Research

Anokye-Bempah uses a 5-kilo PROBAT Roaster to roast coffee beans.

Innovating for our future

  • by Clémentine Sicard, UC Davis DEVAR
  • February 22, 2023
Coffee roasting is a crucial step in manufacturing and selling coffee. However, the exact chemical and kinetic changes that occur to coffee beans during the process are still relatively unclear.
Students hold coffee cups in lab

Science Finds the Most Acceptable Coffee Drinking Temperature

  • by Zac Cadwalader
  • December 07, 2022
A recent study from the UC Davis Coffee Center asks the question: “How hot do you want your coffee to be?” Most people like and expect their coffee to be hot, but getting the temperature right is an important consideration for cafés to maximize satisfaction.
uc davis coffee center william ristenpart wosu public media chemical engineering

Chemical Engineering of Coffee: QED with Dr. B

  • by WOSU Public Media
  • November 10, 2022

UC Davis Coffee Center director and Chemical Engineering Professor William Ristenpart sat down with WOSU Public Media in Columbus, Ohio to talk about chemical engineering and coffee. The full interview is below:

uc davis coffee center bill ristenpart tonya kuhl chemical engineering

Beyond the Bean

  • by Sarah Colwell
  • September 28, 2022
This fall, UC Davis will begin construction of the UC Davis Coffee Center, creating the world’s first academic research center focused on coffee. The building will house office and teaching space, labs, a roastery and more as part of an effort to transform the way people think about and understand the beverage.
coffee 101 podcast graphic

"Engineering a Better Cup of Coffee" on Coffee 101 Podcast

  • by Molly Bechtel
  • September 06, 2022
In this episode, Kenneth at Umble Coffee sits down with Professor William Ristenpart, director of the UC Davis Coffee Center, to discuss the efforts that are being made to engineer a better cup of coffee. They explore how the industry is working to reduce the level of waste generated and make better use of the byproducts. Currently, humans only consume around 3% of the coffee cherries that are harvested. That is why the industry is exploring new ways to use those waste materials and enhance the fermentation and roasting processes so that less energy is consumed.
Bill Ristenpart presenting at the symposium

Coffee Needs Research: UC Davis’ New Coffee Center Dedicated June 25th

  • by Cristina Deptula
  • November 15, 2021
Inside the New UC Davis Coffee Center

The UC Davis Coffee Center is the world's first academic research center focused on coffee, aiming to do for coffee what UC Davis has done for beer and wine. Through its research, teaching and mentorship, the center plans to train the next generation of coffee professionals while improving the entire industry and making it more sustainable.

uc davis coffee center group performance study

Coffee brews better group performance, UC Davis study finds

  • May 10, 2018
Planning a meeting? Serving coffee can focus group discussion, boost involvement and leave members feeling better about their own and others’ participation. Those are the findings of new research on the effects of caffeine on group performance from the Graduate School of Management at the University of California, Davis.
uc davis coffee center arabica genome

Arabica coffee genome sequenced

  • January 13, 2017
The first public genome sequence for Coffea arabica, the species responsible for more than 70 percent of global coffee production, was released today by researchers at the University of California, Davis.
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