MILAN – After many months of reviewing proposals from universities around the world, the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) announced that the University of Oregon in Eugene has been chosen as the research partner for a four-year espresso extraction research project. The project, “Towards a Deeper Understanding of Espresso Extraction,” announced on October 16, 2019, is made possible with support from Simonelli Group.
Supported by the SCA’s Coffee Science Foundation (CSF), “Towards a Deeper Understanding of Espresso Extraction” will focus on espresso extraction, with the aim of developing formal guidelines around extraction parameters, including an espresso brewing control chart. For this project the University of Oregon will be partnering with Oregon State University and the University of Portsmouth in the UK.
The researchers leading this project are Professor Christopher H. Hendon, Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Michael C Qian, Professor of Flavor at Oregon State University in Corvallis, and Elizabeth Tomasino, Associate Professor of Enology at Oregon State University in Corvallis.
“The University of Oregon in Eugene is a first-class public research university and Prof. Hendon is a well-known, pioneering coffee scientist. For this project, they will lead an international research collaboration that is likely to produce exciting innovations in espresso science,” said Peter Giuliano, Executive Director of the CSF.
Principal Investigator Christopher Hendon, in collaboration with a team of scientists trained in sensory science, food science, chemistry, and mathematics, will deepen the understanding of how varying espresso extraction parameters impacts the chemical, sensory, and hedonic (pleasure-giving) properties of espresso.
Using cutting edge science from each of their disciplines, the team will develop a suite of new tools that promise to transform the way espresso is measured, including the creation of a device that will allow for the rapid assessment of coffee chemistry and flavor.
The other tool, an espresso brewing control chart, might be a little more familiar to the coffee community. This chart will be like the classic brewing control chart in terms of its ease of use, but will be created using modern sensory, chemical, and physical sciences.
“As Simonelli Group, we have been committed to coffee research activity with the Research and Innovation Coffee Hub and other research centers for over 10 years. We are really happy this important project has been assigned to the University of Oregon as a research partner,” said Lauro Fioretti of the Simonelli Group.
“We believe with this research we can improve espresso brewing knowledge and develop new tools that can be useful for all of the coffee community. We are available to give the university and researchers all the support needed to ensure this project can produce the best possible outputs.”
Research outputs from the Espresso Extraction Project and other Coffee Science Foundation research projects will be presented at upcoming SCA events, webinars, and publications.
