Hi, Astin, and thanks so much for your comment!

Home roasting is indeed a great way to have super fresh coffee on hand all the time, but I have to argue that not all prepackaged coffee is stale from the get-go. I don't know of any beanery owner who would tell people not to buy their valve-bagged coffee in retail shops because it's not fresh, and I do think that the valves go a long way in preventing the coffee to stale--much more so than craft bags, which aren't remotely air-restricting. I also don't know of any coffee roastery that "purposely" sells stale coffee: At Counter Culture, we print the roast date right on the package--as do many high-end coffee companies--so that people can be aware of their coffee's age. We do a lot of outreach and education with our customers so that they understand that freshness is key, and that coffee should be treated like any other perishable produce.

I said in my piece that three months is a definite stretch in terms of the freshness of retail coffee off the shelf, and I stand behind that information on account of practicality. I think home roasting is wonderful, but I don't think it's possible for everyone (or even the majority of people), and I don't think it should mean that people without the capability to roast at home simply shouldn't enjoy great coffee. Two weeks off-roast, however, is a pretty attainable goal, in my opinion.

You bring up an interesting point about the gases that escape from coffee after it's roasted. The first thing to leave the roasted coffee beans is carbon dioxide, which causes expansion in the coffee upon extraction and also creates some bitterness in the cup (just like it causes expansion and some bitterness in carbonated water). It's true that a small percentage of the aromatics are flitted away with the release of this gas, but I also know countless coffee professionals who actually won't use the beans until after this process has happened some. Coffee used for drip brew is certainly better the fresher it is (2 to 3 days off roast is delightful), while espresso, many bean-heads will tell you, needs to age a little (or "rest") in order to pull nuanced, complex and smooth shots--often 5 to 7 days.

Thanks again; you raise very interesting questions! What type of roaster do you use?

Meister

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Good point about the air-tight container, J. Wagner.

I do think, though, that since most people buy their beans at least a few days after being roasted, much of the off-gassing has already happened. But I agree--directly postroast, that coffee has got to release those gasses before being put anywhere air-tight! I have heard tragicomic stories about unvalved bags, exploding in transit (on an airplane, for instance--yikes!)...

What type of roaster do you use? I'm fascinated by home roasting.

Happy caffeinating,
Meister

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Melissa A., my cupboards are a black hole, too -- I totally understand!

Most people probably don't think they could tell stale from fresh-roasted coffee once it's brewed, but I think part of that might be that we normally very rarely get a chance to taste them side-by-side. If you tasted fresh-roasted coffee directly before or after stale coffee, I'd wager a guess you'd be able to tell!

Hope you had a great and caffeinated weekend,
Meister

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