Splash of Water Before Grinding Coffee Beans Leads to Better Espresso, Study Finds

The technique reduces static electricity, resulting in less waste and a more intense and consistent brew, with significant implications for the coffee industry.

Adding a splash of water to coffee beans before grinding them reduces static electricity, resulting in less coffee waste and a more intense and consistent espresso, according to a study by researchers at the University of Oregon and Portland State University.
The study found that the water reduces the clumping of coffee grounds caused by static electricity, allowing for a denser packing of the grounds and a more efficient extraction of flavor.
The researchers also found that coffee beans with higher internal moisture content produce less static electricity. Light roasts, which have higher moisture content, produce less charge compared to darker roasts, which tend to be drier.
The technique could have significant economic implications for the coffee industry, potentially saving hundreds of millions of dollars annually by increasing espresso concentration by about 15 percent, thus reducing the amount of coffee beans needed for a brew.
The research team plans to continue their investigations into how to prepare the perfect coffee, and their work also has implications beyond the daily brew, as the electrification of granular materials is an active area of research in material science, geophysics, and engineering.