NYTimes.com: You Want Tastier Coffee? Freeze Beans, Then Grind

Coffee preparation techniques besides espresso like pourover.
JakeMasterFlash
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#1: Post by JakeMasterFlash »

In case you missed it. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/17/scien ... grind.html
Joanna Klein wrote:Percolator, French press, AeroPress, espresso, pour over, vacuum pot, automatic brew, tin can: People go to great lengths for a good cup of coffee. (A friend of mine filters his cold brew with pantyhose.) But to achieve consistent flavor you may just need to chill your beans before grinding them. Colder beans produce smaller, more consistently sized particles when ground, yielding more flavor from less coffee, according to a study published in Scientific Reports.

(cont'd)

Charlene
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#2: Post by Charlene »

Perhaps Christopher H. Hendon of MIT (the chemist cited as having participated in the study cited in the article) would be willing to release that study to allow full disclosure.

Frozen beans collect condensation when exposed to home and business air environment temps and levels of relative humidity.

Left to assume they were ground while at below freezing test temps, what was the environment's temp, relative humidity, and length of time from freezer to grinder to cup?

The upside is these are taste tests we can all do for ourselves. Anyone with a decent microscope can evaluate the grind differences side by side.

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aecletec
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#3: Post by aecletec »


Charlene
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#4: Post by Charlene replying to aecletec »

Just finished reading it. He stated the data would be delineated in an attachment but I don't see that document in that cluster.

He knew he would be buzzed on environmental humidity and bean test temp integrity from freezer to a post-grind state.

Saying, beans put into a frozen state are to to be protected from vapor (humidity) is OK for a lab experiment but it's not a reasonable expectation of home baristas or professional baristas.

The fact that the low temp grinds were rushed into the analyzer signals avoidance of grind changes due to environment temp and humidity which can not be avoided by home baristas or any commercial situation.

I read this study as saying a benefit is possible but not feasible...

It seems this study was geared at lowering cost for mass production of commodity grinds by the coffee industry.

h3yn0w
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#5: Post by h3yn0w »

Charlene wrote:Perhaps Christopher H. Hendon of MIT (the chemist cited as having participated in the study cited in the article) would be willing to release that study to allow full disclosure.

Frozen beans collect condensation when exposed to home and business air environment temps and levels of relative humidity.

Left to assume they were ground while at below freezing test temps, what was the environment's temp, relative humidity, and length of time from freezer to grinder to cup?

The upside is these are taste tests we can all do for ourselves. Anyone with a decent microscope can evaluate the grind differences side by side.
I've been grinding out of the freezer for a long time and have never had condensation. In fact, if there was some small trace amounts that, that could be a good thing given how many people RDT their beans before grinding.

Charlene
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#6: Post by Charlene replying to h3yn0w »

No doubt everyone's mileage varies and the reason I freeze beans is flavor preservation not grinding while frozen.

Just let the beans set out for a bit and evaporation will take care of it.

I'm in a dry climate most of the year.

Someone in Singapore has a lot of humidity to deal with.

Edit: On RDT'ing, I did some reading up on that a few days ago. Not something I am interested in with other things to dabble at. Those discussions also touched on effects of frozen beans with condensation present on grinding and grinds.

h3yn0w
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#7: Post by h3yn0w »

By the way, I'm not sure who was first but this has been theorized long before this NYT article.

One example, in 2015 Matt Perger recommended to grind beans frozen for "better particle distribution". See about 14 minute mark in this video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgRufU-0cO4

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aecletec
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#8: Post by aecletec »

Charlene wrote:Just finished reading it. He stated the data would be delineated in an attachment but I don't see that document in that cluster.
I only found the supplementary information, too.

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yakster
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#9: Post by yakster »

I did a quick web search of the old Sweet Maria's mailing list and found a reference to grinding frozen beans from 2009. There's probably earlier references, I remember reading about it on the list, but didn't want to spend a lot of time tracking it down. It goes way back, but hasn't really gained that widespread an audience until the past few years, it seems.
-Chris

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HB
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#10: Post by HB »

Charlene wrote:I read this study as saying a benefit is possible but not feasible...

It seems this study was geared at lowering cost for mass production of commodity grinds by the coffee industry.
Indeed. For easier reference, the online version of the PDF: The effect of bean origin and temperature on grinding roasted coffee. Below is an excerpt from the Applications and Concluding Remarks section:
However, we also observe a difference in the shape of the distribution with temperature, which indicates that simply grinding finer with warm burrs will not produce the same result as grinding coarsely with cold burrs. The impact on taste and preference is not the focus of this study, but is certainly an interesting avenue to explore in the future.
...

From an industrial perspective, the yield of extraction is paramount. Grinding colder coffee beans produces a more uniform particle distribution, with a decreased particle size. While the decreased particle size will tend to speed up extraction due to the larger surface area, the increased uniformity should minimise the amount of wasted bean, which is discarded without being extracted to completion. Whilst active cooling of either the coffee beans or burrs is energy consuming, the benefit of cold coffee grinding may offset this cost with more efficient extraction from the smaller particles.
The NY Times article appears to make inferences based on non-taste observations. Anyone know of blind taste tests demonstrating that frozen beans deliver "tastier" coffee as the article claims?
Dan Kehn

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