As much as I tout the benefits of roasting my own coffee beans to ensure the freshest roast possible, the question seems to come up often, "does a vacuum packed roasted coffee stay fresh?". I really don't know how to answer that, I usually reply that I suppose it would keep them fresher longer, but how long I don't have a clue. Roasting my own I find the ideal time to grind/brew/drink the coffee is anywhere from a couple or three days to 10 days or so. Any thoughts, comments of vacuum packed coffee beans (I'm assuming they are immediately vacuum packed after roasting)?
Define "fresh." It will stay 'fresh' as long as the package stays sealed. Once opened the coffee will happily absorb (convert...?) oxygen and in a short time it will be just about as stale as if it had been left in a jar, or sometimes even worse, as if they were in the open air. Many have experienced that with cans of Illy in the States. While relatively uninteresting as espresso, they taste acceptable the day the can is opened. By day two they taste like they are a month old...because they are that old, if not older. . . If you buy a brick of coffee that is vac packed, why didn't the pack expand from the out-gassing of the beans? Because they didn't out-gas.
But as I said, plenty of folks out there open a can of Folgers and revel in the fresh aroma.. To most coffee drinkers, fresh is a relative thing.
As much as I tout the benefits of roasting my own coffee beans to ensure the freshest roast possible, the question seems to come up often, "does a vacuum packed roasted coffee stay fresh?". I really don't know how to answer that, I usually reply that I suppose it would keep them fresher longer, but how long I don't have a clue. Roasting my own I find the ideal time to grind/brew/drink the coffee is anywhere from a couple or three days to 10 days or so. Any thoughts, comments of vacuum packed coffee beans (I'm assuming they are immediately vacuum packed after roasting)?
Well for one thing if they claim it is vacuum packed immediately after roasting (and it is whole bean and not ground), and the bag ISN'T about ready to pop from degassing then they are lying about the beans being vacuum packed immediately after roasting!
Len
"Coffee leads men to trifle away their time, scald their chops, and spend their money, all for a little base, black, thick, nasty, bitter, stinking nauseous puddle water." ~The Women's Petition Against Coffee, 1674
It depends....some of the "finer" brands of imported coffee that I have seen like Lavazza and Bristot are vaccuum sealed, but the bags have the usual 1-way valve on them and are not a "brick" when they arrive but are rather just like any other roaster's back of coffee in a 1-way valved bag (padded with some outgas inside etc.)
I second Randy's statement...when first opened they can be uninteresting but acceptable...and ONLY when first opened. Still it can be fun to try the Italian modes of coffee now and again for comparison with the styling of fresh roasters.
....some of the "finer" brands of imported coffee that I have seen like Lavazza and Bristot are vaccuum sealed, but the bags have the usual 1-way valve on them and are not a "brick" when they arrive but are rather just like any other roaster's back of coffee in a 1-way valved bag (padded with some outgas inside etc.)..
I have never had either of those brands (and never will if the stars stay aligned... heck.. never will if the stars stay in the sky, but anyway...). The Italian traditional coffee was one of inexpensive Brazilian and Robusta. It was that taste that set the foundation for their coffee back in the first quarter or so of the 20th century. Even if improved with quality beans, the taste will be unspectacular with lots of crema and a good dose of caffeine. Whatever they are doing now I do not know, but last I read (FWIW) Illy was the world's #1 importer of Brazilian beans (not that there is anything wrong with that). That has been my "base" bean of choice for years.
But even if we ignore the blend and roast level, if it is air shipped it to the US, but the time these bricks get to your machine they HAVE to be at least two weeks (roast, package, ship to port, get here, unload, send to distributor, to seller, to you), and that is old on a good week. More than likely they are more than double that age when you get it.
For your friends who ask, keep a jar or two of old home roast. Let it sit for at least a month (two is better). When someone asks about home roasting and fresh coffee, give them a sample of your fresh roast and an equal amount of the stale. If they can't taste the difference, hand them a coupon for $.50 off on Folgers and stop giving them coffee! ;-)
@FRCN- Our coffee distributor get the Lavazza in fresh the day after it is roasted (they happen to know the roaster over there since they owned a coffee shop in Italy for 5 yrs) and it moves through them within 3 days. Granted alot of other places it would be 2 weeks old if not longer. I guess it just depends on how good your distibutor/wholesaler is. Cant say enough good things about the Itzig's
We have tasted the Lavazza (decaf) fresh and its not bad. I dont prefer the dark italian roast but their one supremo roast is more in line of a french roast. But like you i prefer the south american beans. A great combo is Brazillian, Colombian and Guatemalan in a french roast. mmm mm good.
I have never had either of those brands (and never will if the stars stay aligned... heck.. never will if the stars stay in the sky, but anyway...). The Italian traditional coffee was one of inexpensive Brazilian and Robusta. It was that taste that set the foundation for their coffee back in the first quarter or so of the 20th century. Even if improved with quality beans, the taste will be unspectacular with lots of crema and a good dose of caffeine. Whatever they are doing now I do not know, but last I read (FWIW) Illy was the world's #1 importer of Brazilian beans (not that there is anything wrong with that). That has been my "base" bean of choice for years.
But even if we ignore the blend and roast level, if it is air shipped it to the US, but the time these bricks get to your machine they HAVE to be at least two weeks (roast, package, ship to port, get here, unload, send to distributor, to seller, to you), and that is old on a good week. More than likely they are more than double that age when you get it.
For your friends who ask, keep a jar or two of old home roast. Let it sit for at least a month (two is better). When someone asks about home roasting and fresh coffee, give them a sample of your fresh roast and an equal amount of the stale. If they can't taste the difference, hand them a coupon for $.50 off on Folgers and stop giving them coffee! ;-)
LOL, well first, remove Illy from that mix....even among bland coffees, Illy is bland. They're the Lindt of the coffee world. They try to pretend to be a prestigious upscale item....in reality they're a high-brow image painted on commodity trash. Maybe 50 years ago there was something to them....but not these days...
Second, I hear you about the Italian beans, though I think there's many styles of Italian beans. For example, my sampling of Bristot told me of a cherry-bomb coffee with a neat profile. Was it stale? Yes. Was it better when first opening the bag than the day after? Yes. But it gave me a hint of an interesting blend. What I eventually discovered was Paradise's Classico which gives me the fresh real cup that that Bristot hinted toward. The import beans aren't an end unto themselves, but you can discover some interesting goals that way.
Robusta.....until a week ago, I knew that was garbage. If you missed my post on the Paradise India Sitara (100% Robusta) check out my next-to-last post on the VST basket thread in the Q&A forum. It was quite delicious actually. Not my favorite, by highly enjoyable and unique :) (Different kind of Robusta, I know...) :)
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