If you are like me, you can’t teach until you’ve had that first cup of coffee in the morning. I was lucky where I worked as Val, my technician, used to bring me a freshly brewed cup just as my first class was starting at 8 ^o clock every day.

At the moment I am being inundated with Extended Essays to mark as the deadline for them to be with the examiner is 15 March. One of the perennial favourite topics for Chemistry Extended Essays is something along the lines of ‘What is the best way to make a cup of coffee?’ and the students analyse the amount of caffeine obtained from different types of coffee and/or the different ways of preparing a cup of coffee. I’ve just read an article in Scientific American which relates how Rich Nieto, the co-owner of a coffee bar in Queens has perfected the art of making good coffee. The article, written by Summer Ash, explains how he has followed the scientific method and tested all the variables to produce the perfect cup.

Next time one of your students wants to do their Extended Essay on caffeine just refer them to this article.