Coffee powder gives rise to a new type of alcoholic beverage
With high alcohol content, new drink smells like coffee and tends to get better when aged
Are you the kind of person who can't get through the day without having a cup of coffee? But then, what do you do with the coffee grounds?
Some people put it in the compost bin to make the compost pile smell milder as well as warmer and more humid. But researchers at the University of Minho, in Portugal, gave the used coffee powder one more use: that of raw material for the production of a new alcoholic beverage.
The powder, collected from a Portuguese roasting company, undergoes a dehydration process and is then mixed with boiling water for 45 minutes at a temperature of 163°C. The liquid resulting from the mixture is separated and yeast and sugar are added to it.
The fermentation process that this new drink goes through, and which does not bring the caffeine in the compound, is similar to that of other well-known drinks, such as whiskey and rum. And, after fermentation, the sample is concentrated to reach a high alcohol content, which reaches 40%.
According to the Science magazine website, eight flavor critics were invited to taste the drink and defined it as having a typical coffee fragrance and a bitter and spicy taste. It is believed that, just like a wine, the taste of the new drink can be improved with age, but that it is, from the moment of its production, of sufficient quality for consumption.
