[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/Ian_Fretheim_Water_Activity_Cafe_Imports-1.jpg” url=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/Cafe_Imports_Coffee_Family_Tree_Digital.png” align=”center” max_width=”80%” \/][et_pb_text admin_label=”1 – Intro” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_font=”Raleway||||||||” text_font_size=”15px” header_font=”Raleway||||||||”]<\/p>\n
We know that water is wet, but that fact alone isn\u2019t enough to capture water\u2019s immense power. That power is evident in coffee, not simply in the cup but also in the seeds themselves: Water activity (Aw) is the relative equilibrium that exists (or doesn\u2019t exist) between the vapor pressure inside a food or a coffee seed as compared with the surrounding humidity or environment. In perishable foods, it is a significant measure for the sake of safety and the prevention of food-borne illness, but in coffee, it\u2019s a significant measure\u2026why, exactly?<\/p>\n
Starting in 2012, the Cafe Imports sensory analysis department, led by director Ian Fretheim, set out to start collecting and monitoring water activity in green coffee in the hope that \u201cit would provide a more insightful measurement than moisture content, specifically with regard to predicting the shelf life of coffees. We hoped to answer (or at least partially answer) the question of why some coffees arrive as purchased and some do not.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Ian, along with U.S. sensory lab manager Megan Person, have collected more than 25,000 water activity readings to date, comparing their results against a host of variables and changeable characteristics to attempt to really understand what Aw might indicate or predict, if anything. Over the past 12 months, Ian has been organizing and synthesizing that data into a 42-page report on his findings\u2014though the conclusions are a bit surprising.<\/p>\n
(When asked whether the study proved what he expected or whether he was surprised by the results, Ian answered somewhat enigmatically, \u201cYes.\u201d)<\/p>\n
Over the past several years, more and more conversations about water activity have come to the fore in specialty coffee, many relying on small or limited data sets.<\/p>\n
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\u201cOne of the things about this study is that we have a really, really big sample set,\u201d Ian says, which has allowed him and Megan to not only draw their own conclusions, but to also test others\u2019 hypotheses against the information we have in house. \u201cIf someone releases something about water activity, we could essentially test it against our data: Does this theory hold up against what we\u2019ve seen? There are examples out there where\u2014it\u2019s understandable\u2014you get a meter, you\u2019re excited about it, you read some stuff and with a sample size of very few [coffees] you say, \u2018We\u2019ve seen this.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Another aspiration, however, is that the release of this document will tease out more information from others who are doing this type of analysis. \u201cSomewhere in there is also my hope that someone will come along and say, \u2018Oh, 25,000 huh? Here\u2019s 50,000!,\u201d Ian laughs. \u201cNow this<\/em> is the new game. This <\/em>is the new paradigm.\u201d<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/Ian_Fretheim_Water_Activity_Cafe_Imports_web-6.jpg” align=”center” max_width=”80%” \/][et_pb_text admin_label=”4 – Process” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_font=”Raleway||||||||” text_font_size=”15px” header_font=”Raleway||||||||”]<\/p>\n Beyond the conclusions this study draws itself or allows its readers to draw, Ian says, \u201cOne of my hopes is that it gives a framework for water activity in green coffee, and that a person could read this and decide not to buy a water activity meter based on feeling comfortable that they don\u2019t need it. Another hope is that someone might read it and say, \u2018Maybe I should buy a water activity meter, because based on this information I feel comfortable that I need it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/Ian_Fretheim_Water_Activity_Cafe_Imports_web-17.jpg” align=”center” max_width=”80%” \/][et_pb_text admin_label=”4 – Process” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_font=”Raleway||||||||” text_font_size=”15px” header_font=”Raleway||||||||”]<\/p>\n While the information is dense and undoubtedly statistical, Ian says, \u201cI don\u2019t think that people need to understand the scientific ins and outs of water activity\u201d in order to read, comprehend, and even apply the information contained within\u2014or to accept the fact that water activity simply isn\u2019t a practical or useful measure for some coffee businesses. \u201cIf the baseline is that you don\u2019t really need to be using [water activity monitoring], then you don\u2019t need to have a huge grasp of it.\u201d<\/p>\n To read the report and decide for yourself whether it holds water, click on the downloadable .pdf link below, or visit cafeimports.com\/water-activity-in-specialty-green-coffee<\/a>.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/Screen-Shot-2019-02-07-at-1.19.50-PM.png” border_width_all=”4px” url=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/Cafe_Imports_Water_Activity_In_Specialty_Green_Coffee_A_Long_Term_Observational_Study_Ian_Fretheim.pdf” box_shadow_style=”preset3″ \/][et_pb_text admin_label=”4 – Process” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_font=”Raleway||||||||” text_font_size=”15px” header_font=”Raleway||||||||”]<\/p>\n