Fresh Coffee: What You Need To Know

Fresh Coffee Tastes Better!

Fresh coffee is better coffee. In fact coffee tastes best within the first 2-4 weeks after it is roasted.

Yes, I know grocery stores will sell coffee that is months or even years old.  But don’t buy that stuff, you can do better!

As coffee ages the wonderful fragrance and flavor start to dull. Like other food, coffee gets stale!

 

Coffee Gets Stale From Two Processes

As coffee ages the aromatic compounds, the molecular compounds that give coffee its lovely aroma and flavor, break down. With the loss of these important chemical compounds, coffee becomes dull and flat.

At the same time the aromatic compounds are breaking down, other reactions are happening. The elements (air, water, light, heat) are not kind to coffee. Exposure to the elements causes a number of chemical reactions within coffee including oxidation. These reactions change coffee on a chemical and molecular level and result in stale coffee that tastes flat and similar to chewing on cardboard.

 

Fresh Coffee: What You Can Do

The good news is that you can drink better and fresh coffee! Just follow a few rules, the 5 Commandments of Fresh Coffee, and you will be well on your way to drinking delicious fresh coffee.

I have discussed a few of these topics before.  Proper coffee storage is essential to keeping coffee fresh. And buying only whole bean coffee and grinding it yourself at home is another key step.

None of these rules need to be expensive or difficult and the payoff is better coffee, which is basically priceless! Right?! So here are my 5 Commandments of Fresh Coffee:

 

5 Commandments of Fresh Coffee

1. Only buy coffee with a roast date listed on the bag.
2. Only buy coffee within 1-2 weeks of the roast date.
3. Buy enough coffee for 1-2 weeks at a time. Do not buy in bulk!
4. Store coffee in an air-tight container away from sunlight, moisture, and heat.
5. Only buy whole bean coffee and grind it right before you make coffee at home.