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Electrical Test Distinguishes Coffee Varieties, Catches Bad Batch

4/29/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Oregon chemist Christopher Hendon and his team demonstrated a method that measures coffee flavor by passing an electrical current through a sample.
Using a repurposed potentiostat, they generated electrochemical signatures that distinguished bean varieties, roast levels, and correctly flagged a failed batch among four identical samples from an English roaster.
Hendon said the technique could help cafés achieve more consistent flavor.

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Story summary

Oregon chemist Christopher Hendon and his team demonstrated a method that measures coffee flavor by passing an electrical current through a sample.
Using a repurposed potentiostat, they generated electrochemical signatures that distinguished bean varieties, roast levels, and correctly flagged a failed batch among four identical samples from an English roaster.
Hendon said the technique could help cafés achieve more consistent flavor.