WHAT IF THE TASTE of your coffee was determined by fluid dynamics?

WHAT IF THE TASTE of your coffee was determined by fluid dynamics?

Contrary to popular belief, the quality of an espresso doesn’t depend solely on the beans or the roast profile.

Recent research using X-ray microtomography has shown that water does not flow uniformly through ground coffee. At the microscopic level, it creates preferential pathways, extracting some areas more intensely than others. This phenomenon, known as heterogeneous extraction, can significantly alter the final flavor profile.

Even more surprisingly, grinding finer does not always lead to better extraction. Beyond a certain threshold, fine particles can disrupt water flow and reduce overall extraction efficiency.

Behind every cup of coffee lies a fascinating combination of fluid mechanics, chemistry, and mathematical modeling.

At Académie du Café, we believe that understanding the science behind coffee deepens our appreciation of its artistry.

Sources

Lee et al. (2022), Uneven Extraction in Coffee Brewing
Mo et al. (2023), Coffee Matrix Microstructure and Flow Properties (X-ray microtomography studies)