Coffee begins with the coffee plant, grown in parts of the world we have come to know by their names, such as Sumatra. The quality of the coffee also begins here, not just with the type region, but with the type of bean, the plantation, and how they harvest their beans.
The beans are then sent to a roaster, roasted, packaged, and sent out. The quality of the roaster will make a big difference in the coffee. Roasters like Stumptown and Intelligentsia put a lot of time and energy into their award-winning coffees.
Then next factor is when the coffee gets to its destination, whether a coffee shop or a person’s home. A good coffee house will acquire as soon as possible after roast, sometimes immediately (if they roast themselves) or 2-3 days after roast. At 10 days or so, the coffee is considered too stale for a good coffee house. At home, in a French Press, the roast date is significant. The oils and gases will be at their peak early on, as will the flavor. If it’s a good roast, it’ll still be acceptably good for awhile though, and still better than many beans out there. The fact is, many of us are used to less than fresh coffee.
It’s also best to not grind the coffee until just before use.
Posted on April 6th, 2008 by admin
Filed under: Coffee
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