In Weeks 1 and 2, the textbook readings and videos introduce certain chemistry concepts in food and drinks, such as the major compounds found in food, as well as their basic chemical and physical properties. As a Chemistry major, understanding the concepts of pH, phase diagrams (triple point, supercritical fluid), chemical bonds, water hardness, etc were relatively easy. These concepts further emphasised what I have learnt so far in my undergraduate years, but in food applications.

In one of the videos, I learnt a few interesting science-based cooking techniques/tricks to make tastier meals. An example would be the use of beer instead of yeast to make bread. Interesting enough, I definitely did not know that beer has such a useful purpose! This is only possible as both beer and bread share the same fermentation step. In bread making, fermentation is where yeast consumes sugar and releases both carbon dioxide and alcohol as waste products. However, using beer alone will result in denser bread, which is not desired. To rectify, self-rising flour, which contains baking powder and salt can be used. The sodium bicarbonate present reacts with acids in dough to create additional bubbles of carbon dioxide, giving a more fluffy bread!

Coffee Brewing Workshop by The Coffee Roaster

Two weeks ago, I attended an interesting and informative Coffee Brewing Workshop (16 Jan). I learnt a lot about coffee, such as its origin, the different types of coffee (espresso, long black, americano, latte, etc.) and the different parameters in brewing coffee (brew ratio, grind size, temperature, pressure, etc.).

Truthfully speaking, coffee plays quite a significant part in my life. I used to rely and only drink 3-in-1 instant coffee to keep myself awake for classes. However now, I have switched and grew fondly of both Frappuccino and Latte 😊

Through this workshop, the most interesting segment I have learnt is understanding the different types of coffee (espresso, long black, americano, flat white, cappuccino, latte, etc.) which I wasn’t well aware of. Unlike black coffee (espresso, long black, americano), white coffee (flat white, cappuccino, latte) involves the use of milk/cream to enhance the flavour of black coffee.

Another fascinating takeaway is the difference between flat white, cappuccino and latte, categorise by their different ratio of expresso, steamed milk, and foam. Flat white introduces no foam, whereas cappuccino introduces a thick layer of foam, and latte has a relatively thinner layer of foam.

So how does foam forms? Interestingly, the foam found at the top of coffee is known as Crema, which can be explained by Science! Crema is a golden layer found on the top of espresso, which is formed during emulsification. During espresso making process, hot water pumped at great pressures pushes oil from the coffee beans into the liquid, forming air bubbles. So, the next time when I order white coffee, I will try out both cappuccino and flat white, other than my usual order of latte, to see how foam will affect the taste of white coffee 😊


Class photo taken during Coffee Brewing Workshop

Looking forward to the next workshop: Fermentation!