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There is great news for the coffee connoisseurs of the world. It turns out that the perfect cup of coffee might be easier (and cheaper) to achieve than even the most diehard java fiends had previously imagined.

While companies have been feverishly developing new, high-tech devices to improve at-home coffee brewing, it appears that the answer might be decidedly pedestrian. According to UPI, researchers Christopher Hendon and Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood recently discovered that the temperature of your coffee beans at the moment that you grind them affects the resulting flavor of the coffee. The groundbreaking (no pun intended) chilled beans result in a more even, homogenous grind and may be the key to brewing a flavorful cup of Joe.

If you’re interested in the technical details of the research, it turns out that a more even grind translates to a stronger, more economical beverage. Chilling your coffee beans before grinding them results in a “greater post-grind consistency, boasting a narrower distribution of fine particles,” UPI reports. These homogenous fine particles have more surface area than traditionally ground beans, and constitute the crux of the researchers’ findings.

According to Hendon, the chilled beans “will alter the taste, because subtle changes in particle size distributions make a huge difference in rate of extraction.” He added that the results “could have a major impact for the industry," and Colonna-Dashwood suggests, “we will see the impact of this paper in coffee competitions around the globe, but also in the research and development of new grinding technology for the market place." 

Thus, before you drop $199 on a new Voltaire grinder or completely give-up on home-brewed coffee, we suggest throwing your beans in the freezer before grinding them. Who knows, it could be the secret to breaking your Starbucks habit and saving you a cool $5 every morning!

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There is great news for the coffee connoisseurs of the world. It turns out that the perfect cup of coffee might be easier (and cheaper) to achieve than even the most diehard java fiends had previously imagined.

While companies have been feverishly developing new, high-tech devices to improve at-home coffee brewing, it appears that the answer might be decidedly pedestrian. According to UPI, researchers Christopher Hendon and Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood recently discovered that the temperature of your coffee beans at the moment that you grind them affects the resulting flavor of the coffee. The groundbreaking (no pun intended) chilled beans result in a more even, homogenous grind and may be the key to brewing a flavorful cup of Joe.

If you’re interested in the technical details of the research, it turns out that a more even grind translates to a stronger, more economical beverage. Chilling your coffee beans before grinding them results in a “greater post-grind consistency, boasting a narrower distribution of fine particles,” UPI reports. These homogenous fine particles have more surface area than traditionally ground beans, and constitute the crux of the researchers’ findings.

According to Hendon, the chilled beans “will alter the taste, because subtle changes in particle size distributions make a huge difference in rate of extraction.” He added that the results “could have a major impact for the industry," and Colonna-Dashwood suggests, “we will see the impact of this paper in coffee competitions around the globe, but also in the research and development of new grinding technology for the market place." 

Thus, before you drop $199 on a new Voltaire grinder or completely give-up on home-brewed coffee, we suggest throwing your beans in the freezer before grinding them. Who knows, it could be the secret to breaking your Starbucks habit and saving you a cool $5 every morning!

You Should Be Freezing Your Coffee Beans

There is great news for the coffee connoisseurs of the world. It turns out that the perfect cup of coffee might be easier (and cheaper) to achieve than even the most diehard java fiends had previously imagined.

While companies have been feverishly developing new, high-tech devices to improve at-home coffee brewing, it appears that the answer might be decidedly pedestrian. According to UPI, researchers Christopher Hendon and Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood recently discovered that the temperature of your coffee beans at the moment that you grind them affects the resulting flavor of the coffee. The groundbreaking (no pun intended) chilled beans result in a more even, homogenous grind and may be the key to brewing a flavorful cup of Joe.

If you’re interested in the technical details of the research, it turns out that a more even grind translates to a stronger, more economical beverage. Chilling your coffee beans before grinding them results in a “greater post-grind consistency, boasting a narrower distribution of fine particles,” UPI reports. These homogenous fine particles have more surface area than traditionally ground beans, and constitute the crux of the researchers’ findings.

According to Hendon, the chilled beans “will alter the taste, because subtle changes in particle size distributions make a huge difference in rate of extraction.” He added that the results “could have a major impact for the industry," and Colonna-Dashwood suggests, “we will see the impact of this paper in coffee competitions around the globe, but also in the research and development of new grinding technology for the market place." 

Thus, before you drop $199 on a new Voltaire grinder or completely give-up on home-brewed coffee, we suggest throwing your beans in the freezer before grinding them. Who knows, it could be the secret to breaking your Starbucks habit and saving you a cool $5 every morning!