Why ‘Fresh Isn’t Always Best’ When Storing Coffee
When it comes to coffee, freshness is often considered king. But did you know that in some cases, fresher isn’t always better? If you’ve ever brewed a cup of coffee from beans that were roasted the same day, you might have noticed an unexpected result: excessive bubbling during brewing and an underwhelming flavour. This is because coffee needs time to rest and degas before reaching its peak taste. Let’s dive into why fresh isn’t always best when storing coffee and how you can maximize the flavour of your beans.
Why Coffee Needs Time to Rest
Freshly roasted coffee beans release carbon dioxide (CO2) as part of the roasting process. This degassing period is essential because too much CO2 can interfere with the extraction process, leading to a sour, uneven brew. Here’s what happens:
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Excess Gas Disrupts Brewing: When coffee is too fresh, the rapid release of CO2 can create air pockets in your espresso puck or disrupt water flow in a pour-over, leading to inconsistent extraction.
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Flavors Need Time to Develop: The first few days after roasting, coffee’s flavor profile is still evolving. Letting the beans rest allows the volatile compounds to stabilize, enhancing the balance and complexity of flavors.
How Long Should You Wait?
The ideal resting time depends on the brewing method:
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Espresso: 7-14 days after roasting for optimal crema and flavor balance.
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Pour-Over & Drip Coffee: 3-7 days after roasting for smoother extraction.
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Aeropress/French Press: 5-10 days after roasting to reduce excessive gas release and improve body.
Best Practices for Storing Coffee
To maintain peak freshness and flavor after the resting period, follow these storage tips:
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Use Airtight Containers – Store coffee in an opaque, airtight container to prevent exposure to oxygen, moisture, and light.
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Keep It Cool and Dry – Avoid placing coffee near heat sources or in the fridge, as fluctuating temperatures can cause condensation and stale or 'cook' the beans.
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Buy in Small Batches – Purchasing coffee in smaller amounts ensures you always have beans at their peak rather than aging beyond their prime.
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Grind Just Before Brewing – Whole beans retain freshness longer than pre-ground coffee, so grind only what you need on the day.
We highly recommend taking a look at Airscape bean storage containers - these can be purchased in our shop page.
Our Process at Little Owl
At Little Owl Coffee Roasters, we pack our coffee daily, straight from the roaster, into black, foil-lined bags (protecting from the elements) with one-way release valves. These bags protect the beans during their resting period by releasing CO2, while preventing oxygen exposure, which can degrade the coffee’s aromatic compounds and flavor.
Through experience, we’ve found that our freshly roasted coffee reaches peak flavor after resting for 6–7 days. We generally advise to consume within 5 weeks from roasting date where possible. The beans are still 100% fine to use after this period, you may just find the flavour profile decreasing and not maybe being as 'sharp' as during the first 5 weeks from roast.
So, is fresh best? When it comes to just-roasted coffee, not necessarily. But if "fresh" means properly rested and recently roasted—as opposed to months-old grocery store coffee—then absolutely!