Thursday, May 6, 2010

HOW TO DETERMINE THE FRESHNESS OF COFFEE BEANS ?

The freshness of coffee beans play an important role in how coffee tastes. Like food, the fresher the ingredients the better the flavor. The process which affect the length of time coffee stays fresh is roasting.

In the right conditions, coffee beans will be kept for years until they are roasted. Once roasted however, the flavorsome coffee oils are brought to the surface of the bean and will deteriorate and rapidly become rancid. Also after roasting, coffee beans produce coffee gases (mostly carbon dioxide) for a little over week, with most of the gasses being released in the first 2-3 days. Once the gasses have been completely released, the coffee is stale. The method of coffee bean storage you use can delay this deterioration.

Oxygen and moisture are the two enemies of freshly roasted coffee. To reduce moisture contact with the beans you should make sure that cooling process of the beans after roasting uses air. To reduce oxygen contact after roasting you should make sure to use nitrogen-flushed bags that are fitted with one-way valve. Nitrogen is an inert gas, so it will not react with your coffee beans in any way. It is used to displace all the oxygen from the bag before it is sealed. This is the best method of coffee bean storage because it keeps the beans dry and oxygen-free (at least until the bag is opened). Also, keeping your coffee beans in a cool, dark place will counteract the negative effects of heat and light.

Here are some freshness indicators you should look when buying coffee beans :
- Shiny Appearance : freshly roasted beans will have a glossy shine due to the oils still sitting on the surface of the beans.
- Wonderful Aroma : the aroma of freshly roasted beans is wonderfully thick and intense. If you can not smell the aroma of the beans wafting out from the bag then they aren't fresh.
- Frothy Brew : known as the bloom, the coffee gasses release from freshly roasted beans will cause your brew to froth as you pour on the water.
- Full Flavor : freshly roasted coffee will have a full, complete flavor. If your coffee tastes bland and lacks interest, then it is not fresh.

Flavor coffee beans.

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