Gagné applies his background in astrophysics to the intricacies of percolation and immersion. By understanding the mathematical models behind flow rate and particle distribution, we can move away from trial-and-error and toward consistent, high-quality results.
The coffee slurry is a porous medium. Water flows through interstitial spaces between particles. The flow rate is governed by : The Physics Of Filter Coffee Pdf
The Physics of Filter Coffee: A Deeper Look into Brewing Science Gagné applies his background in astrophysics to the
The flow of water through a coffee bed can be mathematically described using . This equation models the flow of a fluid through a porous medium: Water flows through interstitial spaces between particles
The rate at which flavor compounds diffuse from inside the coffee grind to the water is governed by Fick’s Law:
That’s a loss of 3.5°C before a single drop has passed through the coffee . Add evaporative cooling (the enthalpy of vaporization of water is ~2260 J/g) and radiative losses from the brewer’s walls, and your extraction temperature may fall below 88°C—the threshold where sour, under-extracted flavors dominate.