What Is Beanless Coffee?
As we have noted numerous times on these pages, there are several serious issues facing the world of coffee. Deforestation, climate change, various coffee plant diseases will all threaten and possibly curtain coffee production in the coming years. Coffee producers are looking at solutions like cross breeding arabica and robusta coffees to produce hardier arabica strains as well as better tasting robusta. One of the responses to all of this is the development of “beanless coffee.” What is beanless coffee and will it have any material effect on coffee prices that people buy in order to enjoy their cup of java? For that matter how will it affect the taste and flavor or your morning brew?
Coffee That Is Not Really Coffee
The BBC recently published an article about startups promoting beanless coffee. They focused primarily on a new imitation of coffee, Atomo. This “alt-coffee” is an attempt to replicate the taste and aroma of coffee without actually using coffee beans. Their recipe includes date seeds marinated with the following list of ingredients. Ramón seeds, fructose, pea protein, millet, lemon, sunflower seed extract, guava, fenugreek seeds, baking soda and caffeine. The caffeine comes from decaffeination of green tea.
How Many Alt-Coffees Are There?
In addition to Atomo, companies seeking to make beanless coffee include Dutch-based Northern Wonder which uses malted barley, chicory, and chickpea along with “undisclosed” natural flavoring. Two other competitors in this market include Minus from San Francisco and Prefer from Singapore. Also in this niche but pursuing a different approach are folks making “bio-coffee” created from coffee plant cells and grown in a vat before being fermented and roasted. The Finnish government has sponsored research in this regard. Folks working toward this goal include Cultured from California, Another from Singapore, and Foodbrewer from Switzerland. While this approach may lead to beanless coffee that is a better match to your natural brew, this approach will require regulatory approval not needed by folks who are just mixing natural plant ingredients.
Date Seeds for Making Beanless Coffee
Courtesy of Research Gate
What Is the Point of Beanless Coffee?
Currently a beanless coffee like Atomo costs more than a regular cup of coffee. So, why beanless when your Colombian arabica coffee is better and cheaper? The first selling point you see in this regard is that the six greatest causes of deforestation is coffee cultivation. This problem is expected to get worse as climate change drives coffee production to higher altitudes and lower altitudes can no longer support coffee farms. As Asian countries which generally have preferred tea pivot to coffee this will also increase global demand at the same time as production is threatened. Thus, beanless coffee producers argue that their products are less environmentally damaging and eventually may be cheaper.
Downsides to Beanless Coffee
A lot of people work on coffee farms throughout the tropics. If these folks get displaced because of a big surge in beanless coffee that will mean a lot of unemployment and hardship. Alternatively, it could lead to these folks using their land for growing other, more profitable, crops like cocaine! Cocaine cartels will not be worried about deforestation.
What Is the Status of Beanless Coffee?
Aromo, the focus of the BBC article, is sold at seventy coffee shops in the USA. They also sell beanless coffee as well as conventional coffees on their website. Thus these folks do not have a huge share of the market and the vat-brewed variety is a long way from becoming an economic threat to coffee producers in Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Honduras, Ethiopia or back in Java itself. And, of course, these products have a huge way to go to compete on taste and aroma with your favorite gourmet coffee from Colombia.
Java Coffee Variety
When someone offers you a cup of Java you typically assume that they are simply offering you coffee. After all Java was one of the early locations where Dutch traders started planting coffee away from West Africa and the Middle East. Thus, years ago Java became synonymous with coffee. However, it turns out there is a Java coffee variety as well. So if you are looking for a different taste and aroma experience with your coffee or are looking for a new variety to plant on your coffee farm, you might just want to check out the Java coffee variety.
Where Does the Java Coffee Variety Come From?
The Java coffee variety was indeed planted on the East Indies island of Java in 1616. The coffee came directly from Yemen. That coffee arrived in Yemen from Ethiopia in the late 1400’s. It has always been assumed that Java is a typica coffee variety. Typica is one of the most popular and prevalent arabica varieties. It produces coffee with excellent taste and aroma but is susceptible to a variety of coffee plant diseases like nematodes and leaf rust.
