University may add coffee brewing to degree programs

it was billed as an "exciting day of innovative coffee science," according to the website for the conference. (Via University of California, Davis)

The Los Angeles Times writes, "[The program] included coffee genetics, the microbiology of coffee production, the sensory perception of coffee and wine drinkers and a panel on coffee research. The day, of course, was broken up by scheduled coffee breaks."

The center and the conference were reportedly born out of a single popular class at the university called "Design of Coffee." But as The Sacramento Bee reports, it could develop into its own major centered around the flavorful bean. (Via KCRA)

"We think there is sufficient interest given the fact that so many people have consumed coffee so regularly across the world, for so long," the Director of the Foods for Health Institute at the university told the Sacramento paper. "Coffee is not an insignificant contributor to the agricultural footprint." (Via The Sacramento Bee)

But the school, which is already known for its wine and beer making programs, isn’t the first to take an academic look at coffee.

Texas A&M is home to the World Coffee Research program, while Vanderbilt University is home to the Institute for Coffee. Those centers look at the agricultural side of coffee and the health effects of the beverage, among other things.

UC Davis will reportedly soon build a greenhouse where it will grow and research coffee beans. Whether coffee will be a 4-year program though, that idea is still percolating.