International Coffee Day
History
Do you smell that? It's coffee. The coffee we serve at Optica meetings, coffee as a subject of research, coffee in your coffee, and, we hope, coffee in an Opticat mug.
Let's celebrate International Coffee Day by finding all of the wonderful ways in which a little caffeine can go a long way.
OPTICA PUBLISHING GROUP
Coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world.
That's why it's critical to detect micro-toxic elements in our daily cup.
This fast detection system precisely detects toxins in coffee and can check the purity and quality of food products.
OPTICA EVENTS
More than 7,500 liters served.
In one year, Optica Conferences and Congresses will serve more than 2,000 gallons/7,570 liters of coffee to event attendees! We just issued the 2026 calendar of Optica Events. Download your copy and make plans to attend next year. (Strong cups of coffee will be ready for you.)
OPTICA EVENTS
Compelling technical sessions punctuated by lots of coffee breaks.
We support our global community at Optica Congresses and Topical Meetings through the sharing of knowledge, creating networking opportunities and amplifying recognition to our presenters. Download the 2026 calendar of events.
IMAGE OF THE WEEK
Light reflections in a coffee cup
Light reflections in a coffee cup, LED lighting, image taken with a Nikon camera
—Robert Schalck, Optica Senior Member
RESEARCH NEWS
Evaporation without heat
The rising steam off a hot cup of coffee is just one of many forms of evaporation, but researchers have found that even visible light can evaporate water faster than heat alone when photons cleave water molecules off of a hydrogel's surface.
Pictured: Colorful display of light diffraction through fine water mist from a steaming cup of coffee.
—Catalin Florea, Optica Senior Member
OPTICA PUBLISHING GROUP
A drop of coffee? No, that's the coffee-ring effect!
The coffee-ring effect (CRE) refers to the phenomenon of how, when a turbid drop dries on a solid surface, its suspended particulates will be deposited in a ring-like pattern.
Researchers leveraged CRE to obtain the patterned deposition of nanoparticles on a titanium substrate, which could improve NP-printed circuit boards and site-specific delivery of drugs.
OPTICA STORE
We promise Opticat won't knock over this mug.
Maybe, maybe not, but it comes in magenta now. Get yours from the Optica Store.
OPTICA PUBLISHING GROUP
Coffee, aroma and optics that can smell.
The relationship between the bean fermentation and the coffee aroma profile is delicate and important, affecting coffee quality.
This in-fiber Mach–Zehnder interferometer functions as an optical "nose," capable of determining the variety of odors arising due to the yeast activity, and their classification to decide when to stop the fermentation process
IMAGE OF THE WEEK
Coffee Interference
Images of the blue sky above a university building, reflected in coffee bubbles, are magically colored by destructive thin-film interference of the spectral parts of the daylight (complementary colors).
—Aliaksei Kobylinskiy, University of Applied Sciences Jena, Jena, Germany
RESEARCH NEWS
Yes, solar cells could use caffeine, too.
To help overcome roadblocks in their long-term stability, researchers recommend a novel way to boost both the efficiency and the long-term staying power of certain perovskite PVs: give the cells a jolt of caffeine.
