Laser beam cold brew? Now that's just so sciency...
Well, we aren’t brewing coffee with lasers yet... but this article I read recently makes it seem like we aren’t too far off! Some incredible work is happening in the molecular gastronomy field these days and among the projects is this: A coffee-centered study in Germany “LEoPARD: Laser-based Extraction Offers Pure and Advanced Refreshment Drinks.”
From the article:
Researchers in Germany have successfully used Nd:YAG lasers to speed up coffee extractions in cold water, essentially making the first laser cold brew.
The laboratory laser system zapped the coffee roughly 80,000 times per second for three minutes. The treatment never raised the temperature of the water by more than a few degrees, and the finished brew was filtered using standard paper coffee filters.
“For the preparation of hot water, we have to boil the entire water volume, i.e. every single water molecule. However, this is not necessary for hot extraction, since statistically not every water molecule contributes to the extraction process,” said Ziefuss. “A large part of the energy is therefore released unused into the environment. With laser-based preparation, the situation is different. Here, the energy is specifically deposited in the coffee particle, exactly as much as is necessary for the process.”
Some of the highlights of the article include the efficiency of heating only the necessary molecules of water to extract the coffee rather than heating the entire volume of water. This may also have applications for creating extracts and syrups in the future!
Though we probably won’t be seeing this in cafés anytime soon, it's always a blast for us to see what kind of advancements may be the new normal for the coffee world in the future. It begs the question, “what normal brewing practices do we have now that would’ve been considered out-of-this-world 50 years ago?”
Back here at Reverie Roasters, we like to apply food science to every aspect of what we do, from the way we extract our coffees, to the steaming of milk, and especially with the pastries from our incredible bakery! All of the work is well worth it to provide our customers with the very best food and beverage experiences we can offer. If you haven’t tried our non-lasered cold brew yet, be sure to pick up a four-pack of cans to take home—or better yet, check out our brew tutorials on our website to find out how you can make amazing cold brew at home with some of our award-winning coffees!
Check out our brew guides HERE.
And if you need to get some coffee moving towards your mailbox, just go HERE.
Til next time,
Brad Stevens, coffee sales at Reverie Roasters
To Better Coffee.