June 19, 2026
Espresso goes full sci-fi
I used sound waves to make espresso. It could cut coffee‑brewing energy use by ¾
Coffee fans are split as sound-wave espresso promises big energy savings but weird vibes
TLDR: Researchers say sound waves can make espresso-strength coffee at room temperature while using far less energy, which could matter for bottled coffee and large factories. Commenters were fascinated but divided, with some joking about DIY jewelry-cleaner hacks and others flatly rejecting the idea of drinking espresso cold.
The big claim is almost too juicy: a researcher says he made espresso without heat, using high-pitched sound waves instead of hot water, and it could slash brewing energy use by up to 75%. In blind taste tests, about 100 regular coffee drinkers reportedly couldn’t reliably tell the difference between traditional espresso and the room-temperature version. For bottled drinks and factory-scale coffee, that’s a big deal. For the internet? It was an invitation to absolutely lose its mind.
The comment section instantly turned into a mix of garage science, coffee snob panic, and pure sitcom energy. One user confessed they’d already tried DIY sonic coffee with an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner and got disappointing sludge, then openly wondered if they should rip out the cleaner’s parts and attach them to a portafilter. Another topped that with a story about sailors washing laundry in an engine-parts ultrasonic cleaner, which somehow became the thread’s grossest and funniest side quest.
But the real drama was cultural: do people even want room-temperature espresso? One commenter basically said this might work for bottled, espresso-flavored drinks, but for actual espresso lovers it was a hard “yuck.” Another shrugged that at three minutes per shot, they’d rather just make a pour-over. And then came the domestic comedy: someone imagined their sleepy partner enduring not just the sacred morning grinder noise, but now a buzzing sci-fi coffee machine too. The mood was clear: people are intrigued by the energy savings, but emotionally attached to the hot, noisy ritual of coffee. Science may have brewed a breakthrough — the comments brewed a rebellion.
Key Points
- •The article reports a room-temperature espresso process that uses ultrasound instead of heat to extract flavour compounds, oils and caffeine from coffee grounds.
- •According to the article, the method can produce espresso-strength coffee in under three minutes while reducing brewing energy use by up to 75%.
- •The process works by using a transducer to create ultrasonic vibrations and acoustic cavitation, which help speed extraction at room temperature.
- •Researchers adjusted brew ratio, grind size and application time, finding a suitable brewing window of about two-and-a-half to three minutes.
- •In a blind test with around 100 regular coffee drinkers, participants could not reliably distinguish ultrasonic espresso from traditional espresso, and ultrasound-brewed filter coffee was preferred overall.