An Accordion Tune About Coffee’s Chemistry

Eva sent me a note about this video, which features an accordion performance about the chemistry behind the coffee experience:

Accordions, coffee and science — three things I love!

For the curious, here are the lyrics to the coffee song in the video (the tune used is from Where Do They Make Balloons? by They Might Be Giants):

Coffee is acidic, its acidic taste comes
From acids lending protons to receptors on the toungue.
Longer roasting, finer grind, and brewing much more hot
Usually brings out more of the acid coffee’s got.

Coffee has over 800 aromatic compounds
But only a few of them make the coffee smell, it’s found.
Compounds called the furans are the largest group, you see
They’re colourless, volatile, and smell quite caramely.

Coffee, coffee is fun to drink.
Coffee, there’s more to it than you think.

Compounds that contribute to bitterness include trigonelline,
Furfuryl alcohol, quinic acid, and caffeine.
Bitterness in coffee is associated with
More dissolved solids, and roasting for too long.

Caffeine’s formula is C8H10N4O2.
It is coffee’s stimulant, my favourite molecule.
It bonds to the adenosine receptors in the brain,
Blocking the adenosine and keeping you awake!

Coffee, coffee is fun to drink!
Coffee, there’s more to it than you think!