Do you associate science with your everyday morning routine? If you need a cup of joe before you can even start thinking about the day, maybe you should. Tons of chemistry, biology and physics goes into harvesting, roasting and brewing your morning coffee.
You can find out how at Night Lab: The Science of Coffee, a science education outreach program at Schubas on Sunday, June 12 at 7pm as part of an ongoing series on the science behind food.
Sarah Kluth, green coffee manager and buyer at local favorite Intelligentsia Coffee, will be discussing her expertise in bringing the best beans from tree to cup to your mouth, and all the scientific principles involved along the way.
Night Lab is the independent project of Stephanie Levi, the coordinator for the Student Center for Science Engagement at Northeastern Illinois University who holds a Ph.D. in molecular biology. “It’s more like a bar discussion than a lecture. There’s not a whole lot that’s academic about it,” she says about the series.
“The idea was to get a room full of people who weren’t scientists into a room with scientists, and get a really sexy topic, something fun, food-related, political, something to get people thinking, then give people the chance to have a conversation about it.”
And it’s a good time for coffee. In the southern hemisphere, where most coffee is grown, it’s late fall and the beans are being harvested, so there’s plenty of good coffee going around. “Every time they drink a cup of coffee they’re going to think about what they learned about this event,” Levi hopes.
And hey, maybe you can pick up a few facts to impress your next coffee date. (Shaunacy Ferro)
Related Stories
Monday Coffee Co.: A Warm Cup of Community, Education and Representation Launched online late-October, 2020, the company sold out of its core coffee product within a week. Then, at the same time, it ramped up production to meet demand, and the team was invited to do pop-ups, which enabled them to foster their community focus in physical space.
