How long is roasted coffee good for?
- Thread starter GarageBoy
- Start date
Ground begins to degrade almost immediately, regardless of storage method. Whether or not that degradation is perceptible to a specific individual is not something that can be answered by another.
Whole beans, arguably, begin degradation at 5 days. Freezing can, to some minds, slow or arrest the process.
You may find it interesting that to many professionals a coffee needs 24 to72 hours to reach peak flavor, while many of the top roasters feel that is staling in and of itself.
HTH.
Whole beans, arguably, begin degradation at 5 days. Freezing can, to some minds, slow or arrest the process.
You may find it interesting that to many professionals a coffee needs 24 to72 hours to reach peak flavor, while many of the top roasters feel that is staling in and of itself.
HTH.
What is the source of this coffee?
I prefer to use up whole beans within 5 days of opening the bag. Usually I pick up beans the day after roasting.
Coffee degrades over time, so it's hard to pick a specific time. Your taste will have to determine the timing. If you're sensitive to subtle aromas, you'll lose interest sooner. Otherwise, you'll notice the overall loss of scent, and the oxidation which also loses flavor. We don't need to talk about it going rancid because it loses any resemblance to fresh coffee way before then.
Packing and storage can affect the rate at which it goes. Vacuum packing done right works very well, but there's few sources for it. Gevalia seems to do this right, but I only have limited experience with them. (Come to think of it, I'm going to give them a try.) Might be useful to try one of those home vacuum machines. Freezing also slows down the whole process, but the coffee doesn't grind right after that, although that's a minor nuisance. I also notice darker roasts tend to lose their flavor faster.
For coffee stored in an unsealed bag, I can lose interest within a week with some coffees, but other coffees are still okay for not quite a month. I try to keep it under two weeks.
Ground? I don't store it at all. It loses its freshness within an hour, goes completely downhill within a few hours, and loses any resemblance to fresh coffee within 24 hours. Frozen and sealed, it can last a lot longer. I think the cold reduces the rate at which the volatile botanicals disappear. The few times I did this, the coffee lost some of its oomph, but still had the pleasant scent.
Packing and storage can affect the rate at which it goes. Vacuum packing done right works very well, but there's few sources for it. Gevalia seems to do this right, but I only have limited experience with them. (Come to think of it, I'm going to give them a try.) Might be useful to try one of those home vacuum machines. Freezing also slows down the whole process, but the coffee doesn't grind right after that, although that's a minor nuisance. I also notice darker roasts tend to lose their flavor faster.
For coffee stored in an unsealed bag, I can lose interest within a week with some coffees, but other coffees are still okay for not quite a month. I try to keep it under two weeks.
Ground? I don't store it at all. It loses its freshness within an hour, goes completely downhill within a few hours, and loses any resemblance to fresh coffee within 24 hours. Frozen and sealed, it can last a lot longer. I think the cold reduces the rate at which the volatile botanicals disappear. The few times I did this, the coffee lost some of its oomph, but still had the pleasant scent.
Define "good". 
In my experience, ground coffee can be kept for a week at most.
When I first started learning how to roast coffee, I remember reading a bit on the topic. But that was a few years ago, so I might not be remembering properly. I think the general rule was that coffee should be ground immediately before brewing and no more than one hour before brewing for optimal flavor. And after the beans are roasted, they should be allowed to rest for a day or two, depending on the beans, and then consumed within one-two weeks, again depending on the beans, for optimal flavor.
- Thread starter
- #9
I always hear 2 weeks after roasting (whole bean, if stored properly...I store mine in sealed mason jars). My home roast batches never last more than a week and I don't think I would ever go longer than that. Flavor definitely changes as the beans rest, however, so it really depends on the bean. I start drinking the day after I roast it and I enjoy seeing the flavor change as the week progresses. For example, a dry-process Ethiopia will be at it's "frutiest" within the first couple days post roast, but then a lot of times the body can develop a bit after that. I've heard a lot of people talking about letting beans rest for a minimum 3-5 days or even more...that's insane to me based on my experiences (especially since I love me some DP Ethiopia).
Ben
Ben
Are you getting it ground in the store?
A tightly sealed container that is not much bigger than the coffee will help. Of course getting whole bean and grinding it yourself is a better plan, but keep the whole beans sealed up as well.
No matter how you look at it, it's a perishable product. I can detect (unpleasant) differences in coffee a week post-roast, and that is how long I keep things around. Espresso blends can last longer, IMO, and often benefit from a little age, but certainly after two weeks they are well past their prime.
I'm surprised nobody's mentioned either of these two sites:
coffeegeek.com
home-barista.com
Both have extensive resources and forums.
Spend some time there and you'll ramp up quick.
coffeegeek.com
home-barista.com
Both have extensive resources and forums.
Spend some time there and you'll ramp up quick.
- Thread starter
- #14
You'll also get some great advice from Kevin Sinnott here:
http://coffeecompanion.com/
Be sure to watch his videos of the new technology coming from Bunn. That Trifecta looks way cool.
My wife and I go through a pound of coffee in less than a week, so, even by the strictest standards, we rarely have stale coffee.
Whole beans will stay fresh a lot longer, and make your cup tastier.
If you're using a paper or cloth filter, or can work one into a cowboy or press routine, you can get a cheap whirly grinder and come out ahead. A mortar and pestle produce better results than a whirly grinder--it takes about a minute, and produces more consistent results, but doesn't heat the beans at all. (I just now tried this to test it out.) A good hand mill would be the best--even better than an expensive electric grinder.
I'd take any of these options over preground, and limit the brewing methods to those that can use a filter. The main problem is if you make a lot at one time, like when you have company. Then you'll probably want an electric of some kind.
Well I've had all sorts of coffee that was ok or good weeks after roasting or being ground. There is something wonderful though about coffee that has been roasted within three days of use and ground just before brewing. Fresh coffee like this is something that makes you wish to seek it out as often as you can.
- Thread starter
- #18
It still blooms if the date is 7 months out, but not by 6.5 months. I've never seen anything more than 7 months out, less a few days. Then you have to watch out their blends being mixed with stale old beans, which they've admitted doing in the recent past.
Try one of these:
http://www.espressozone.com/zassenhaus-161ma-open-hopper-hand-coffee-grinder-Z_161MA.aspx
Someone above posted CoffeeGeek and Home Barista, and those are the 2 sites I was going to suggest.
As for the original question, I consider myself a bit of a coffee nut and have studied quite a bit, and I also speak from personal experiences.
One of the things you need to take into account is how you brew your coffee, and how you drink it.
As an example, if you have high tech Espresso equipment and only drink single or double shots, the age of the coffee will mean a lot to you.
Or if you use a $15 drip pot and then lace it with cream and sugar, I don't think anyone would tell the difference between good fresh roasted beans from year old crap discount grocery store beans, or whether it was ground 5 minutes ago, or 5 months.
Personally, nothing I roast for Espresso lasts past 12 days, because I roast in 320 gram batches and that normally lasts less than a week. I find it needs at least 36 hours rest post roast to degas properly for Espresso.
If I roast for my French Presses or Syphon, I have used beans 6 hours off roast with great results, but depending on the bean and roast level, age can improve them, up to a few weeks probably, depending on your tastes and what you expect.
