Roasted Coffee-what you need to know

Dear Constant Reader,

Roasted coffee is changing constantly after roasting.  The noble aromatics are fragile and need proper storage to survive into the cup. As I have said so often “no chef can rise above their raw materials”.  Expert marination cannot save spoiled fish…Here is an overview of the situation starting at bagging fresh coffee, one hour after roasting…

De Gas the Coffee

Roasting is a Maillard reaction generating heat, CO2, caramelized sugars and hundreds of volatile aromatic substances.  The CO2 must be allowed to out gas to achieve a full flavor cup.  85% of the CO2 comes out in the first ten hours but coffee brewed one day after roasting can still have sharp note due to the gas being present.  Coffee is servable two days after roasting but flavors will peak after five days given proper storage!

Storing Roasted Coffee

Refrigerate immediately for a 30 day preservation of your coffee. To put it more succinctly, what ever condition your roasted coffee is in refrigeration will preserve any volatile compounds remaining in the coffee for 30 days. Refrigeration cannot revive damaged coffee, only preserve it as is.

 Coffee stored in a dark place at room temperature will last ten days, max.. Coffee experiencing temperatures above that will perish very quickly.  This has implications for shipping especially in the summer months. (Coffee in the cargo bay of a jet at Narita Airport in the summer will be totally ruined in about one hour at temperatures above 90  degrees F.!)

Roasted coffee is incredibly temperature sensitive.

We are not sure about freezing it yet…

Brewing roasted coffee

Bring your coffee beans to room temperature before grinding.  Coffee will be richer, and in the case of espresso have a fuller body and mouth-feel, at 70 degrees F. (What I do at home is to remove my morning coffee beans from the ‘fridge into the grinder so they are stable at room temperature the following morning).