Although the assumption has always been that typica the corner of the coffee world is where Java belongs, that is not true. Recent genetic examination indicates that Java did indeed come from Ethiopia but is descended from the Abyssinia variety, endemic Ethiopian coffee variety.
Why Is the Origin of the Java Coffee Variety Important?
The typica coffee variety includes lots of great tasting coffees with great aroma. However, as a group, this coffee variety and its sub varieties are rather susceptible to coffee diseases like leaf rust. On the other hand, the Ethiopian Abyssinian coffee group is both great tasting with a great aroma but also more resistant to leaf rust and coffee berry disease. Although Java is not so resistant to nematodes, this is less of an issue in the coffee growing areas of the Americas than it is in Africa where the variety has been grown for years in Cameroon and elsewhere.
What Are the Arguments for the Java Coffee Variety?
Java was introduced to Costa Rica in 1991 and Panama a few years later. Today you can find the Java variety throughout Colombia and especially in the department of Huila. The selling point for this variety is that it produces a medium yield with less requirement for fertilizers and is more resistant to coffee leaf rust and coffee berry disease than other arabica varieties. These features make this coffee variety a good choice on small coffee farms working on small budgets. It does well at higher altitudes like standard older arabica varieties making it ideal for many mountainous locations across the American section of the coffee belt. It has a lower planting density at 3000 to 4000 plants per hectare with single stem pruning that the 5000 plants per hectare commonly believed to produce the highest total yield.
For small coffee farms looking to produce highest quality coffee at the lowest cost and labor, the Java coffee variety may be an excellent choice. For the coffee drinker looking for an excellent coffee at a reasonable price, the Java coffee variety has been compared to Gesha in quality but at nowhere near the prices commanded by this unique and hard to find variety.
So the next time you order a cup of Java you may want to specify whether you are simply using the generic term for cup of coffee or asking for a unique coffee variety with a rich history.
What Is the Right Amount of Coffee?
There are lots of reasons why drinking coffee is good for you. But as the experts at Johns Hopkins and the Mayo Clinic remind us, coffee should be consumed in the right amount! The good part is that coffee consumption reduces the risks of type II diabetes, various kinds of cancer, Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, liver disease, heart disease, and strokes. You can even live longer by drinking coffee! But you need to drink enough coffee to make a difference without going overboard and avoid drinking too much and experiencing problems related to too much coffee.
How Much Coffee Do You Need to Drink to Get It’s Benefits?
Long term studies that have asked people about their coffee consumption along with other health issues indicate that if one consumes a cup of coffee a day on average that benefits occur. These benefits generally increase with consumption up to a limit of about six cups of coffee a day and then plateau. Thus there are lower and upper limits to coffee consumption in order to get its benefits.
How Much Coffee Is Too Much for the Average Person?
Both Johns Hopkins and Mayo advise coffee drinkers to beware of drinking too much coffee. Here are there are two categories, men and women who are not pregnant or nursing are one group and the other is women who are pregnant or nursing. For the first group side effects include a faster heart rate, elevation of blood pressure, jitteriness and anxiety, and difficulty getting to sleep. Most folks in the first group can drink coffee containing up to 400 mg of caffeine per day. That works out to about three cups of coffee, depending on the type. Robusta has a higher caffeine content than great tasting arabica from places like Colombia. The average eight ounce cup of arabica contains 95 mg.
How Much Coffee Is Too Much If You Are Pregnant?
Because coffee health issue for mom and baby typically have to do with caffeine, drinking decaf may be a good choice. In general, decaf coffee has the same health benefits as regular coffee. The Mayo Clinic reminds us that how much coffee is too much needs to include “energy drinks with caffeine.” These drinks to not come with the health benefits of coffee but can produce the same or worse side effects.
As general rule pregnant women should limit their coffee intake such that they get less than 200 mg of caffeine a day or half the usual recommended amount. This is according to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Observed effects of excessive caffeine intake during pregnancy include stillbirth, preterm birth, low birth weight, and restrict fetal growth. One of the issue here is that caffeine clearance from a woman’s body seems to be slowed or reduced during pregnancy.
