From Roasting to Brewing: How Accademia del Caffè Espresso Used CDR CoffeeLab® to Study Caffeine

The Accademia del Caffè Espresso performed a comprehensive study to decode how roasting and brewing methods truly affect the caffeine content in our daily cup, utilizing a single-origin Brazilian Arabica. To ensure precise, repeatable chemical measurements across all variables, the Accademia selected CDR CoffeeLab^® as its analytical platform.

Evaluating 18 distinct coffee preparations across different roasts and brewing techniques would have been complex and time-consuming using traditional, laboratory-based chromatographic methods like HPLC. Instead, the CDR CoffeeLab^® system enabled the researchers to measure caffeine directly on-site and in real-time, under controlled conditions without sending each sample to an external laboratory, making the analysis faster, repeatable and directly connected to brewing decisions.

Empowered by this rapid on-site data, the research team first addressed a common industry misconception: the idea that a darker roast inherently creates more caffeine. The precise analyses provided by the CDR CoffeeLab^® confirmed that the total caffeine content remains unchanged during the roasting process.

However, the darker the roast, the greater the moisture loss, reaching up to an 18.5% weight reduction in dark roasts. This creates a concentration effect, meaning a dark roast contains slightly more caffeine per gram strictly due to water evaporation, which alters the physical structure of the bean and makes the caffeine more readily available for extraction.

While roasting alters the physical structure of the bean, the data the data showed that brewing method alone can significantly shift caffeine yield, making it the dominant variable, far outweighing roast level. Using the CDR CoffeeLab^®, researchers successfully quantified massive variations between different preparations under controlled conditions. For instance, they identified that an Espresso, utilizing a 1:2 brew ratio, highly concentrates both aromas and caffeine, reaching levels exceeding 120 mg per 30 mL serving, up to six times higher than the amount measured in a standard 150 mL cup of filter coffee. Conversely, while the Moka pot proved highly efficient due to water temperatures exceeding 90 °C, Cold Brew requires a prolonged 12-hour contact time at 20-25 °C to achieve its ready-to-drink extraction levels.

The findings from this extensive study clearly demonstrate that caffeine content is the result of a complex interplay between the raw material, roasting degree, and precise extraction parameters. This study does more than clarify how caffeine behaves during roasting and extraction. It demonstrates how rapid chemical analysis can become a practical tool for coffee research, quality control and recipe development. In this context, the use of CDR CoffeeLab^® by the Accademia del Caffè Espresso reinforces the system’s role as a reliable analytical platform for professionals who need accurate data without the delays of traditional laboratory workflows.