The lab-centered course teaches how to go from raw coffee beans to the perfect cup of coffee
By COLINA HARVEY — sports@theaggie.org
Caffeine is a staple of every college campus, and many students in Davis have experienced the fun of pulling a caffeine-fueled all-nighter in preparation for an exam. Caffeine most commonly comes in the form of coffee, which is sold at many locations on campus. Although most students consume coffee from time to time, the process of growing, roasting and brewing coffee is unknown to many.
That is where ECH 001: Design of Coffee comes in. ECH 001 was voted the Best General Education (GE) course at UC Davis this year for being fun, hands-on and, overall, interesting. The three-unit class satisfies science and engineering, visual literacy and scientific literacy requirements.
While the main topic of the course is, of course, coffee, it is actually designed to be an introduction to chemical engineering. In the course, students learn how chemical engineers find ways to turn raw materials into something more useful. The process of making coffee demonstrates this principle by taking coffee beans, a natural raw material, and converting them into a drink that gives people energy.
For many students who are not studying engineering, taking engineering courses can be daunting due to their difficult reputation, which is often the last thing students are looking for in a GE. However, ECH 001 provides an approachable way for any student to explore engineering.
Mruthi Praburam, a first-year mathematical analysis and operations research major, took ECH 001 this past winter quarter.
“As someone who’s not a huge science person, it was a really nice introduction into chemical engineering and what exactly you can do with chemistry,” Praburam said. “I think it’s very beneficial for all students.”
UC Davis is known for its food science and agricultural programs, so it makes sense that this is the school to offer an undergraduate course about coffee. The unique nature of the course is also what makes it appealing to students, because it is typically not offered at most other universities.
The class was started by Professors Tonya Kuhl and William Ristenpart in 2013. It started as a first-year seminar with only 18 students, but now, the class is taken by around 800 students per quarter.
Alyse Cho, a second-year design major, also took the class during winter quarter 2025.
“[The class] was very fun and educational but very engaging as well because you get to do a lot of hands-on experience,” Cho said. “I definitely did learn a lot about how coffee beans are grown and how the origin of different coffee beans alters their taste and their fragrance.”
The class wraps up with a design contest where small groups of students compete to make the best tasting cup of coffee using the least amount of energy. The competition perfectly embodies the hands-on style of the class, with students tasting each other’s brews and rating them.
“I have been recommending [ECH 001] to literally all my friends,” Praburam said. “I’m like, ‘You guys should take the coffee class.’”
So, if you are interested in exploring chemical engineering or just learning how to make a really good cup of coffee, check out ECH 001.
Written by: (Colina Harvey) — sports@theaggie.org
