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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:

Coffee Center Hosts Construction Kickoff and Research Symposium

On September 29, 2022, alongside industry partners and friends, we celebrated National Coffee Day with a construction kickoff and research symposium.

Featured speakers included Executive Associate Dean and Chemical Engineering Professor Roland Faller, who provided an update on design and construction, and Coffee Center Advisory Board Chair Peter Giuliano, who shared a unique outlook on coffee science informed by his early career as a barista.

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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.

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

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.

Coffee Center Hosts Site Dedication and Research Symposium

On June 25, 2021, the Coffee Center welcomed industry partners, students and friends to campus in celebration of all things coffee with a site dedication, sign unveiling open house and research symposium. The event, held at in the Robert Mondavi Institute’s Sensory Theater, Putah Creek Lodge and the Coffee Center itself, featured remarks from Chancellor Gary S. May, College of Engineering dean Jeffery C. Gibeling, Coffee Center director and chemical engineering professor William Ristenpart and UC Davis alumna and postdoctoral researcher Mackenzie Batali, Ph.D. ’20.

Folgers Coffee Partners with the UC Davis Coffee Center

The UC Davis Coffee Center is proud to announce a recent $500,000 gift from Folgers Coffee. The Folgers Analytical Chemistry Lab will provide the first university infrastructure in the nation to address the unresolved questions around how certain molecules naturally present in coffee affect the final flavor profile of this beloved beverage.

Bridge Coffee Company builds a bridge with the UC Davis Coffee Center

The UC Davis Coffee Center is proud to announce a recent $50,000 gift from Bridge Coffee Company to support the center’s education and research in coffee science. The UC Davis Coffee Center aims to do for coffee what UC Davis has done for beer and wine as the first multidisciplinary university research center focused on coffee science.