Study models how high pressure makes espresso grounds behave unpredictably
By
Marissa Nielsen
Summary
Researchers developed a mathematical model of espresso brewing to understand how pressure affects flow rate through coffee grounds. The study, published in Physics of Fluids, was motivated by baristas' questions about "channeling" — an issue where water creates preferential paths through the coffee puck, leading to uneven extraction. The team found that at higher pressures, coffee grounds behave like poroelastic materials, deforming and becoming less permeable in unpredictable ways. Hundreds of experimental brews were used to build the model, which aims to help baristas optimize extraction and reduce waste.
Source
bskyStudy models how high pressure makes espresso grounds behave unpredictablypublishing.aip.orgKey quotes
· 3 pulledWhen a physics student asked baristas at the Warsaw Coffee Conference what their biggest question for scientists was, the baristas said they wanted to know how to stop channeling during brewing.
At higher pressures, espresso grounds behave like poroelastic materials and no longer react predictably.
The researchers brewed hundreds of cups of espresso to create a mathematical model of the relationship between pressure and flow rate through coffee grounds.
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