Coffee with a splash of physics: how to make the most out of your brew

(physicsworld.com)

23 points by sohkamyung1 hour ago

2 comments

urxvtcd27 minutes ago
For an entire book about the topic, see "The physics of filter coffee" by Jonathan Gagné.Also> This can be achieved using an espresso machine (figure 1), or with smaller contraptions at much lower pressures such as a moka pot or AeroPress.Please, just stop. They're not even remotely close.
mr_mitm46 minutes ago
> The bottom line of the team’s experiments and mathematical modelling is that to get the most reproducible shots just use less coffee and grind it more coarsely.This seems to go against conventional wisdom, which says that less coffee will reduce brewing time and a coarser grind will also reduce brewing time, and consensus seems to be that you want a brewing time somewhere between 20 and 30 seconds. Or did I misunderstand something?Anyway, the reasoning seems sound, so I'm going to have to give this a try.
- sgc2 minutes ago
 They failed to mention the important point, that you have to be able to reduce the pressure to increase the grind size. I am convinced the best espresso you can make is at 6 bar, since you can grind the coarsest possible. It comes out sweeter and richer at the same time.
- FrustratedMonky36 minutes ago
 Yeah."most reproducible" -> Does not mean good.A lot of generic weak coffee is 'consistent', but not 'good'.
 - mr_mitm26 minutes ago
 Sorry, maybe I should have quoted the next line as well:> Pabst echoes that advice: “My recommendation for people at home, without knowing anything they are doing, 90% chance that if you use less coffee and grind a little coarser [your coffee] will actually taste better.”So it's not just about consistency, but also quality.