In this episode, we sit down with Christopher H. Hendon, computational chemist, Associate Professor of Chemistry at the University of Oregon, co-author of Water for Coffee, and one of the most recognisable voices in modern coffee science!

We talk about what makes good science, why the coffee industry is so vulnerable to pseudoscience, and how professionals can better separate useful evidence from confident noise.

Chris breaks down everything from freezing coffee beans and the Ross Droplet Technique to water chemistry, coffee extraction, cold brew, co-ferments, climate change, and why one experiment rarely proves what people think it proves.

This one is for the coffee nerds, the science-curious, and anyone who has ever heard a coffee claim online and thought: “Wait… is that actually true?”

If you're new here (welcome), our show dives into some of the best coffee conversations on the internet, but we will always remind ourselves at the end of the day - It's Just Coffee!

Explore everything Chris here:

Insta @chhendon

https://pages.uoregon.edu/chendon/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-71526-5?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&utm_id=97760_v0_s00_e0_tv3

CHAPTERS

00:00 Coffee Science vs Coffee Myths

03:29 Meet Chris Hendon

05:21 Why Coffee Gets Science Wrong

13:00 Freezing Coffee Beans Explained

14:39 Ross Droplet Technique Explained

17:39 Better Coffee Experiments

21:24 James Hoffmann’s Long Black Theory

29:00 How to Spot Bad Coffee Science

36:46 Can Science Fix Bad Coffee?

41:32 Why Water Chemistry Matters

44:46 Water for Coffee 2

49:33 Why Coffee Tastes Different Everywhere

55:13 The Future of Coffee Education

01:03:33 Coffee Processing and Climate Change

01:08:40 Is Cold Brew Actually Bad?

01:10:02 Rethinking Coffee Equipment

01:12:47 One Coffee Belief to Challenge

Want more coffee content?

IT'S JUST COFFEE: https://linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=4e8cead0-6644-4c4a-b419-28c825b1b236

Want to get in touch? Hit us up at [email protected] for any questions or comments.

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