Coffee/espresso science: what happens if you brew with superheated and pressurized water?

Coffee/espresso science: what happens if you brew with superheated and pressurized water?

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Coffee/espresso science: what happens if you brew with superheated and pressurized water?

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Coffee/espresso science: what happens if you brew with superheated and pressurized water?

Get Ready for The Barista League’s 2024 Season

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Coffee/espresso science: what happens if you brew with superheated and pressurized water?

Coffee/espresso science: what happens if you brew with superheated and pressurized water?

minimum dose size?

Jan 31, 2024 |

I use the Hario switch to brew my coffee and am trying to reduce my caffeine consumption. Hence I would like to brew smaller cups of coffee. I am currently using 10g of coffee with 160g of water. (1:16 Ratio) I am wondering if there is a minimum amount of coffee...

Coffee/espresso science: what happens if you brew with superheated and pressurized water?

So, I've never been super knowledgeable about coffee or espresso, but I recently discovered James Hoffman's youtube channel and learned quite a bit. I have a background in engineering, so, based on my knowledge about thermodynamics, an idea came to mind about how espresso is brewed.

My understanding is that espresso machines work by forcing high pressure water at about 9 atmospheres, and close to 100C, through finely ground coffee beans, resulting in a much higher extraction with much less water than normal coffee, and something so thick that it can be almost syrupy in texture.

The pressure is delivered by an air pump and the hot water is delivered at near the normal boiling point of water. Another similar type of coffee is actually made with high pressure, superheated water- the moka pot. This reaches pressures of around 1.5 atmospheres, and allows the water to reach a temperature slightly above 100C without boiling, similar to how a pressure cooker works.

However, under very high pressure, you can get liquid water to a much higher temperature without turning to steam. At 9 atmospheres, the same pressure as normal espresso is brewed, water can reach around 180C, which is near the temperature in oil for frying. In fact, Hoffman did a video on "roasting" raw beans by frying and then brewing, and the high temperatures apparently do not destroy the flavor.

So anyway, here's my idea: What if you were to make espresso with a high pressure device that reaches 9 bars JUST by heating water, with no pump, and then force that superheated 180 degree water through the coffee grounds? The higher temperature would give you an even greater amount of extraction from the coffee that normal espresso! How would that affect the flavor? Would it become too bitter to drink? This would be a really cool engineering project for me to work on, which I might do if I get the chance.

I'm sure this idea has been done before, as espresso has a long history and there has been tons of innovation over the years. But I couldn't find anything about this online. I was wondering if any coffee historians here had heard of anything similar being done. What do you think?

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Coffee/espresso science: what happens if you brew with superheated and pressurized water?

Perfect Little Beans

Chinmey Hill Coffee uses specialty-grade beans with zero primary defects (such as black beans or sour beans) and less than five secondary defects (such as broken beans). This is important because primary defects will greatly affect the taste of the coffee. Having zero defects allows the coffee to be the most optimal flavor.

Window for Optimal Flavor

Chimney Hill Coffee ships our coffee the same day it was roasted, so you will receive it before it enters the window of optimal flavor.  This means you’ll never miss the opportunity to enjoy the coffee’s peak flavor.

Coffee Ratings

Coffee undergoes many scoring processes by professionals who achieved their Q Grader certification. Coffee is first graded when it’s green. If there are defects the coffee is determined to be “not-specialty grade”. For those coffees that pass green grading, they are sample roasted and cupped. (Cupping is the official term for critically tasting and scoring coffees. The official cupping form is standard worldwide, and where the 100-point scoring system comes from.) A coffee’s dry fragrance, wet aroma, flavor, aftertaste, body, acidity, balance, and overall impression are taken into consideration while uniformity issues and defects, will lower the overall score.

Specialty Coffee

Specialty coffee, coined by Erna Knutsen in 1974, refers to a coffee that receives a quality grading score of 80 percent or higher. While “premium” or “gourmet” seem like they’re synonymous with “specialty,” they simply are marketing terms with no defined standards. Specialty coffees are grown in specific and ideal micro-climates, and have distinctive and unique flavor profiles, with little to no defects.

Third-Wave Coffee

We’re currently in the third wave of coffee. The first wave of American coffee put pre-ground, vacuum-sealed cans in kitchens across America. The second wave started with the late ‘60s introduction of Peet’s coffee (by Alfred Peet) through the proliferation of Starbucks. The third wave of coffee focuses on origin transparency, nuanced flavors, and artisan roasting. The term “third wave” is synonymous with specialty coffee.

Coffee/espresso science: what happens if you brew with superheated and pressurized water?

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