The Science of Better Coffee
Move beyond the basics of brewing to master the variables that define a perfect cup. Learn to manipulate water chemistry, extraction theory, and sensory analysis like a professional barista.
Like Duolingo, but for The Science of Better Coffee. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
19 levels across 3 sections, about 38 minutes end to end, roughly 8 days at five minutes a day. It moves through Dialing In the Perfect Cup, Developing a Professional Palate, and Advanced Equipment and Roasting Logic. It assumes you already know the basics.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in The Science of Better Coffee
- Acids dissolve first
- Finer grinds increase surface area
- Sugars follow acids
- Sourness indicates under-extraction
- Tannins and phenols extract last
- Surface area reaches sweet compounds
- The progression of flavor as extraction increases over time
- Using grind size to solve specific flavor imbalances
- Immersion brewing needs coarse grinds to prevent over-extraction over minutes
- Pressure-based brewing requires fine grinds to create resistance quickly
- Drip methods use medium grinds to balance gravity-fed water flow
- The 'sweet spot' requires stopping before bitter compounds dominate
- Total extraction leads to a harsh, astringent cup of coffee
- Balance is the harmony between acidity, sweetness, and bitterness
- Matching grind size to contact time across different brewing methods
- Identifying the goal of a balanced extraction
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives The Science of Better Coffee the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
Why does grinding your coffee beans into smaller pieces make the flavor come out more quickly?
Get it right to open this lesson and 18 more in the app.
Where The Science of Better Coffee takes you
- 1
Dialing In the Perfect Cup
- Mastering Extraction Theory
- Water Chemistry for Flavor
- Precision Brewing Techniques
- 2
Developing a Professional Palate
- Sensory Analysis and Cupping
- Navigating Origin and Varietals
- 3
Advanced Equipment and Roasting Logic
- Espresso Theory and Troubleshooting
- The Roasting Curve
3 sections · 7 units · 19 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
Tomo is in ChatGPT
Tomo is also a ChatGPT plugin: the same playable courses, built and played inside your chat.
Add Tomo to ChatGPT- What to ask
- “Make me a Tomo course on black holes.” “Turn this chat into a Tomo course.”
- What you get
- Quick questions with instant feedback, hearts and stars, ready to play in about a minute.
- Where it goes
- No sign-up to start. Connect your Tomo account and your streak carries on in the app.
You pick the voice
The Science of Better Coffee is taught in the Explain Like I'm 5 style: no big words. promise.. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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Start The Science of Better Coffee today.
Download Tomo, search The Science of Better Coffee, and play your first lesson in under a minute.