inopethflames Junior Member Joined: 8 Mar 2013 Posts: 17 Location: illinois Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Fri Mar 15, 2013, 3:35pm Subject: Re: How Long Does Coffee Last When Unopened?
so it ranges from 7-14 days according to people on here, but those companies like lavazzo & stuff say they can be fine in the bag for up to 2 years? thats a big difference. i assume to have the best taste its 7-14 days but probably companies say 2 years because maybe they are fine for that period, or most non-super serious coffee drinkers wouldnt be able to tell much of a difference?
CMIN Senior Member Joined: 14 Jun 2012 Posts: 512 Location: South FL Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: Crossland CC1 Grinder: Baratza Preciso
Posted Fri Mar 15, 2013, 4:02pm Subject: Re: How Long Does Coffee Last When Unopened?
inopethflames Said:
so it ranges from 7-14 days according to people on here, but those companies like lavazzo & stuff say they can be fine in the bag for up to 2 years? thats a big difference. i assume to have the best taste its 7-14 days but probably companies say 2 years because maybe they are fine for that period, or most non-super serious coffee drinkers wouldnt be able to tell much of a difference?
Oh you can tell a big difference, been there, done that lol. Lavazza taste avg for like a day or two, they nitrogen pack if I recall, but after that it faceplants itself quickly. I had some that had never been opened and sat in a pantry like 7 months, tasted like a burnt log lol. But then again majority of people equate that burnt/charred taste to exactly what coffee is and they like it (to them that's the taste coffee has period, it's all they know) ... until they try something better.
Had a friend that drank Lavazza like crazy, till he started ordering some fresh roast. Actually cheaper since Lavazza is expensive for what you get.
Posted Fri Mar 15, 2013, 4:32pm Subject: Re: How Long Does Coffee Last When Unopened?
The difference can not only be tasted, it can be smelled. Get a can of Illy whole bean. When ready, open it up, take what you need for that day, then reseal. If you have a decent coffee maker (or just a pour-over cone and know how to use it), on the second day the coffee will taste a month old. A dramatic difference that is easily discerned. Not some subtle changes in the overtones, but the difference between a good aroma and one that more than hints at ash tray. By day three, a discerning coffee drinker will not at all enjoy the cup.
Now, there are those who might taste the difference and go right back to their giant red tubs of pre-ground Folgers. I had one neighbor drink my home roast early on, tell me it was the best coffee he ever had, then go right back to "Midnight Roast" from a commercial roaster that might as well been tiny briquettes sprayed with oil. And the beans smelled like I described- burnt and oily. So go figure.
NobbyR Senior Member Joined: 10 Jul 2011 Posts: 1,613 Location: Germany Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Poccino Opus One, Ariete Grinder: Eureka Mignon Istantaneo,... Vac Pot: N/A Drip: Melitta Linea Unica de Luxe Roaster: N/A
Posted Sun Mar 17, 2013, 11:45pm Subject: Re: How Long Does Coffee Last When Unopened?
germantownrob Said:
I am not going to argue with them either but once the can is open you have less then 24hrs before those beans are stale.
I have had Yemen beans that took 3 weeks to even become drinkable and where best at 25days old. Robusta beans IMO are undrinkable fresh, they have to be aged until stale to be usable in a blend. I could argue that some beans for espresso are only delicious on day 6,7, and 8 and are plain Jane on all other days other beans I roast change drastically from day 4 to day 15 and are delicious the entire time. So my answer is it depends.
Don't get me wrong, I don't agree with a two year shelf life.
Apart from that one must point out that Babbie's Rule of Fifteens is just that: a rule of thumb. After all, going stale is a gradual process and doesn't happen overnight.
*** "This drink of the Satan is so delicious that it would be a shame to leave it to the infidels." (Pope Clement VIII on coffee)
calblacksmith Moderator Joined: 25 Nov 2007 Posts: 5,685 Location: Riverside, Ca, U.S.A. Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: ECM Veneziano A1 Grinder: Many different commercial Vac Pot: 40s era Silex Drip: Milita, Bunn&Curtis... Roaster: Cast iron pan, gas burner
Posted Mon Mar 18, 2013, 6:27am Subject: Re: How Long Does Coffee Last When Unopened?
Yes it is a down hill process but not an even one, I liken the freshness drop to the profile of a roller coaster. There is a steep climb to the peak, (roasting and degassing) and there is a short flat spot at the top, then a steep and rapid drop. The ride is not over after the first drop but you will never again rise to the peak of quality that you were at the start regardless of what you do with it afterwards. YMMV!
In real life, my name is Wayne P.
Feed the newbs, starve the trolls and above all enjoy what you drink!
takeshi Senior Member Joined: 12 Oct 2002 Posts: 731 Location: Houston Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Silvia Grinder: Super Jolly Roaster: Amaya Roasting
Posted Thu Mar 21, 2013, 10:35am Subject: Re: How Long Does Coffee Last When Unopened?
inopethflames Said:
so it ranges from 7-14 days according to people on here, but those companies like lavazzo & stuff say they can be fine in the bag for up to 2 years? thats a big difference. i assume to have the best taste its 7-14 days
You don't have to assume anything. You can determine for yourself what's stale and what isn't. If you're happy with 2 year old Lavazza then that's all that matters.
I can tell that my beans are going stale by watching the extraction and how it changes over time as well as by taste.
inopethflames Said:
but probably companies say 2 years because maybe they are fine for that period, or most non-super serious coffee drinkers wouldnt be able to tell much of a difference?
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