Sunday, June 5, 2011

Don't Let Rancid/Stale Coffee Beans Spoil Your Beautiful Sunday Brunch!

Photo Courtesy of Danny Tarlow

A good Sunday morning to you!  What is better than freshly baked blueberry muffins, pancakes from scratch, freshly squeezed grapefruit juice from you own orchard and a cuppa Joe with freshly roasted coffee beans?  I will let you answer that!

 How do you know if your coffee beans are truly fresh?  You wouldn't want to spoil this whole ambiance with stale and/or rancid coffee beans, would you?  Then keep in mind the following:

1.  Do the nose test.  Fresh coffee beans have a wonderful aroma.  When the UPS man delivered coffee to my house I could smell the beans through the cardboard box as soon as I opened the front door.  Also, I am sure the UPS man's truck was thoroughly engulfed with the fragrance.  You should have the same experience.  There have been times where I couldn't smell much of anything even after opening the bag itself.  This is a sign of staleness!

2.  The beans should be somewhat shiny as they will still have some oil on them.

3.  Your coffee will froth when you pour on the hot water.  (French Press, Pour Over or Aeropress)  This is also known as the bloom.  It is the coffee gasses being released which only happens with freshly roasted beans.

4.  The flavor should be full and interesting.  If it lacks flavor or some kind of interest then it is not fresh!

5.  Beware of vacuum packed bricks of coffee.  The coffee has been degassed and is already stale!

6.  Grocery stores have great sales to unload inventory.  This may be coffee that is three months old or older!

7.  Ground coffee goes rancid very quickly.  It will deteriorate within a few hours of being exposed to oxygen, moisture and light.  Best to grind and then brew immediately. 

8.  Taste test......if it tastes like rubber, cigarette ashes or like some kind of chemical then it is bad.

9.  Stomach ache.......it may not be the acidity, but rather rancid oils.

I think you must get the picture by now.  For info. on coffee storage please go to my coffee storage post.

Make your coffee drinking experience a great one and enjoy every sip.  Now it is time to sit down and enjoy this delicious Sunday!!!!

7 comments:

  1. Fantastic information about the freshness of coffee! I will have to surely stay away from the coffee bricks I was already buying and now have to grind my own beans. I have a feeling my mornings will get a whole lot better :)

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  2. Thanks a lot, Shelley, for this wonderful post. I've been actually searching all over for tips like that, and I'm very happy to have found your blog. As one coffee lover to another - rock on! I've lived in Kenya for 4 years, and the coffee there is just divine. Really miss it!

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