COPENHAGEN, Denmark – Researchers from the University of Copenhagen together with coffee professionals have developed a completely new water treatment especially suitable for coffee brewing. The specially designed water is expected to be on the market during 2024 and will both revolutionize the taste of coffee and extend the life of the equipment used to brew it. The invention will be presented at the University of Copenhagen on Thursday.
Roasting, grinding, and dosing the right coffee beans is almost a science. So is choosing the right equipment and the right method to brew a good cup of coffee. But what about the water, which is by far the largest ingredient in a cup of coffee?
Coffee pioneer and founder of Baresso Coffee (now Espresso House Denmark), Kenneth Luciani asked himself that very question, and when he brought it to the University of Copenhagen, it turned into a research project.
“There is a great variety in the quality of water, not just from country to country, but often from city to city. The contents of lime, salts and minerals vary, and this has a great influence on the taste. Even with the best beans and the best brewing equipment, the quality of the water can ruin everything,” he says.
On the other hand, the perfect water can make the coffee even better, and that is exactly what Kenneth Luciani’s question has resulted in. Now the perfect water for coffee brewing has also become a science.
Strong partnership behind the project
After several years of research and fine-tuning Professor Henrik Grum Kjærsgaard from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Copenhagen is now ready to present the specially designed “coffee water” in collaboration with Kenneth Luciani and his partners’ newly established company DesignWater and Peter Larsen Kaffe, which is the commercial coffee partner on the project.
“This discovery represents a significant contribution to coffee enthusiasts’ experience of their favorite beverage. We are proud to be able to present this result of our research and collaboration,” says Professor Henrik Grum Kjærsgaard.
Better for coffee and equipment
The specially designed water, which must both go through so-called reverse osmosis and have the right salts added, is still 100 percent natural. It enhances the taste and nuances of the coffee and is also far more gentle on the tools and machines used to brew the coffee. A patent application has been submitted for the treatment of the water.
Lars Nørskov, Head of Out of Home at Peter Larsen Kaffe, sees great perspectives in the new water: “For Peter Larsen Kaffe, it has been a fantastic and educational collaboration. Now we look forward to putting the water into production and getting it into stores, restaurants and so on,” he says.
The presentation
The official presentation and tasting of the specially designed water will take place on Thursday 23 November at 3 p.m-5 p.m. at the Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen. The purpose of the presentation is also to get feedback on the experience of the specially designed water as well as the commercial potential with coffee geeks and other interested parties.
