Secret to perfect coffee? Scientists have cracked the espresso code, study says

An international team of experts says it has discovered the recipe for a perfect, consistent espresso shot — a formula that could save U.S. coffee shops millions of dollars every day.

One of the scientists in that 10-member group, University of Oregon chemist Christopher Hendon, said in a statement released by the Eugene-based university that “for the local shop owner, this is an opportunity to save a lot of money without sacrificing quality.”

Hendon said that “I think honestly this might be one of the most comprehensive studies of espresso ever,” VICE reported.

So what’s the secret to the perfect espresso shot? Fewer beans, and beans less finely ground, the study says.

“If you use 15 grams instead of 20 grams of coffee and grind your beans coarser, you end up with a shot that runs really fast but tastes great,” Hendon said. “Instead of taking 25 seconds, it could run in 7 to 14 seconds. But you end up extracting more positive flavors from the beans, so the strength of the cup is not dramatically reduced. Bitter, off-tasting flavors never have a chance to make their way into the cup.”

That recommendation uses 25 percent less coffee (saving coffee houses 13 cents on each espresso drink) but is a departure from traditional recommendations, researchers said.

VICE reported that, while the Specialty Coffee Association suggests espresso be brewed for 20 to 30 seconds, Hendon’s recommendations meant espresso shots were brewed in just 14 seconds.

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The team of researchers included mathematicians, chemists and coffee experts from five countries. Their findings were published online Wednesday in the journal Matter.

“We want to extract more from the coffee to save money, and be sustainable, but we also want it to taste delicious, not burnt or bitter,” Hendon said. “Our method allows us to push extractions and have the shots taste great, while being more sustainable and saving money.”

Getting more espresso from fewer beans could have a big impact on a huge industry: Coffee drinkers down 124 million espresso-based beverages every day, the researchers said.

To reach their conclusion, the team of experts looked at a variety of factors that go into making a shot of espresso — everything from water pressure and flow rate to grind size and the amount of coffee used. Experiments were done in Brisbane, Australia, and then the findings were road-tested at a coffee house in Eugene, researchers said.

That coffee shop — Tailored Coffee Roasters — saw measurable results after it started using the experts’ “waste reduction protocol” in 2017, the study said.

Sales figures from 2018 and 2019 showed that the shop boosted revenue $3,620 yearly by systematically using 25 percent less specialty-grade coffee in the 27,850 espresso drinks that baristas brewed over that period, researchers said. What’s more, those espresso shots were brewed faster, shaving seconds off the time from order to delivery.

If every U.S. barista used the suggested espresso formula, coffee shops could save $3.1 million a day, the study said.

“I don’t think I’ll ever go back to the old way of making coffee,” said Brian Sung, the owner of Tailored, according to VICE.

But the study authors warned that, when it comes to coffee, one size doesn’t fit all — with researchers saying in the news release that “baristas and home connoisseurs will need to use their judgment and experiment with their grinder and coffee-shop recipes to obtain consistent results.”

“A good espresso beverage can be made in a multitude of ways,” Hendon said. “The point of this paper was to give people a map for making an espresso beverage that they like and then be able to make it 100 times in a row.”