Coffee science: Seattle startup brewing java without beans



SEATTLE -- A Seattle startup is brewing coffee -- without actually using coffee beans.

Their goal is to make our coffee habits better for the environment.

Demand for coffee is impacting the rainforest as farmers clear away trees to make rooms for fields. Climate change has also forced farmers to move to higher latitudes, where there is less land.

Atomo is hoping to change that with something they say tastes just like coffee at a molecular level, but comes from things like seed husks that farmers would usually throw out.

"To create coffee without the bean we simply hacked it," Atomo co-founder Jarret Stopforth said. "We looked at all the molecules that make up coffee, from the green bean to the roasted bean, and into extracted the way that you see coffee. And what we did was look at big five: that's flavor, aroma, color, bioactives, and mouth feel."

The company hopes to be selling their new coffee by the middle of next year.