How Much Coffee is Too Much if You Are Nursing?
The rule of thumb for coffee consumption for nursing moms is similar to that during pregnancy. Keep coffee consumption low enough that daily caffeine intake is 200mg a day or less. The issue is not so much for mom in this case but for baby who gets caffeine through breast milk. Although the amount of caffeine that a nursing baby gets is pretty small, baby does not have mature kidneys and cannot clear caffeine out its system as effectively and rapidly as an adult can.
The measure of how fast the body rids itself of a substance is called the half-life. In other words, how long does it take for the body to reduce the level of caffeine in the blood by a half? Men and women both have caffeine half-lives of about five hours. The half-life of caffeine in a newborn baby is about one hundred hours and much longer for premature babies. Thus, when mom is nursing a newborn and especially a premature newborn the baby’s caffeine level will steadily rise even with tiny amounts of coffee. Thus baby is jittery, cries a lot, does not sleep well. When levels get really high baby will experience tremors, agitation, hypertonia or muscle weakness, and the sort of “tonic-clonic” movements typical of seizures.
The bottom line is please talk to your doctor about caffeine intake when nursing, especially with premature newborns!
Green Coffee Facts
Green coffee refers to harvested coffee beans that have not yet been roasted. Most people buy roasted coffee, either whole bean or ground. Some folks only buy green coffee beans and roast enough for what they will brew each day. There are benefits that come with buying green coffee and potential drawbacks. There are even direct uses for unroasted green coffee which has different properties than when it has been roasted. Here are a few green coffee facts to help you understand the differences.
How Is Green Coffee Different From Roasted Coffee?
The flavor of unroasted green coffee is lighter and milder than when it has been roasted. It also has a slight flavor similar to grass if one were to put that into a drink. Chlorogenic acid is present in higher levels in unroasted coffee beans. Health experts sometimes say that this antioxidant in sufficient amounts can help control blood sugar levels and assist in losing weight. Green coffee retains its freshness longer than roasted coffee when stored properly. This ensures, for most consumers, that their roasted coffee will be fresher as well.
How Long Can You Store Green Coffee?
A good rule of thumb is that green coffee will retain its freshness and antioxidant levels for up to three years when stored in a cool and dry location away from direct sunlight. By comparison, roasted whole coffee beans can retain their freshness for up to six months with similar correct storage. The issue with green coffee for the consumer is how long that green coffee beans spent in storage either in the country where they were grown or in the destination country before they were purchased by the end user or by a coffee roaster. The issue for roasted coffee is typically how long it sat on the grocery store shelf before you purchased it. The issue with ground roasted coffee is that it loses its freshness within days of being exposed to the air.
Are There Health Benefits from Drinking Green Coffee?
This issue has not been extensively studied. What small studies have been done indicate that people may lose three to five pounds more than otherwise in a diet if they add green coffee consumption. The assumption, unproven, is that green coffee blocks fat buildup and lowering blood sugar levels. In regard to blood pressure, there has been one small study in which people who consumed green coffee lowered their blood pressure more than a control group did. In neither case did the studies determine a standard dose or course of treatment.
Drawbacks to Consuming Green Coffee
Like roasted coffee, green coffee contains coffee. So, if you consume too much you will get an upset stomach, feel jittery, or even drive your blood pressure higher. If you have consumed large daily amounts of green coffee and then suddenly quit you will very likely get caffeine withdrawal headaches just like with regular coffee consumption and cessation. Otherwise, there are no know specific problems with consuming green coffee.
Green Coffee Versus Roasted Coffee Health Benefits
Regular coffee has a whole host of known health benefits from reduction of type II diabetes, reduction of risk of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, to reduction of risks of various types of cancer. Green coffee has nowhere near the amount of research conducted regarding its effects and benefits. This is primarily because drinking coffee is common worldwide and drinking or otherwise consuming green coffee is rather rare. It may well be that green coffee confers the same benefits as drinking roasted coffee. But, until someone includes green coffee consumption in long term follow-up questionnaires and twenty years pass, we will not know.
