Coffee Leaf Extraction Methodology

Study 14

Planned program · protocol in development

Study ID
CHRS 14
Record stage
Protocol development
Evidence
Proposed methods and expected records

Data and figures

Published context (Chen, Ma & Kitts, 2018): in that study, most compound yield was reached within the first half-minute of infusion, with only small changes from 10 to 20 minutes.

Line chart of 5-CQA, mangiferin and caffeine at 0.5, 10 and 20 minutes of infusion
Published data: compound yield by infusion time (Japanese green-tea process, young leaves). Not Copper Hill samples. Source: Chen, Ma & Kitts (2018), Food Chemistry 249:143–153, Table 1.

Research question

Which extraction conditions produce a repeatable coffee-leaf preparation, and what trade-offs arise between extraction yield, composition, and sensory character?

Location and scope: Proposed Station trials in Puerto Rico.

Principal site: Copper Hill, Las Marías & Maricao, Puerto Rico (proposed trials) · Earlier extraction trials: Copper Hill and Portland, Maine

Earlier work

The coffee-leaf processing record describes earlier immersion and drip trials. The comparisons below are proposed for the new extraction phase.

Proposed method

Use a reference extraction and matched leaf lots to compare candidate approaches such as immersion and drip. Record leaf preparation, leaf-to-water ratio, water chemistry, temperature, contact time or flow, and filtration. Compare replicated runs with documented endpoints such as extract yield, soluble solids, and pH. Use the sensory protocol to evaluate differences when it is ready. Specify analytical methods before reporting individual compounds.

Expected evidence

A versioned extraction protocol and run records that show which methods were compared, what changed, and which uncertainties remain. Each phase can close once the technical question is resolved, with subsequent phases addressing a defined new question.

Published context: experimental optimization of coffee-leaf extraction · Companion study

Planned program. The methods described are planned comparisons. No results from this protocol are reported.

Related places & independent projects

Copper Hill FarmThomas McOskerField Notes from the Accidental Farmer