Does Coffee Expire?
Contents:
1. The Best Coffee Is to Drink Before the Best Before Date
2. Shelf life - although the aroma is reduced, it is still safe to drink
Coffee beans are food, which means they go bad, so they have a “shelf life.” However, people who drink specialty coffee actually pay more attention to its “best before date.” It represents the period when coffee's aroma performance and flavor levels are most abundant.
For coffee beans on supermarket shelves, the “shelf life” is set to be about half a year to one year; but coffee shops that sell freshly roasted coffee will tell you that the “best before date” is about 1 to 2 months. Why is that?
The Best Coffee Is to Drink Before the Best Before Date
Freshly roasted coffee beans maintain their best flavor for about 1-2 months. Freshly roasted coffee beans will generate a lot of carbon dioxide and gas inside. After about 3-5 days of “aging process,” the aromatic substances contained in coffee beans will be more complete and easier to be extracted. It has a distinct floral and fruity flavor and with a full and layered aroma.
After the aging process, the flavor reaches a high point, and then the flavor of the coffee will gradually decrease. After more than 1 to 2 months, the gas will be almost discharged, which means that most of the aromatic substances in the coffee beans have dissipated, leaving only a small amount of aromatic substances. As well as the roasted flavor, that is the end of the best tasting period for this coffee.
Shelf life - although the aroma is reduced, it is still safe to drink
Coffee beans that have passed the best tasting period but are still within the shelf life are still safe to drink, although they are not as full and rich in aroma as when they were fresh. Therefore, in addition to referring to the shelf life marked on the bean bag, you should also pay attention to the storage environment of the coffee beans, and please avoid places where high temperature, humidity, direct sunlight, etc. will affect the coffee’s quality.
Coffee beans have a shelf life, but if you want to drink specialty coffee with a full and rich aroma, if you can buy freshly roasted coffee, you can have the best tasting period of coffee. You can feel the daily changes in coffee flavor from the beginning of aging process and control your favorite coffee’s best flavor profile.
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