Can you buy fresh coffee at a supermarket?

[Ripper]

I don't live anywhere near a roaster or any place where i can get fresh coffee. Is it possible to get fresh coffee from supermarkets?

I know i can buy whole bean and grind myself but if the beans alreadya month old then it's not really fresh. Most super markets sell all the bigger chains and then have some kind of featured coffe that they keep in bins.

Do you guys have any thoughts on the freshness of the whole beans you can buy in supermarkets, both the big chains and the bin coffee?

Also, is there a way you can tell by looking at the beans if they are fresh? When looking at the beans in the bins i noticed that some are shiny while others are dull? does that give a clue to the freshness of the bean?

 

[mikefly]

order on the net!!!! tyr coffeeam.com they roast fresh then ship

 

[boybluega]

fresh coffee from a supermarket

Typically if they're in the bins - you're running the risk of getting ahold of a bean that has already been defeated by air. The clock is ticking, basically.

If you're wanting fresh coffee, but you're nowhere near a good roaster, I would suggest buying fresh roasted beans from a reputable roaster like the person above me said...

The site he referred to is a good one, and I would also like to suggest j. martinez coffees. I have never had a problem with them and always get it fresh to the roast that I ask them for.

As far as shiny beans - are you meaning oily?

 

[Ripper]

yes, some of the beans seem really oily, does that provide a clue to its freshness?

 

[CCafe]

Where are you located, maybe we can find you a good roaster within a few hundred miles?

 

[ElPugDiablo]

yes, some of the beans seem really oily, does that provide a clue to its freshness?

No. Beans are oily when they are roasted longer (darker) and at high temp. Some beans take dark roast better than others, but with or without oil, they do not tell you about freshness. Generally speaking, beans are considered fresh if they are less than 2 weeks from roasting date. The best way to experience fresh coffee is 1) roast them yourself, 2) find a local roaster who puts roasting date on the package, 3) buy from web based roasters who roast per daily orders. If you buy beans from supermarkets bins, then buy the lighter roasted beans because all things being equal they last longer, and coffee oil goes rancid after awhile. If your supermarket does not clean the bins regularly, then even if they put fresh beans inside the bins, they are contaminated by rancid oil.

 

[Coffee Guy]

Beans purchased in supermarket bins are notorious for having bad coffee. Reason being, the customer has no idea how long the beans have been in those bins. Both air and direct light are BIG enemies of fresh roasted coffee. Can you guess how many times those bins are opened and closed on a daily basis? That is correct, some beans can be roasted longer than others and can produce an oily sheen which looks pretty and all. Truth of the matter is, those are the beans that generally go bad much quicker than the lighter roasts under these conditions. I would follow the advice that most have stated here, and buy on-line. I would say try from a few different companies and see which one you prefer and order from them. You'll usually find that on-line roasters may be competitve with your local supermarket, in most cases better, and definately fresher.

 

[La Crema Coffee]

no roasters?

Where do YOU live? ( I want to move anyway)

 

[spindoc]

REALLY fresh beans!

Something you may not know: green coffee beans can be purchased for about half the price of roasted beans, and they have a very long shelf life, approximating a year if stored reasonably. A roaster is not terribly expensive: I have an iRoast (made by Hearthware), and it is very easy to operate. If you roast at home, you get the best of both: the freshest of beans and the least price for your coffee!

There are lots of places on the Web to buy coffee beans and a roaster, too; but one of my very favorites just because of the care with which instructions are written and general completeness is www.sweetmarias.com

Great folks and reasonable prices.

Regards from Spindoc
Sebring, FL

 

[MrJerry]

Buying your coffee online won't really cost you that much more than oh let's say Charbuck$. Plus you'll be getting fresh beans...and fresh is the best.

Even if (with shipping) your coffee costs you $15 per pound a cup of great coffee only costs you about 15-20¢.

Life is too short to drink crappy coffee!

 

[Natalie's]

Definately no on the supermarket coffee.

I'd buy online. Depending on where you live, shipping is only 2-4 days UPS. If you get it from a "roast to order" site like ours, it's as fresh as you're going to get, short of finding a local roaster.