Is It the Roast or the Coffee That Is Bad?
Here at Buy Organic Coffee we typically write about how to find, make, and enjoy the best coffee in the world. However, for far too many coffee lovers the issue is not great coffee but rather bad coffee. Problems with your cup of java start with the type of coffee you are buying and extend through how long it has been stored before it got roasted. Then the issue is how long it was on the shelf before you bought it and then how long stored it and how well you stored it before grinding the beans and brewing your coffee. Along the way the degree and quality of roasting comes into play. Very often the basic question is whether it is the roast of the coffee that is bad.
What Is the Best Coffee?
For folks who simply want a lot of caffeine in their cup to wake up in the morning and keep going all day, robusta coffee is the best choice. It has much more caffeine than arabica coffee. You are giving away the promise of better flavor and aroma but you are getting the “kick” that you want from your coffee. The bulk of this kind of coffee comes from Vietnam and Brazil. For most folks who love a great cup of coffee with excellent aroma and taste, arabica coffee is preferable. The best arabica is grown at higher altitudes in volcanic soil. There are lots of great coffees in the world that fit this criteria. However, the largest area with the greatest production of uniformly great arabica coffee is in the west of Colombia on the western slopes of the western most ridgeline of the Andes mountains. At the center of this area is the coffee triangle comprised of the departments of Caldas, Risaralda, and Quindío. However, the rich coffee growing area includes the department of Antioquia around Medellin to the north and the departments of Huila and Tolima to the south. However, Brazil produces lots of arabica as do Honduras, Mexico and other central American countries. The easiest way to make sure you are getting high quality Arabica coffee is to look for Juan Valez on the package which means the coffee is 100% Colombian.
How Long Was It Since Your Coffee Was Picked?
Coffee is freshest when it is picked and after it has been dried, processed to remove the cherry and husk and made ready for roasting. Colombia has a major harvest and a minor harvest season. Your best coffee is that which moves quickly from the mountain side to local processing to shipping to a roaster or green coffee seller near you. To avoid getting coffee that has languished in the supply chain for months or years we offer direct shipping from the Colombian coffee triangle to you. Just contact us at admin@buyorganiccoffee.org. Doing this you will avoid getting coffee that sat for months or years in storage as green coffee in the USA before being roasted and then sitting on the grocery store shelf for months before you purchase it.
How Was Your Coffee Roasted?
Roasting coffee produces and/or converts antioxidants and, on the extreme end, caramelizes the coffee. Some different flavors are produced with light to moderate roasting and many are lost. On the extreme end, most of the original flavors and aroma are lost. The problem with routinely getting a dark roast coffee is that all too often you are getting an inferior coffee bean or a stale coffee bean and cannot tell the difference because the original flavor and aroma is gone. So, one of the reasons for bad coffee is that it was roasted to within an inch of its flavor and aroma life!
Did They Ruin a Good Coffee or Disguise a Bad Coffee With Their Roasting?
You see a lot of articles today promoting a dark roast as healthier because, they claim, that a dark roast has more antioxidants. This remains to be proven. What is true is that using an excessive dark roast is a common way to disguise bad coffee that came from inferior beans, was stored too long, or processed incorrectly. To the extent that you are getting high quality coffee from places like Colombia, we suggest a light to medium roast first of all and progression to a darker roast for comparison thereafter.
What Are the Best Flavored Coffees?
Research into coffee drinking habits tells us that only eighteen percent of coffee drinkers take their java black without sweeteners, cream or milk, or other flavoring. Assuming that you would like something a bit more than a sweetener, milk or cream with your coffee, what are the best flavored coffees? Another issue is this. Does adding a flavor to your coffee overpower coffee’s natural flavor and aroma? Or are there flavorings that enhance the natural flavor and aroma of your coffee?
Most Common Coffee Flavors
The most commonly used coffee flavorings include amaretto, French vanilla, hazelnut, caramel, mocha, peppermint, cinnamon, maple, butterscotch, and pumpkin spice. Some flavorings and coffee drinks are seasonal like eggnog coffee or Irish coffee. As noted in a recent article in The New York Times, an article about complicated coffee orders explained how often times less is more and better in the coffee world.
