Scott Rao is one of the most accomplished and respected consulting professionals in the specialty coffee space. He has been making an impact on the industry for decades on multiple platforms, from his blog to his books, and most recently on Youtube. He is perhaps best known for his print publications which have served as handbooks for the industry since the 2000s, whether that is for roasting, brewing or making espresso.

Scott has continued to publish his own works but has also expanded his remit and helped to publish books about coffee from other respected authors. All of them aim to help coffee professionals improve their craft, but will also provide great value to passionate consumers and lovers of specialty coffee who want to dive deeper into the workings of the industry. We feel privileged to have partnered with Scott to make his entire selection of publications available in South Africa.

Notes on The Physics of Filter Coffee from Scott Rao

The Physics of Filter Coffee by astrophysicist Jonathan Gagné is perhaps the most significant book ever written on the science of coffee brewing. In the book Jonathan discusses the physics of percolation, extraction, and grinding, as well as water chemistry. He takes the reader down such rabbit holes as pouring-kettle design, optimizing turbulence while pouring, the impact of fines on percolation, the physics of paper filters, and the geometry of various brewers. He also presents some original ideas about coffee brewing and backs it all up with reams of facts and data.

The most wonderful thing about The Physics of Filter Coffee is not the impressive depth of the science, but the practical lessons Jonathan draws from the science. Unlike, say, Illy’s Espresso: the Science of Quality, an impressive treatise on the science of espresso, The Physics of Filter Coffee offers an abundance of practical recommendations derived from science, data, and experimentation. Any barista who reads this book will immediately have new tools to make better coffee.

The Physics of Filter Coffee book format

• Hardcover
• 249 pages
• 26cm x 18 cm