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Coffee Research

by Alex Scofield

This site review is from January 2001.

Name: Coffee Research
URL: www.coffeeresearch.org
Coffee Genre: Coffee Information

I'll admit it. While I consider myself a legitimate lover and addict of fine coffee and surround myself with ample opportunities to learn about my drink of choice, I still find myself overwhelmed when confronted with detailed and technical information about coffee. The same is true of beer and wine - I know a good one when I taste one, but when you start telling me the nuts and bolts about the brewing/fermentation/roasting process, I still feel out of my league.

This mild-grade phobia of detailed background information impacts my coffee purchases, and not for the better. When presented with a diverse choice of coffee from my favorite roaster or specialty store, I often resort to skimming the background information, taking a whiff, buying, and hoping for the best. While rarely disappointed, I cannot help but feeling that I am failing to make a fully informed decision.

Coffee Research

Come on, my coffee-swilling brothers and sisters; I'm not the only one who feels this way, am I? If I am striking a chord among any of you, however, there is good news for all of us. The perfect remedy exists on the Web to provide factual backup to your sensory appreciation of coffee. It cannot be put any other way: if you are a coffee lover, run - don't walk - to Coffeeresearch.org, the major league level of detailed coffee information.

Fusing Science and Sensory Perception

"Since many sites about basic coffee facts and techniques are available, this site will mainly focus on the more advanced scientific approach to understanding coffee," says Michael Griffin, the primary scientific and creative force behind Coffeeresearch.org, in the 'About' section. "We realize that it is necessary to fuse science and sensory perception to fully understand the many aspects of coffee. The goal of this web site is to foster this alliance."

As promised in the 'About' section, Coffeeresearch.org is thick with scientific information. A few features are comprehensible only to the scientifically inclined (one example is a table charting the recommended chemical composition of fertilizer in a planting hole relative to productivity). Such content is in the minority, though, and the coffee literati will find the vast majority of the site's content to be concisely arranged and very approachable on a lay level.

The Perfect Presentation

The homepage of Coffeeresearch.org sets an appropriate tone for the site's content and features. Those viewing with Flash animation see a molecular structure advance toward the screen against a backdrop of ripening coffee beans. Moving over the dynamic menu causes a subheadline to appear in the molecular hexagon. Both visually impressive and straightforward, the page - like the rest of the site - is refreshingly free of commercial content or marginal distractions of any type. Throughout Coffeeresearch.org, there are cutting-edge animated graphics and cutting-edge dynamic menus, yet these features are never gaudy. There is little to distract the visitor from an involved learning experience about coffee.

Coffeeresearch.org's information is arranged in six main categories: Agriculture, Coffee, Espresso, Science, Politics, and Health, the last of which is slated for release in January 2001. The other five categories abound with site-specific information, and link up to even more sources of coffee information.

Rich Illustrations of All Things Coffee

A particularly informative and interesting aspect of Coffeeresearch.org is an animated feature on coffee bean development. This is one of the many features found in the site's Agriculture category. Click on 'PLAY' and watch the cross-section of a coffee bean develop through the pinhead stage, the rapid expansion stage, endosperm growth, and on through the ripening stage, after which it is ready for harvest.

The Agriculture section alone is an exhaustive look at the process that a bean undergoes before it reaches the consumer. The statistical, chemical, and biological information is accompanied by visual animation, illustrations, and videos of the appropriate stage. In the Color Sorting section, for instance, several videos show old and new methods for removing defective beans.

The Coffee and Espresso sections feature equally detailed information on subjects closer to home for most coffee drinkers. There are instructions on the elements of home brewing, and other facts flavoring your coffee-drinking experience. Of particular interest to those playing Around the World with their coffee bean purchases is an informative chart in the Coffee / Origins section detailing harvest months and output for the major coffee producing countries in the world.

Summary

The more I delve through Coffeeresearch.org, the more I feel as though I am filling in gaps in my background knowledge of a beverage that is a major staple of my daily life. Somebody who cares enough about wine to maintain a well-stocked wine cellar most assuredly has a rich cerebral store of information about the grapes, harvest conditions, and fermentation process that went into the prized wines (or just tons of money to burn). A coffee lover ought be no different. Coffeeresearch.org is a great source of online information for anybody whose coffee tastes approach connoisseur level.

I have sung the praises of this website enough; the quality of Coffeeresearch.org speaks for itself, and is well worth your checking out. In fusing a wealth of detailed coffee information with attractive design and entertaining features, the site more than succeeds in its aspirations.

INeedCoffee.com is proud to present Coffee Research the January 2001 Site of the Month Award.