What is fresh coffee?
Coffee freshness: COFFEE TYPE BEST TO DRINK BY
WHOLE BEAN 30 DAYS
GROUND 14 DAYS
Fresh-roasted coffee is coffee that has been roasted within the past few weeks. The longer coffee beans sit after roasting, the more they lose their flavor and aroma. Freshly roasted coffee has a richer, more complex flavor and aroma than coffee that has been sitting on the shelf for a while. Many of us can get confused by the label on your favorite bag of coffee. Confused by a roasted-on date or a best-by date. What does that mean? Does coffee really go bad? What is considered fresh?
Coffee freshness is important for brewing a great cup of coffee at home. But it’s not something we want you to stress over. We have our recommendations for keeping your coffee fresh and tasting great, as well as some ideas for what to do with those beans you may have forgotten about.
Does coffee go bad?
Roasted coffee is a dry good, so it does not go bad. Green coffee (which is what coffee is called before it’s roasted) has a moisture content of 10-12%. But once roasted, the moisture content drops to around 1-2%. Because there is so little moisture, coffee won’t spoil or mold the way other food does as long as it’s been kept dry. However coffee will go stale. That means, that bag of coffee that’s been sitting in your cupboard for a year won’t hurt you if you brew it, but it certainly won’t taste all too good.
Coffee becomes stale because of oxidation. Oxidation is the process of deterioration oxygen has on organic materials like food. It is the same chemical reaction that causes the brown color on a cut apple.
The longer coffee is exposed to air or light, the more deteriorated it will become. At first glance, it may not appear any different, but the flavor diminishes the longer it is in contact with air or light. Remember-freshness can also be dependent upon the varietal, origin, roast level, age of green coffee, and brewing technique.
Light-roasted coffees are generally denser and less porous than the average coffee which could make the aging process of that coffee occur at a slower rate. While dark coffee is less dense and oil-rich, this can lead to faster degassing and oxidation…causing aging to happen at a faster rate.
How long does whole-bean coffee stay fresh?
Whole bean coffee is at its freshest 4-5 days after and within 30 days of its roast date. During the roasting process, carbon dioxide gets trapped within the beans and after roasting, the beans need some time to rest and degas (around 4-5 days). That’s why coffee bags have valves. They’re not just for the aroma, but to release the CO2 trapped within the beans. Within 30 days of roast, the oxidation will be indiscernible to most people’s palates. After 30 days, the oils, acids, and other compounds can start to deteriorate enough to make a loss of flavor noticeable.
How long does ground coffee stay fresh?
Ground coffee will taste its freshest within 2 weeks of being ground and within 30 days of being roasted, whichever comes first. Grinding coffee increases the surface area for oxygen to penetrate. This accelerates the oxidation process. If you have access to a coffee grinder, we recommend purchasing whole-bean coffee direct from a coffee roaster and grinding just what you need at the time to brew.
How to store roasted coffee?
Proper storage of your roasted coffee will prolong its life. Keeping it away from air, moisture, heat, and light will keep it fresh longer. That’s why it's best to keep your coffee in a cool, dark, and dry place, just as you would with your other dry goods. Here are a few ways to store your coffee.
1. In its original bag
It’s perfectly fine to keep coffee in its original packaging. Most coffee bags come with a zipper or tin tie to keep them sealed. After pouring out the beans, push all the air out and seal it with the zipper or tin tie. Never store a coffee bag open to the air. This will greatly accelerate oxidation.
2. In coffee vacuum canisters
Coffee vacuum canisters are the ideal way to store coffee. They provide a dark and dry place and they’re not only airtight, but they also include clever ways for pushing the trapped air out, creating a vacuum. There are many on the market, but we love the Airscape vacuum-sealed coffee canister.
How to tell if your coffee is stale?
Always purchase coffee with a roast date. And if you store your coffee in a canister, cut out the label with the roast date and roast information and place it in the canister with your beans. That way you won’t forget the roast date or what type of beans they are.
The best indicator that your coffee is stale is just after grinding when coffee is usually its most aromatic. If you can’t smell the coffee, or if it doesn’t smell pleasant, it’s probably stale. Coffee’s aromatics are some of the first things to go as it oxidizes.
What to do with stale coffee
If you do happen to have beans that are well past date, you might feel bad tossing them out. After all, a lot of hands went into producing those beans. Here are a few ideas of what you can do with those old beans.
1. Cold brew
As shocking as it sounds, age doesn’t impact the cold brew method as much as it does the hot brew method. Cold brew steeps coffee for a long period of time at room or cold temperatures. The extraction ends up being different than extraction during a hot brew method producing that distinctive cold brew flavor. Even beans that are 6 months old can be cold brewed with little to no indication of age.
2. Use it in baking or cooking
Though the coffee may be too old to brew, it can still impart amazing flavor in baked goods or in a rub.
For most daily coffee drinkers, we recommend that you purchase as much coffee as you’d drink in 3-4 weeks. That way you will never have to worry about coffee going stale. At Monarch Coffee, it seems 12-16oz of coffee is perfect for a month’s worth of coffee per person for most daily drinkers enjoying 12-18oz cozy cups of their favorite coffee. We roast all our coffee to order to ensure you’re able to experience our coffee at the peak of its freshness and flavor. Coffee subscriptions are a perfect way to purchase smaller amounts more frequently. And you don’t have to worry about remembering to order. Check out our coffee subscriptions and find one that works for you.
