This Only Happens When It's Fresh...

As it’s brewed, freshly roasted coffee becomes a bubbly mushroom cloud that indicates the flavor bomb brewing below.

The chocolate brown beans we all know and love start their lives waxy and green.

Coffee beans are highly durable in this green, unroasted state. If transported and stored properly, they’ll remain tasty for up to a year.

Once the roaster has applied his skill and the heat of the roasting process, the speed of the bean’s life cycle accelerates rapidly.

The beans start to release the wonderful-smelling vapors that puff the bag and waft out of the valve.

The valves on our bags are placed a fourth of the way down on the back. Put your nose to it and give the bag a gentle squeeze to enjoy a foretaste of the cups to come.

Now, a caveat. Fresher is better but there is such a thing as too fresh.

Brew coffee the day it was roasted or the day after and you’ll experience a roasty, muted version of the mature flavors.

For the first few days after roast, there’s a lot going on in the bean. Time to rest allows the flavors to coalesce.

Each coffee is unique but we’ve found that peak flavor usually manifests between days three and five.

After a couple weeks, you’ll begin to notice the perkiness of the flavors subside slightly as oxidation sets in. This isn’t a cause for concern, though. We routinely enjoy coffee that is 4-5 weeks old.

If possible, grind coffee as you go. This step alone will extend the enjoyable life of your bean by multiple weeks. It reduces the surface area exposed to air and keeps the bean cocoon that houses all the flavors intact.

Dark, airtight storage is also important as sunlight and heat (think windowsill or car cabin) will wear it out.

Coffee bags that have zippers are effective. There are also plenty of sealed coffee canisters that do a good job. The ideal storage container is one that forces out excess air as you go.

Regardless of how it’s kept, the roast level of your coffee will affect its longevity. The lighter the roast, the longer it remains fresh. Lighter roasts have been subjected to less heat during roasting and have more structural integrity.

Don’t let this steer you away from darker roasts, though. It’s just an interesting thing to be aware of. If anything, it may be added incentive to grind at home.

Fresh, skillfully roasted coffee is a treat for the senses. Whether you enjoy darker, bold coffee or the sparkling, tea-like subtleties of light roast, we roast twice a week so you can experience it for yourself.

Talk to you soon!