Is Coffee Brewing an Art or a Science?

The headline’s question is a good one. My answer is brewing is a science to make a cup of coffee – which I consider a work of art. Brewing is chemistry. We are attempting to use water as a solvent, which the heat enhances, which is why we heat the water. From then on it’s time and terms. The longer we have contact between the water and the grounds the more coffee flavor matter we extract. Now, there is an element of art involved – that is the subjective decision of how much is enough. Truthfully, there is no right answer. The fact that different parts of the world have different brewing standards shows us this. But, a good barista, or any of us when we brew, should be aiming to brew it to the tastes of the person who will be drinking it, and the methodology we use should be thought out and repeatable. Hence, it is both art and science.  Kevin Sinnott

I think I’ve become a coffee snob.  I drink coffee every morning made in an Aeropress.  When I get back to the states I’m going to buy a Chemex.

I like coffee made in a Scheherazade.    I can make coffee in a French press or a cezve or with a cone drip Melitta.  I know that brewing methods take different grinds.  I know that bloom can be a noun or a verb relating to coffee.  I know the difference between a macchiato and a cappuccino.  I know, strictly speaking, varieties of coffee are separated into two distinct camps: varieties and cultivars. And…

My favorite coffee house in Krakow is Pozegnanie z Afryka on Tomasza Street right around the street from a Starbucks.  Ironically, it was a barista at this Starbucks who told me to go to Pozegnanie when I asked him where I could get a Melitta coffee maker.  At Pozeqnanie on that eventful day is when I was introduced to coffee as an art form.

Pozegnanie is dark and rustic and it takes 15 minutes to make a cup of coffee and then it is served with a tiny glass of water to cleanse your palette before you drink.  The coffee menu is ten pages long and includes a section:  This Is How We Will Prepare Your Coffee.