Research

New Center Developing Best Ways to Farm, Roast, Brew Coffee

As a multidisciplinary hub for innovative research and unique educational experiences, the Coffee Center in the College of Engineering collaborates with the $28 billion U.S. coffee industry to tackle key challenges in sustainable farming, roasting, brewing and more.

Exploring Coffee's Sustainable Future with Irwin Donis-González

The biological and agricultural engineering researcher speaks with International Comunicaffe about the role of technologies like AI and sensors in revolutionizing coffee research, enhancing sustainability and addressing global challenges in coffee production and processing.

Grounds for Discovery

A UC Davis study analyzes roasting techniques to provide key insights into the acidity of coffee beans, paving the way for coffee roasters to better control the quality and flavor of their coffee.

Brewed to Perfection

It’s a scorching summer morning at UC Davis, but inside a laboratory at Everson Hall, about 20 students are busy brewing hot cups of joe. They’ve just completed a competition to brew the perfect cup of coffee — and earned college credits at the same time.

Innovating for our future

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.

Science Finds the Most Acceptable Coffee Drinking Temperature

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.

Chemical Engineering of Coffee: QED with Dr. B

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:

Beyond the Bean

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.

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

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.