How do I make my coffee better?

[kanenwis]

I am curious what do you mean by freshly roasted? Right out of the roaster? Up to a week old, two weeks old, a month old?

 

[frothycoffee]

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[Randy G.]

I am curious what do you mean by freshly roasted? Right out of the roaster? Up to a week old, two weeks old, a month old?

Roasted coffee is like so many other food products after they get "cooked." It has a time period wherein it will retain most of its flavor. That's what fresh is. There are variables, so no specific time period can be stated that could be considered a rule. For example, there are some coffees when roasted for espresso that do not fully develop their flavor profile for a longer period of time than other coffees. But generally speaking, once roasted, most coffees are best when consumed within two weeks. For espresso, that is usually a bit less, with the coffee showing signs of staling in about ten days. Other variables which can affect that include storage method, ambient temperature, roast level, quality of beans before roasting, etc.

Unfortunately, most people who drink coffee (in raw numbers) never get to taste really fresh coffee, or have been drinking stale coffee for so long they do not like or appreciate it at first. On the other hand, there is a psychological side of it. I gave a batch of freshly roasted specialty coffee to a friend and he told me it was the best coffee he ever had, and although he had access to excellent coffee from a commercial roaster, he went back to drinking "Midnight Roast" which is dark, oily, coffee which has had much of its flavor removed in the roasting process.

In the Bay Area there are a number of coffee roasters with fresh coffee available, like Barefoot in Santa Clara if I recall correctly. Drop by Great Infusions in Santa Cruz if you ever get out that way as well. I do not know if they are roasting there, but they know the local great roasters and will also talk to you about brewing methods that can bring out the best in coffee.

 

[Randy G.]

This is what I've learned to do when I make coffee at home (for guests) I always measure the water and the coffee. I don't go by the cup markings on the pot.......

Very nice post, PinkRose.
I would add that if you are grinding the coffee for each pot (and everyone should be grinding their coffee), by keeping those ratios as stated in that post, you can vary the grind from pot to pot and learn to get the best taste from the coffee and the brewing method. Cooking is science, and coffee is no exception. Standardize all the factors you can, keeping them constant (in this case that would be ratio of water to coffee), and change one thing - a variable.

 

[kanenwis]

Fresh Roast Discussion continued...

Randy G., thank you for the thorough commentary on "fresh roast." I was surprised in your recommended list of fresh roasters you didn't mention Bay Area companies like Ritual or Blue Bottle. Is there a reason for this?

I am also a home roaster and I use the Hottop. People often ask me where my favorite place to purchase fresh roasted coffee is located, and I don't have an answer for them. Why? Because I roast all of my own coffee.

 

[Randy G.]

Randy G., thank you for the thorough commentary on "fresh roast." I was surprised in your recommended list of fresh roasters you didn't mention Bay Area companies like Ritual or Blue Bottle. Is there a reason for this? I am also a home roaster and I use the Hottop. People often ask me where my favorite place to purchase fresh roasted coffee is located, and I don't have an answer for them. Why? Because I roast all of my own coffee.

For the same reason as you. I have not bought roasted coffee in over ten years. I received the first Hottop that came into the US, and since then have had at least one of every model and upgrade. A while after that first one showed up here I posted the first public review in the world. Since then I created the Hottop USA website and I wrote the owners manual as well. I am an independent graphic artist/writer/photographer, I am not am employee for Hottop. Yet I find it a very easy product and company to support.

Just had a cappuccino from a house bland. Yummy. I was very low on roasted coffee when I left for Houston. There was just enough for my wife to have Espro press coffee while I was gone. Upon returning home, for the last five days or so, I have been using a roasted blend from Equator (San Rafael) "Equator Blend," which was a media giveaway at the SCAA show. It tasted stale when first opened and went downhill from there. It never had anything in the taste to recommend it even when I first opened the heat-sealed foil/paper bag with one-way valve, and poured the coffee into a canning jar. It was mediocre when it first showed up (and that's being kind). The biggest clue right off was that there was no roasted-on nor use-by date on the package. Odd to give that away to coffee media folks. Not a good way to advertise our company.

I do not live in the Bay Area so my recommendations came from memory and not experience. I did have an espresso at a locel coffee shop up here where I live that was made with Barefoot roasted coffee which was spectacular and unique (called something like "Blend 102" or something like that). It was so heavy in citrus it was like easting an unsweetened orange.

On coffeegeek.com there is a specific area, geographically sorted, that has user reviews and recommendations on shops. That's a good place to look.