How fresh is your coffee? Freshness is absolutely essential for a great cup. Coffee peaks already 1-3 weeks after roasting, and after 2 months most of the unique flavors and aromas will be nearly gone. Let's look at why:
COFFEE IS LIKE FINE WINE
After roasting, the beans need to breathe and mature, much like a fine wine needs to be left to itself. In scientific terms, the beans will let the CO2 from the roast wear off, which takes a bit of time. Too high CO2 levels will make the flavor of the extraction (the brewing) erratic and uneven. For this reason, a good coffee bag should have a degassing valve, which allow this process to happen: it lets the CO2 out, but not the oxygen in, since oxygen exposure speeds up the staling process. All Fabula bags come with degassing valves, and if your coffee bag does not have a degassing valve, you might want to skip that coffee.
PEAK FLAVOR: COFFEE AT ITS BEST
1-3 weeks after roast, your coffee will be at its very best. It will be balanced between sweetness, acidic notes, with body and rounded, but still intense. Coffee nerds discuss the length of this window fairly intensely (us included), but for most coffee drinkers, 1-3 weeks is a good rule of thumb.
From around week 3, quality starts to decline, even if still great for some more weeks. Flavors and aromas will become less and less intense. Especially the higher, more acidic notes will disappear, otherwise making for a balanced cup. After 2 months, most flavor notes and delicacies will be gone, and we do not recommend drinking coffee older than this.
MOST COFFEE CONSUMED IS STALE
Most people buy their coffee in retail. This coffee will have been sitting on distribution centers, warehouses and on the shelf of the retailer for a total of many months. When the consumer opens the bag, it will already be stale. The aroma and flavor of fresh coffee is for many a complete eye opener, and a visceral experience that a coffee lovers should not exclude themselves from.
COFFEE DONE RIGHT
Ideally, you buy coffee every 2-3 weeks, in just the right quantity according to your consumption. Find a brand that roasts, bags and ships throughout the week (ehem, we are right here, ok?), and you will be in great shape.
Happy brewing!