How to: Keep Your Coffee Fresh

Let's be honest, the odds are against you having fresh coffee. I'm willing to bet that you have had more stale coffee than fresh coffee in your lifetime, and you might not even know it.

Why your coffee is stale.
After roasting, coffee is in a constant battle with oxidation. I like to compare this process to bread. Fresh bread is the best thing in the world, however, if left out, bread will quickly go stale. Even if you keep it in a sealed bag, a piece of bread will eventually get hard and disgusting. Oxidation affects basically everything, and coffee is no exception. Coffee basically has a shelf-life of a month, and that is in a sealed bag. Once you open your bag, you maybe have two weeks. Crazy, right?

Oh, but it gets worse. Coffee goes stale, losing up to 80% of its flavor just 15 minutes after grinding. Once more surface area is exposed to oxygen, oxidation happens quickly.

Why wouldn't you know if your coffee is stale?
"Wait a minute, you just said I wouldn't notice if my coffee is stale, so why does it matter?"
To be clear, you wouldn't notice because you are just used to the flavor of stale coffee. Or, you put in enough cream & sugar to mask the taste. Once you try fresh coffee, the taste is drastically different, and makes it very clear that you have been missing out on good coffee.

Where are you paying for stale coffee?

• Grocery Stores
  • When you shop at grocery stores, there is a slim chance you are getting fresh coffee. Most have been bagged for months, or is already pre-ground. You might think you are safe at Whole Foods or Sprouts because they have "Local" options, however make sure you check the roast date, because if it doesn't sell immediately, they do not throw it out.
• Fast food chains
  • This will probably shock you, but whenever you go to Dunkin, Starbucks, McDonalds, etc..., you are most likely getting stale coffee. You might notice that these chains never put a "Roasted On" date on the bag, only a    "Best By" date. This means they are hiding when it was roasted, and it could be months. 

Where can you get fresh coffee?
You can get fresh coffee at specialty local coffee shops and roasters (aka right here on coffeedelrey.com). Google "Coffee shops near me," then scroll down until you stop seeing the corporate chains, and you'll be surprised by the difference it makes on your daily routine.

How to maintain fresh coffee at home.

1. Keep your coffee in the bag it came in, and push the air out every time you close it.
2. Keep your bag in your pantry or cabinet, not your fridge. Your fridge will actually stale your coffee quicker, as well as contaminate it with aromas from your leftover pizza.
3. Grind right before use! Invest in a good conical burr grinder, and enjoy fresh coffee.
4. Try to use within two weeks.

WARNING: COFFEE CAN BE TOO FRESH
During the roasting process, carbon dioxide and some other gasses are built up in the coffee bean. Let your coffee sit and de-gas for around 4-7 days after the roast date for best results.

Kenya Mutheka

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