Why FRESH roasted coffee?
Coffee goes stale rather quickly. This is due to several factors that happen naturally after the coffee is roasted. We typically give our coffees a best by date of around 4-6 weeks for maximum freshness and flavor. After that time period, coffee begins to go stale and can become bitter, losing much of its flavors and aromas.
Why does coffee go stale?
Release of Carbon Dioxide: The coffee roasting process causes large amounts of carbon dioxide (co2) to build up within the coffee beans. After roasting, the coffee beans begin to release co2, which is also known as off gassing. Off gassing occurs for several weeks until all of the built up c02 escapes from the beans. In the first 2-3 days after roasting, you want the coffee to off gas to release excess c02. However as the weeks go by, much of the fresh flavors will be lost as a result of this natural process.
Breakdown of flavor oils: During the offgassing process, the flavor oils are forced to the surface of the beans. A couple of weeks after roasting, you may have noticed your coffee beans will develop oils on the outside. Once these flavor oils come to the surface of the beans, the flavors are lost very quickly and begin to break down due to increased oxygen and moisture. Over time, the oil breakdown can start to cause the fresh roasted coffee to become bitter.
Oxygen: Oxygen is all around us. Once coffee is roasted, oxygen starts to begin to break down the coffee beans resulting in a loss of flavor and aromas and overtime causing the coffee to become stale and contribute to a bitter taste over time. Once your coffee bag has been opened and the beans have been exposed to air you should try to use it within a week.
Moisture: Once the bag of coffee is open, the beans are open to air and moisture. This can contribute to continued break down of your coffee. You want to store your coffee in a cool, dry place however try not to keep your coffee beans in the freezer due to increased moisture and potential for increased breakdown of the flavors.
Grinding: The grinding process immediately starts to age the coffee as most of the carbon dioxide contained within the beans is lost within minutes to hours after grinding. Once the beans have been ground, thy coffee bean is vulnerable and exposed to oxygen and moisture. The coffee begins to break down very quickly once it’s ground and can go stale and lose most of its fresh flavor within a week after grinding. If you have a grinder its best to grind your coffee beans just before you go to use them. Whole bean coffee can be stored longer and with a better flavor than pre-ground coffee beans. If you coffee is pre-ground, try to use your coffee within a week of opening.
Try our FRESH roasted coffee today!
