The science of brewing coffee [Video]

Chemical engineering students put the knowledge they’ve learned in class to the test to try and make the best cup of coffee.

Making coffee is simple: grind the beans, add hot water, wait a few minutes, strain the grounds and you’re done.

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But coffee isn’t necessarily as simple as it seems.

“There’s a lot of chemical engineering that goes into coffee and it’s a complicated process,” said Daud Ibraham, a University of Alberta (U of A) student.

Students at the university used what they learned in the Chemical Engineering of Coffee course in a competition Thursday.

The competitors used several lessons to win:

• heat transfer – the best way to get the heat to the beans;
• process control – how to control the chosen roast profile;
• sensory analysis – how it will taste; and
• water chemistry – how to decide the best water for brewing coffee.

“Before I signed up for this class, I was not expecting much,” said …