Thomas Edison and the Flavor of Your Coffee
When the inventor of the electric lightbulb, movie camera, and phonograph hired a new young scientist he always invited them to eat dinner at his home. One promising young scientist with impeccable credentials was not offered a job. When asked why Edison said that the young person lacked curiosity. They salted their steak before tasting it. In regard to coffee flavorings and your coffee, we suggest that you taste your coffee before adding hazelnut, mocha, or pumpkin spice. Maybe you will decide that you don’t need so much, or any flavoring, after all.
Making the Best of Average Coffee
Not everyone can afford to buy gourmet coffee, whole beans, imported directly from Colombia. Even though you can find excellent coffee at great prices in Colombia, the cost of shipping small quantities may be prohibitive for someone living on a budget. Thus, one may find themself looking for ways to improve flavor or mask bitterness of the coffee they are buying at the store. Here is where adding a tasty flavoring like hazelnut, mocha, or cinnamon may be a good idea. As a rule you do not need to use excessive amounts of flavorings to accomplish this task.
Cloves, Nutmeg, or Cardamon to Augment the Flavor of Your Coffee
Flavors not commonly used with coffee are clove, cardamon, or nutmeg. However, each of these can be used in moderation to enhance the natural flavor of your coffee. Clove is very aromatic. When used with a wood-toned coffee like one from Colombia it can enhance the normal flavor of a great coffee. Nutmeg can be used with stronger and spicier coffees to add more depth to natural spicy and nutty flavors. When used with an earthy Indonesian coffee, cardamon adds more of a hint of spice and earthy tones.
Taste Test Before Deciding on a Coffee Flavor for Your Life
We humans are creatures of habit. When we get into the habit of drinking a given flavored coffee, we may end up missing out on a whole world of coffee flavorings or excellent coffee without added flavoring. We strongly suggest that coffee lovers who crave something extra try out several different flavoring and even follow the advice of Mr. Edison to taste their coffee (steak) before adding flavoring (salt)! You may find that the high quality Colombian coffee you are drinking has more than enough flavor and aroma without adding anything else.
Who Grows High Altitude Coffee?
Coffee only grows in the tropics, in the so-called coffee belt. That is because coffee is a perennial that does survive a frost. Although disease resistance can be high with strains like robusta, high quality coffee like arabica does not do well at extremely low altitudes because of excessive heat, humidity, and presence of fungi and other coffee pests. Thus coffee is generally grown at around three thousand feet but can also be grown at much higher altitudes such as in Ethiopia, Colombia, Bolivia, or Honduras, where coffee is grown as high as 7,000 feet above sea level and occasionally even higher.
How Does Altitude Affect Coffee?
As a rule, high quality coffee grown in the 3,000 foot range has nutty and chocolate flavors while coffee grown closer to 7,000 feet has more floral and fruity aromas and flavors. The best coffee grows slowly and ripens slowly. This is what happens at higher altitudes in countries like Colombia, Ethiopia, Honduras, and Bolivia at the highest altitudes. A problem today that plagues coffee production is coffee leaf rust which kills entire coffee crops. This fungal coffee plague is more prevalent at lower to medium altitudes and less of a problem at altitudes above 6,000 or 7,000 feet. As earth’s temperatures and humidity steadily increase there will be a need to plant coffee at higher and higher altitudes to stay ahead of leaf rust infestations. Meanwhile, coffee growers are trying to cross breed arabica strains with resistant East Indian strains to increase disease resistance while retaining arabica flavor and aroma.
Science, Altitude, and Coffee Characteristics
Higher altitude coffee means slower growth in cooler temperatures. Slower growth results in higher sugar content which, in turn, results in more complex flavors. Coffee at lower altitudes grows faster and produces more coffee but of noticeably lower quality. Higher altitudes tend to have better drainage for coffee with reduces water saturation of coffee beans and further increases sugar concentration and flavor complexity.
