Why is Roast Date important?

Freshly roasted coffee tastes absolutely amazing, or is it?

In fact, when coffee is super freshly roasted (on first week after roasting), it doesn't really taste that great. We have never had any fresh coffee beans that taste good. 

The reason: carbon dioxide!

When coffee is roasted, gases form inside the bean. After roasting, gases (mostly carbon dioxide) start seeping out.

When coffee is a few days old and very fresh, a bulk of the carbon dioxide formed leaves your beans. During this time, CO2 escapes so quickly it negatively affects the flavor of your coffee, imagine tasting carbon dioxide.

This degassing process is the reason roasters start selling their coffee a few days to a week after the roast date. That’s why fresh coffee bean bags are always look puff like a balloon weeks after roasting!

How long does it takes for coffee beans to degas?

It varies depending on coffee and roasting profile. Every coffee from different roasters has different degassing time, range from 5-14 days.

We all in Bean Shipper have been trying sooooo many different coffees from all roasters. The conclusion, the safest time to start a bag of coffee is 2 weeks past roast date! 

Save the headache to memories the different resting period for each roaster =)

Generally, a darker roast coffee will usually degas faster than lighter roast coffee. If you are getting Espresso Roast coffees, 9-12 days is good to go.

Whereas for Filter Roast coffees, 2 weeks minimum. Sometimes it takes even longer to reach its peak flavour!

So many coffee roasters, how to remember?

How fast should I finish a bag of coffee?

A rule of thumb, always finish a bag of coffee within 4-5 weeks past roast date!

Again, it varies as well. Especially on high quality Gesha coffee, we have tasted 2 months old Panama Gesha that still tastes absolutely delicious!

I don't usually finish coffee that fast, can I keep it unopened for later consumption?

The good news is, coffee will also stay good up to 4-5 weeks if remain unopened!

However, you might want to finish the bag fast! We do notice that once open (on 4-5 weeks), the flavours degrade quicker than fresher beans. Yes, it follows the Rule of Thumb.

What happens once beans have degassed?

Pretty much like a fine wine, freshly roasted coffee gets better over time. Once you open a bag of coffee beans, oxygen starts to make its way into your beans.

This is called oxidation, and is the main cause of staleness of coffee and makes your coffee lifeless and dull. Thankfully, we have solution to make prolong the deliciousness!

Coffee storage top tips

Immediately separate pack all the coffee beans into small jars every time you open a new pack.

This way, we keep minimal contact between coffee beans and oxygen. While trying to squeeze out all air in coffee bag before sealing is a good practice, but separate packing in individual serving is even better!

It's kinda tedious, but definitely worth the effort for delicious coffee at all time!

How to buy coffee beans (in Bean Shipper)?

We highly recommend a purchase of 2-3 bags at a time, depending on how many coffee drinkers you are with.

Another top tip! Always get a 1-2 weeks old coffee for immediate consumption, ie your cup of coffee in next few days. There you get to enjoy the coffee at it's optimum!

For second (or third) bag, get the ones that are super fresh less than 1 week old bag!

By the time you finish your first bag of coffee, it just hits the perfect timing for second bag to start!

Also, you'll most likely get FREE SHIPPING with 2 bags of coffee! If you can't hit the RM80 mark, get a Taster Pack to try out!

Sum Up

“Fresh” isn’t best if you’re dealing with freshly roasted coffee (mind you, if we’re talking fresh as in roasted recently and degassed, versus months old grocery store coffee – that type of fresh is always best!)

Always consult your roaster on how many days you should wait until brewing. You definitely want to find that sweet spot for your cup of coffee!

PS: Please don’t take a deep sniff the moment you open a new bag of coffee, the carbon dioxide will knock you out instantly.

Happy Brewing!