The ultrasound creates a phenomenon called acoustic cavitation, which is a rapid formation and collapse of microscopic bubbles in the liquid. When these tiny bubbles collapse near the coffee particles, they act like microscopic scrubbing brushes or jets of liquid, pitting and fracturing the coffee grounds and accelerating the bewing process.

Cavitation Wikipedia

That is such a cool use of an observed phenomenon.

Just what we needed, merging of the espresso nerd and audiophile demographics.

A few months ago I saw a video of someone who used an ultrasonic cleaner to make extracts, so i tried it. I did 30 - 60 mins for each of orange peel, banana peel, pepper corn, anise, vanilla bean, cinnamon, and coffee. The coffee smelled absolutely disgusting, but this was like an hour rather than 3 mins. I had no idea how much time was appropriate. I also used vodka instead of water. Idk why I thought the coffee would work. The rest seem roughly what I'd expect. I've done traditional extracts previously. It makes sense to try water for coffee. I feel dumb for not trying that obvious combination.

Fascinating. They can make room-temperature coffee in far less time than cold-brew. Could be really great for places that sell a lot of iced coffee.

Is coffee-brewing energy use even remotely a concern?

Ah yes the most important thing to save energy on: the 1500 watt appliance that's on for 15 minutes daily.

They better have used The Hottest 100....

The first thing I thought of: The Hardcore Coffee Machine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5OYQOyceoM

Second thing was:

Dutch startup BlueHeart Energy is testing its thermoacoustic heat pump engine in residential settings, with a limited European launch expected in spring 2027, followed by gradual scaling. The system uses sound waves instead of refrigerants, aiming for quiet, flexible, low-maintenance heating suited especially for retrofits and renewable integration.

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2026/04/23/thermoacoustic-heat-pumps-on-the-verge-of-commercial-breakthrough/

But back to the original article:

Saving up to 75% of energy by not heating the water is a minor benefit for home users or small coffee shops. But for companies making ready-to-drink coffee products at industrial scale, it could be very significant indeed.

I was going to say that my coffee machine runs off solar/battery so no use here but I'm certain a good majority of coffee shops are not running on solar or solar battery and this would be amazing

Here's hoping they can commercialise it

I wonder how well it would work for tea

They recently started doing this with whisky first and i thats when i wanted to go down the path of trying it on all of types of liquids but never had the time or money to do it.

The essence of convection "without" heat?

This sounds like a great way to torture your family pet. They can hear ultrasound, and the brew time for this is 2 1/2 to 3 minutes.