Will ultrasonic technology make espresso machines obsolete?
15/6/2026
Translation: machine translated
Australian researchers have developed an espresso that requires no hot water and uses 75 per cent less energy. There is reportedly no difference in taste compared to the traditional method.
A good espresso depends on many variables: beans, grind size, pressure, temperature and extraction time. One variable can be replaced. At least, that is what the team led by Dr Francisco Trujillo from the School of Chemical Engineering at UNSW (University of New South Wales) in Sydney claims.
Espresso at room temperature
The new process «brews» an espresso in two to three minutes that, in a blind taste test involving a hundred people, tastes just like classic espresso. Nothing is heated in the process: water at room temperature is sufficient. How does it work?
Microbubbles as baristas
At the heart of the new system is a so-called transducer. This small metal device is attached to the outside of a standard portafilter and causes it to vibrate at high frequency. Sound waves create the physical phenomenon of cavitation in the water: tiny bubbles form and collapse in fractions of a second. In doing so, they act like microscopic high-pressure jets. They break up the surface of the coffee and drive flavour compounds, oils and caffeine into the water. Without any heat.
The result is a concentrate that matches the quality of conventional espresso. The ultrasonic process is even energy-efficient. The study found that three drinks of equal strength required 0.020 kilowatt-hours using the ultrasonic method, whereas a conventional single-circuit machine consumes 0.0823 kilowatt-hours for the same quantity – around four times as much.
Potential in industry
For Trujillo and his team, this is the second publication on the topic of ultrasonic brewing. Two years ago, the researchers at «Cold Brew» attempted – with disappointing results. The improved method now produces an espresso which, according to press release lies within the optimal extraction zone of 18 to 22 per cent defined by the Specialty Coffee Association.
Trujillo sees the greatest potential not in the home kitchen, but in the industrial production of coffee drinks. Ready-mixed coffee drinks, concentrates for cold brew or milk-based coffee drinks could be produced much more energy-efficiently and quickly using this method, according to the scientist. A patent (WO2025/118023A1) has been filed.
So, for the time being, the home espresso machine can stay on the kitchen worktop.
Header image: Blake Verdoorn / Unsplash.com
Hamburg local, bookworm, and ice hockey fan. Dad and granddad. Constantly tinkering around with my smart home setup. I love DIY, the outdoors, fashion, and cosmetics.
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