The Science of Coffee for FCS Educators

Mr. Cubbages' article on using coffee to teach some basic science principles was very inspiring to me as a culinary arts educator. I was able to tweak his article/unit plan and create a less... See More

Mr. Cubbages' article on using coffee to teach some basic science principles was very inspiring to me as a culinary arts educator. I was able to tweak his article/unit plan and create a lesson plan on coffee for my students while using his article as a reliable source. The article also lists other resources and many ideas/perspectives for teaching this topic. Figure 1 in his article, “Coffee bean roasting stages”, is simplistic enough in its format that all middle school and high school students should be able to understand the progression through the roasting of the beans. He breaks down the processes of the labs his students complete so that I won‘t have to have my students actually do the labs for them to understand the roasting, brewing, cupping, etc. The student competition is such a good idea to keep the students engaged in their learning. In culinary arts trends for today, competitions captivate audiences-for instance, “Chopped” or “British Baking Show”. I will use Mr. Cubbages’ article in my classes as a valuable resource that keeps on giving.