In-Home Cold Brew Coffee Maker

Abstract

Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages. According to Statista, over 166 million 60 kg bags of coffee were consumed in 2020/2021. In the coffee market, cold brew coffee is one of the biggest trends in coffee drinking today. Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) markets the number one single serve coffee brewing system in the U.S. and would like to help bring cold brew coffee to home coffee brewers around the world. The challenges in home brewing cold brew coffee include getting the water to the correct temperature, the time it takes to make a good cold brew, and making this all happen on the consumer’s countertop. Students on the Keurig Dr Pepper team will design and develop a prototype coffee maker for the consumer at home market that consistently and with minimal variation brews cold brew coffee. The team will use thermofluids, control theory, material science, analytical chemistry skills, and more to deliver the functionality of precisely cooled water, to mix coffee concentrate with water, and to utilize nitrogen gas to produce a pleasing foamy top. Students will be working in a simulated R&D and product development environment using various industry standard practices to achieve these goals. Students will have the ability to taste their creations along the way and become experts in the fast growing field of cold brew coffee.