How long do Green Coffee Beans really last?

[The Knize]

what looks like a dehydrated rat turd

Adds earthy notes, I suppose! Yikes. I do not know if I have checked in the past. I will now!

 

[Whisky]

Upon closer inspection I don’t think it’s a rat turd, but I still don’t know what it is.

 

[Lightcs1776]

Maybe I should have named this thread “About Green Coffee Beans”

New question. Does anyone inspect their beans prior to roasting? Kind of like you do with bulk pinto beans, lay them out on a white surface and make sure there’s nothing but beans. I ask because while weighing out some beans for a roast this morning I found a piece of burlap and what looks like a dehydrated rat turd. Both are things I would expect to see in something that is shipped and possible stored in burlap and then warehoused for a period but not things I’ve actively looked for in the past. Should I be inspecting the beans prior to each roast?

It is a good idea to check for pebbles in the beans, since that can make for a bad day when grinding them. I keep an eye out, but don't put much effort into it. However, I've read reports of it happening to a few on a coffee forum.

 

[old_school]

New question. Does anyone inspect their beans prior to roasting?

I'll be using my ancient Poppery's until they wear out. Since they only take a cup at a time the beans get a look over going in and when stopping the roast with the screen over a fan. I'm such a throw back, sheesh. The OTC (other than coffee) has been mostly pebbles.

 

[malocchio]

Oh, come on, @FarmerTan. All you need is a cast iron skillet and a heat source (BBQ grill, camping stove, etc.) to get started. You can tell your sweet wife that it will not only taste better than beans that have sat around a warehouse club, but will be cheaper as well ... at least until you start looking to upgrade your roaster.

Even a cheap Japanese hand roaster can produce an excellent brew...

 

[Herrenberg]

Most green coffee beans seem to age just fine. I've had 5 year old beans, stored at room temperature, and they've been great.

However, those beans that are treasured for their vivid fruit flavors, like some Ethiopian beans, well, that quality fades some. Doesn't mean what you'll end up with is bad, but it's better to roast those in the first year, to get the most out of them.

Didn't have much luck with the cast iron pan roasting. Stir as I might, I wound up with a mix containing both yellow and burnt beans. However, a hand-cranked popcorn popper worked quite well, until the cheap cast metal gears wore out, after about 20-25 roasts.

 

[Herrenberg]

Upon closer inspection I don’t think it’s a rat turd, but I still don’t know what it is.

How does it taste?

 

[StillShaving]

Maybe I should have named this thread “About Green Coffee Beans”

New question. Does anyone inspect their beans prior to roasting? Kind of like you do with bulk pinto beans, lay them out on a white surface and make sure there’s nothing but beans. I ask because while weighing out some beans for a roast this morning I found a piece of burlap and what looks like a dehydrated rat turd. Both are things I would expect to see in something that is shipped and possible stored in burlap and then warehoused for a period but not things I’ve actively looked for in the past. Should I be inspecting the beans prior to each roast?

Most of my green beans have been very clean, but some definitely showed signs of being transported in deteriorating burlap sacks. I do not inspect the beans individually, but after putting them in the wire drum I gently rotate the drum in a manner that imitates what the roaster will do in an attempt to shake out any of this foreign material. Which also helps to get rid of any undersized or split beans that would otherwise fall out inside the roaster.

 

[StillShaving]

Upon closer inspection I don’t think it’s a rat turd, but I still don’t know what it is.
View attachment 1403643

I would guess that is a coffee cherry that made its way through processing.