New Center Developing Best Ways to Farm, Roast, Brew Coffee
Scientists Tackle Coffee Industry's Most Bitter Challenges to Produce Rich Results
Coffee is the most consumed beverage in America (and third-most in the world), yet it is poorly understood. UC Davis researchers across the sciences and humanities disciplines are demystifying the drink — and coming up with ways to make it more delicious and sustainable — in the only university coffee lab in the country.
The UC Davis Coffee Center, conceived (where else?) over a cup of coffee and opened in May, is working with the $28 billion American coffee industry to tackle challenges such as sustainable farming, grading bean color and measuring consumer taste preferences.
Why research coffee?
Despite coffee's global popularity, coffee research has been underfunded.
Researcher Irwin Ronaldo Donis-González, assistant professor in biological and agricultural engineering and director of Latin American affairs for the Coffee Center, said he is surprised by how little is known about coffee.
"It's almost like coffee is an untouched crop," Donis-González said. "There's been very little research in coffee, believe it or not, even though it's one of the most exchanged commodities in the world."
Now, UC Davis is filling that knowledge gap.
"The goal for the Coffee Center is for UC Davis to become the global leader in coffee studies, science, research and education," said Bill Ristenpart, engineering professor and co-director of the Coffee Center. "Eventually, I want to have all kinds of coffee-related classes in this building. I want this to serve as a hub, a nexus for all coffee-related topics across campus."