The Design of Coffee: An Engineering Approach

The Design of Coffee provides a non-mathematical introduction to chemical engineering, as illustrated by the roasting and brewing of coffee. Hands-on coffee experiments demonstrate key engineering principles, including material balances, chemical kinetics, mass transfer, fluid mechanics, conservation of energy, and colloidal phenomena. The experiments lead to an engineering design competition where contestants strive to make the best tasting coffee using the least amount of energy – a classic engineering optimization problem, but one that is both fun and tasty!Anybody with access to a sink, electricity, and inexpensive coffee roasting and brewing equipment can do these experiments, either as part of a class or with your friends at home. The Design of Coffee will help you understand how to think like an engineer – and how to make excellent coffee!This new fourth edition incorporates the latest research on coffee and features greatly revised labs on the energy of roasting and mass transfer in full immersion brewing. Improved labs feature water chemistry and brewing, pressure driven flow through grounds, espresso and viscosity, colloids and filtration, and coffee economics. This new edition also includes updated equipment recommendations and lists, an expanded glossary, and new bonus material about coffee.FEATURES:* Covers all aspects of making coffee, from green beans to the final brew.* Does not require calculus or college-level chemistry.* Emphasizes the scientific method and introductory data analysis with guided data sheets and lab report questions.* Includes 14 full experiments, each with background on key concepts, overview of necessary equipment, and detailed instructions:Lab 1 - Safety Overview and Introduction to Tasting CoffeeLab 2 - Reverse Engineering a Drip Coffee BrewerLab 3 - Process Flow Diagram and Mass Balances for CoffeeLab 4 - The pH of Coffee and Chemical ReactionsLab 5 - Measuring the Energy Used to Make CoffeeLab 6 - Mass Transfer and Flux during BrewingLab 7 - Water Chemistry and its Effect on BrewingLab 8 - Pressure Driven Flow through Coffee GroundsLab 9 - Coffee as a Colloidal Fluid and the Effect of FiltrationLab 10 - High Pressure Extraction and the Viscosity of EspressoLab 11 - First Design Trials: Optimizing Strength & ExtractionLab 12 - Second Design Trials: Scaling Up to 1 Liter of CoffeeLab 13 - Third Design Trials: Engineering Economics and CoffeeLab 14 - Design Competition and Blind Taste Panel Read more