Peabody Coffee Roasters Unveils New Cold Brew In Cutting-Edge Canning Process

PEABODY, MA — Peabody-based Atomic Coffee Roasters has opened sign-ups for POTENTIAL, a limited single-origin cold brew made with an in-line electrochemical step developed by Overpotential, a Cambridge company co-founded by Dr. Christopher Hendon.

The company said it is the first cold brew made this way and the first commercial coffee product using Overpotential's technology.

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POTENTIAL begins as Atomic cold brew brewed at the company's Danvers facility. On the way to the canning line, the coffee passes through Overpotential's reactor, which the company said uses electricity to bring the coffee's natural fruit and sweetness back to the surface.

Atomic President Spencer Mahoney said the process could change which coffees work in canned cold brew.

"Cold brew is a big part of what we do at Atomic, and we love it, but there's a ceiling," said Spencer Mahoney, President of Atomic Coffee Roasters. "Some coffees work better cold than others, and a lot of the limited single origins we're proudest of on the roasting side never end up in a can, because the process won't do them justice.

"This is the first time that door has been open for us."

The coffee used for this release is Gera Estate, a natural coffee from Djimma in western Ethiopia that Atomic has purchased for the past three years. It includes berry notes commonly associated with Ethiopia naturals, along with mango and a floral note.

Those are the kinds of characteristics cold brew usually flattens, Mahoney said.

Hendon, Overpotential's chief technology officer and co-founder, teaches chemistry at the University of Oregon and runs the Oregon Coffee Laboratory, which studies the electrical properties of coffee extracts.

"We had this idea to control flavor chemistry using electricity, and Atomic is the first adopter of both our technology and our brand," said Hendon. "We are excited to help bring this coffee to its full potential, and hope you enjoy it."

Doran Pennington, founder and CEO of Overpotential, described the product as a step from research into commercial use.

"The technology that eventually became Overpotential started as a simple experiment during my PhD research," said Pennington. "Our team has taken this idea from the lab bench to the real world, and Atomic has been an incredible partner in pushing the boundaries of coffee."

POTENTIAL is being sold as a single run in 12-packs of 12-ounce cans for $48.

People who sign up here will get first access on Oct. 5, when the product ships cold-packed across the contiguous U.S.