Coffee Tips
Freshness is Key
It is a shame that much of the world's coffee farmers go to such lengths to produce great green coffee beans and some roasters let it stale after roasting. From the day coffee is roasted, if not packaged properly and looked after, it doesn't last long. Some say a week, some say a month or two or three. This is because from the moment coffee is roasted it begins its ageing process. Coffee beans get their best flavour and aromatic properties from its oils. After roasting, these oils come to the surface and evaporate taking much of the flavour and aroma with them. This process is the ageing and eventually staling of the beans. The less surface area exposed to air, the longer it takes for the flavour to deteriorate.
You will notice freshly roasted coffee comes in a puffed up bag; this is because the beans have been properly packed and are still alive and fresh, the gasses are making their way out and causing the bag to puff up. For this reason we use an one way valve in our vacuum and oxygen-free packages, that slow down the deterioration process. Freshness of coffee it's related to when it was roasted and ground, for this reason is so important to always check out the roasting date of the beans.
Additionally, ground coffee has an even shorter use by date. From the moment coffee is ground it will be at its freshest and best for around ten minutes , that means that the best time to use the freshly ground coffee is immediately. For this reason, for the best results you should grind only enough coffee required for immediate brewing. Once the beans are ground, they are exposed to the damaging air. Once these oils dissipate, so will the flavour of your coffee. The coffee surface area, which has now been increased area to field, and its oils.