Coffee Quality By Altitude
As a general rule, here are the coffee qualities that relate to altitude of production. Above 5,000 feet like in Colombia or Ethiopia coffee has greater complexity, is fruitier, spicier and has aromas that are more floral.
Coffee grown in the 4,000 feet range like in Mexico, Costa Rica and lower elevations in Colombia tends to be more earthy with notes of nut, chocolate, citrus, and vanilla.
Coffee that grows around 3,000 feet such as the lowest Colombian production areas or in Brazil tends to be sweet and smooth.
And coffee grown as low as the 2,500 foot range such as in Hawaii tends to be mild, not very complex, and not acidic.
Altitude Requirements for Arabica Versus Robusta
Robusta is a hardier coffee plant than arabica. Thus it can be grown at lower altitudes where temperatures are higher. Arabica requires not only higher altitude with lower temperatures but also more shade, stable temperatures, and plentiful rainfall. We have written about how both in Colombia and other countries of Latin America and in the East Indies coffee growers are attempting to cross breed robusta and arabica with the hope of obtaining a coffee with the best features of both, namely a hardy coffee with high production that retains arabica’s exceptional qualities. Until that ideal is obtained, we can expect to see the best coffees grown at the highest altitudes in places like the departments of Caldas, Quindío, and Risaralda in Colombia.
Growing Coffee in Your Greenhouse
Coffee plants grow naturally in the tropics in what is referred to as the coffee belt. If you are fortunate enough to live in a place like the Colombian Eje Cafetero you can grow your own coffee. Of course you will need land for growing your coffee crop but the environmental conditions will be ideal for producing great coffee. If you live outside of the coffee belt you will not be able to grow coffee out of doors. However, growing coffee in your greenhouse is a possibility. What you need to do is to create an indoor, year round environment similar to where coffee grows naturally.
Coffee Growing Environment
Coffee plants are perennial but do not survive a frost. Thus anyone living outside of the tropics needs a protected environment for coffee plants to survive winter. The average temperature where the bulk of coffee is grown in Colombia ranges from a nighttime low of 57 degrees Fahrenheit to a daytime high of 73 degrees Fahrenheit or 13 to 22 degrees Celsius. Days are generally overcast with some rain most days. Coffee grows on slopes where it never stands in water and grows in naturally fertile volcanic soil. For growing coffee in your greenhouse you will need to mimic these conditions.
Growing Coffee in a Greenhouse
Although folks in places like Colombia, Brazil, or Vietnam are experts at growing coffee they do not necessarily know much about growing coffee in a greenhouse. However, folks in the far north, like at the University of North Dakota have experience doing just that. Courtesy of NDSU in Fargo, ND, here is some useful information about growing coffee in greenhouses. Start by choosing the right coffee to grow, using the right nutrients, and then maintaining the right indoor environment for growing coffee.
Growing High Quality Coffee in a Greenhouse
You have two basic choices for greenhouse coffee. Robusta coffee is hardy, produces well, and has a high caffeine content. It also does not have the best flavor or aroma. Arabica coffee, on the other hand, can be more fragile and prone to plant diseases, has a lower yield than robusta, and a lower caffeine content. However, the excellent flavor and aroma of arabica makes the effort of growing it worthwhile. As a rule we would suggest that if you are going to the trouble of growing coffee in your greenhouse that you grow a superior coffee variety.
Nutrients for Greenhouse Coffee
Coffee grows best in loamy soil that is well drained so that is what you will want to recreate in your greenhouse. Plan to provide extra phosphorus to younger plants up to the third year. For mature plants use a 10-5-20 fertilizer mix at one thousand five hundred pounds per acre per year. A mix of magnesium, zinc, and iron is also necessary. All of these are natural ingredients of volcanic soil.
Greenhouse Conditions for Growing Coffee
For best results greenhouse conditions for growing coffee should mimic those in the premier growing areas. Air for nighttime lows of sixty degrees and daytime highs of seventy degrees. Rainfall (misting) should be six inches a month on average with a yearly high and low. Plants grow in the peak wet season but require a dry season for cherries to ripen before the harvest. Your greenhouse should have adequate airflow and plants should be spaced sufficiently that the leaves and stems remain reasonably dry. Try to recreate a mountain mist, diffuse lighting and little direct sunlight.
