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22 Fresh Cup Magazine | freshcup.com THE FILTER he University of California, Davis, has long been known as a wellspring of science for the wine industry and its master brewer program has played a major role in craft beer's revo- lution. Because coffee has matched the rise of those industries (basically running step for step with beer) it should almost be a surprise, then, that the UC Davis Coffee Center has only now been launched. The center is young, more an ini- tiative than an institute (there's no building to visit, not yet). Professor Bruce German, the director of Davis' Foods for Health Institute, says the school had many professors con- ducting coffee research, but not in a concerted way. By creating the Coffee Center, the researchers hope to attract funding for topics ranging from coffee's health properties to ion exchange filtration methods to coffee plant pathogens. Part of the reason coffee wasn't rep- resented at the school is that, unlike grapes and hops, coffee isn't grown much in the United States. "Coffee falls through the cracks of the tradi- tional agricultural funding priorities," German says. "The system was set up for farmers, so if you don't have farm- ers growing it why would you fund it." While research will drive the center, the professors involved are interested in building a curriculum for under- grads. At the center's first event, the Coffee Research Conference, held mid- March, Professor William Ristenpart presented a sketch of a potential pro- gram for a minor in coffee. He already teaches a popular fresh- man chemical engineering classes focused on coffee. Ristenpart says coffee provides a perfect subject to introduce chemical engineering's con- cepts. Roasting and brewing involve material balances and fluid mechan- ics; bagged beans undergo mass trans- fer; boiling water showcases thermo- dynamics. Experiments include roast- ing, grinding, brewing, and, of course, drinking coffee. Ristenpart imagines a minor built on courses examining coffee and milk's chemistry, horticulture, and sensory evaluations, the last two are covered by Davis' wine and beer programs cover. That won't happen without interest (read: money) from the coffee industry and enrollment by students, but with coffee reaching such sophis- ticated levels it's hard to imagine the industry wouldn't welcome a universi- ty graduate who doesn't just have good coffee senses but understands a cup of coffee down to the molecular level. —Cory Eldridge o honor its twentieth year, Kaldi's Coffee, Saint Louis' original small-batch coffee roaster, launched new branding in February, including the unveiling of a new roasting plant, cof- fee education center, and barista training facility. The 30,000-square-foot space represents a refreshed focus on the company's mission to bring quality-sourced cof- fee to Missourians. From an update of its signature danc- ing goat logo (legend states that Kaldi, a sixth-century Ethiopian goatherd, discovered cof- fee) to the acquisition of Kansas City brand LatteLand Espresso & Tea, Kaldi's expansion will roll out throughout the next year, with events and store openings to celebrate the company's next phase. "It was time for an update," says co-owner and direc- tor of coffee Tyler Zimmer. " We have definitely evolved over the last twenty years. Customer knowledge and expectations have changed drastically." Zimmer cites Kaldi's increased focus on single-origin, different brew methods, and the company 's relationship coffee program as reasons for the forward push. In addition to enter- ing the Kansas City market, Kaldi's will update its stores in Columbia and Saint Louis and rebrand the six former LatteLand cafes as Kaldi's, with the first set to open this Spring. —Regan Crisp For the Love of the Goat Kaldi's Cofee unveils statewide expansion and cofee education center T T UC Davis' new Cofee Center hopes to study all things bean Coee Goes to the Lab C O U R T E S Y O F K A L D I Õ S C O F F E E May14_magazine.indd 22 4/18/14 10:42 AM