ZHAW Coffee Excellence Center Coffee Science and Education Summit 2026

Swiss Water Senior Director of Coffee, Mike Strumpf, was off to Zurich last month to teach a workshop at the ZHAW Coffee Excellence Center Coffee Science and Education Summit 2026. The subject was Practical Roasting and Espresso Extraction, drawing on our research with the institute.

In addition to teaching, he took advantage of being an attendee. “The summit was an inspiring experience!” said Strumpf. “The fact that specialty coffee is at a point where there are dedicated professionals, scientists, and students focused on fact- and research-based applications of science (including botany, chemical analysis, psychology and more) is staggering and is worth reflection.”

There were so many incredible presentations to choose from, Strumpf wasn’t able to attend everything on his wish list—but of those he did, he cited two as especially memorable:

• The keynote presentation was “The other species: beyond Arabica and Robusta” given by Dr. Aaron Davis of Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, focusing on the possibilities of Excelsa and Liberica and accompanied by a tasting. 

• A presentation from ZHAW’s Dr. Sebastian Opitz about chemical analysis of green coffee defects and their impact on the cup. Strumpf’s main takeaway was that the green coffee defects we have used for years are validated as unique and significant, but the grading system is out of calibration with how many defects are detectable by coffee drinkers (including QC cuppers).

While in Zurich, Strumpf also visited some customers and made an admirable effort to drink as much Swiss water as possible. Hydration is key while traveling!