (2022, “push button”) Want to go deeper into espresso machine technology? Coffee Technician Guild’s Educational Courses Barista Hustle’s The Espresso Machine course Read Prof. Jonathan Morris’ book ‘Coffee: A Global History’ Do your own coffee museum tour in Italy! MUMAC (Milan) Rancilio Officina 1926 (Milan) Accademia del Caffè Espresso (Florence) Connect with my very knowledgeable guests Jonathan Morris - Instagram Hylan Joseph - LinkedIn Giorgio Rancilio - LinkedIn Anna Cento - LinkedIn Carlos Gonzàlez - LinkedIn Silvia Bartoloni - LinkedIn Jonathan Besse - LinkedIn 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 How does Perfect Moose detect what kind of milk is in the pitcher? Click here to find out. Join me at World of Coffee Dubai, 18-20 January. Grab your tickets here. What does the Marco MilkPal look like to you? WALL-E? Something Steve Jobs would be proud of? Check it out here.