Jul 10, 2020
Returning guest and
computational chemist known as Dr. Coffee, Christopher Hendon
explores all that's behind our morning cup, from differences in
water for coffee and methods of
brewing coffee.
Listeners will learn
Christopher Hendon utilizes
scientific inquiry and chemistry to assess coffee production. He's
an assistant professor of computational materials in chemistry at
the University of Oregon and he's made coffee his specialty.
Currently, he's addressing sustainability and coffee in his
research, noting that the largest waste in the U.S. is roast coffee
that's never used—rather, after it goes stale, we throw it away. A
lot of energy has gone into producing and roasting each bean.
Therefore, his goal is to explore how we can make each cup equally
good but with less coffee in the first place to reduce the amount
of coffee roasted. He then explains the transport chain of events
and complications, such as water loss, and other issues to
consider.
He also addresses what goes on in our kitchens from brewing coffee to choosing water for coffee. Listeners will hear an interesting lesson in water chemistry and how soft and hard water affect acidity. Because what each person wants from a cup tends to vary, there's no hard rule for what to use, so he provides methods to test your own preferences at home. He also touches on how different countries and climates produce different flavors, how brew methods are categorized, and finally shares his favorite coffee and his own daily method.
For more, see the curated
coffee literature list he provides on his website and see the American Chemical Society's
coffee information.
Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK