Chemistry of Coffee Elective Module
The Chemistry of Coffee was a fun and interesting elective, where I was able to learn about the way caffeine works to keep us awake, and how with the same type of coffee beans, one can create different types of coffee by changing the way one brews it. It also allowed me to apply what I have learnt about the rate of chemical reactions from chemistry lessons in real life. The elective also allowed me to try out coffee cupping and appreciate the flavour and aroma of the coffee itself without adding any other condiments. It was a real eye-opener and definitely enjoyable.
Written by Skyler Lim (16S7J)
I participated in the Chemistry of Coffee elective. This was interesting in the sense that coffee is part and parcel of our lives, but we hardly think about how coffee functions - how does coffee keep us alert, or why is coffee so addictive. This elective taught us about how molecules in coffee react in our body to produce certain effects. For the first session, we extracted caffeine from tea, and analysed the molecular structure of the caffeine molecule. For subsequent sessions, we learnt how to brew and judge coffee professionally, and it was fun to view this common beverage from a different lens, to judge it based certain factors such as acidity, aftertaste, and body. The factors that affected how coffee tasted were also related to rates of reaction, and the instructor did a good job in tying these two together, so that we could understand how chemistry concepts were applicable to daily life.
Written by Chan Zhuo Yang (16S6G)