Where Can You Get Coffee Plants for Your Greenhouse?
Fortunately, you do not need to send to Colombia, Brazil, or Vietnam to get seedlings for your greenhouse coffee plants. Many commercial nurseries either have them in stock or can refer you to someone who does. If you have access to fresh coffee cherries or seeds you can plant your own coffee. The cherry is ready when you can rub away the flesh. Set the seeds aside for a few weeks on a plate lined with a paper towel. Then soak the beans in water for a day before planting in four inch pots filled with a commercial potting soil. Plant the seeds just a quarter of an inch deep. Keep in a warm location without direct sunlight. Seeds will germinate in about a month and a half to two months. As plants grow you can replant into larger containers.
How Long Do Coffee Taste and Aroma Last?
Some folks just drink coffee for the caffeine, to wake up in the morning, keep going in the afternoon, or work all night. However, most of us choose coffee that has the aroma and taste that we like. Unfortunately, taste and aroma of coffee to not last forever in the face of oxidation, namely exposure to oxygen in the air. How long do coffee taste and aroma last? It depends on if you are talking about green coffee beans, roasted whole bean coffee, or roasted and ground coffee. And it depends on the time since the coffee was packaged and also the time since the container was opened.
How Does Coffee Lose Its Freshness?
Over time and with exposure to oxygen in the air the natural compounds and oils in coffee break down. This results in loss of antioxidant properties as well as aroma and flavor. Coffee does not come with an expiration date as even stale, old coffee is safe to consume and retains its caffeine content. When coffee remains in the original package it is not exposed to air and thus does not undergo oxidation. When the container is opened that all changes. As a general rule, once you open a container of roasted and ground coffee you will want to brew all of that coffee within two weeks unless you do not mind drinking stale coffee.
How Long Does Roasted Coffee Retain Its Freshness?
Because most folks buy roasted coffee instead of roasting their own, we will start with how long roasted coffee retains its flavor and aroma. The roasted coffee that you purchase at the grocery store will retain the greatest majority of its freshness for up to a year after it was roasted and packaged. But it is totally possible that the bag of coffee you bought at the grocery store was on the shelf for a year before you bought it. That means you are buying stale coffee. But when your store has a fast turnover of its coffee, you can generally expect at least a few months of freshness left in the bag when you buy it.
Whole Bean Versus Ground Coffee and Retention of Freshness
Many people buy ground coffee because it is more convenient than having to grind beans every morning. Unfortunately, the air gets into every grain of ground coffee and the process of becoming state is immediate. When you have whole coffee beans only the outer surface of the coffee beans starts to oxidize and lose flavor and aroma. The interior of the coffee bean will keep its properties for weeks or even months. Think of this as preserving half of your coffee freshness for months instead of days when you buy whole bean roasted coffee and not ground roasted coffee beans.
How Long Do Green Coffee Beans Retain Freshness
If you want optimal freshness for your coffee, consider buying green coffee beans and roasting just enough each day for the coffee you plan to drink. Green coffee beans that are properly stored in a cool, dry location out of the sun can retain their freshness for up to three years! Once you roast your coffee beans and grind them the same rules apply as to coffee that you buy at your local grocery store. A problem with green coffee is that is may be older than you think it is. We wrote an article years ago about how the government of Brazil was paying coffee farmers to store their coffee and not flood the market and drive down prices during a bumper crop year. Some of that coffee did not go onto the market for as long as eight years! As we noted in our article, that ended up being motel and airplane coffee devoid of flavor and aroma but retaining its caffeine content.
Fresh Coffee from Colombia
If you want to avoid buying coffee that has been on the shelf in the grocery store for months or years or green coffee that was part of a government program to support prices, consider buying your green or roasted coffee from Colombia. Contact us at admin@buyorganiccoffee.org for help.