3 Popular Coffee Myths
July 24, 2009 at 9:35 am by Badi
As a coffee merchant I am happy to
answer questions about coffee. Freshness, storage, grinds,
preparation, etc... most of the questions are about how to make a
better cup of coffee, and that's why we are here.
My main objective is peak flavor, when coffee tastes as good as it smells. Achieving peak flavor is not difficult, and these are the basic steps: Treat coffee like you would fresh produce from the farmers' market. Buy small amounts of fresh roasted coffee, about the amount you would use in a week, two weeks at most. Don't store it in the freezer, because it won't preserve peak flavor. Invest in a coffee grinder to release the wonderful smells and tastes at the moment that you can brew and capture them. Develop a home brewing ritual to look forward to each morning.
My main objective is peak flavor, when coffee tastes as good as it smells. Achieving peak flavor is not difficult, and these are the basic steps: Treat coffee like you would fresh produce from the farmers' market. Buy small amounts of fresh roasted coffee, about the amount you would use in a week, two weeks at most. Don't store it in the freezer, because it won't preserve peak flavor. Invest in a coffee grinder to release the wonderful smells and tastes at the moment that you can brew and capture them. Develop a home brewing ritual to look forward to each morning.
Here are 3 Popular Coffee Myths...
1. Myth 1: Coffee Begins To Go Stale After 14 Days... This is simply not true. Once coffee is roasted, it begins to go stale immediately, like fresh bread out of an oven. In order to enjoy peak flavor, you should consume the coffee within two weeks of roast date, which is why knowing the roast date is so important. And "not stale" is not the same thing as impeccably fresh, which is necessary to achieve peak flavor.
2. Myth 2: Keep Your Coffee in the Freezer... Even if coffee is kept in a tight container and in the freezer, it still looses peak flavor after two weeks. If your container isn't tightly sealed, your coffee will loose flavor quicker in the freezer and may end up tasting like, well, your freezer. Coffee is hygroscopic and moisture and strongly flavored foods like cinnamon and garlic are enemies when you are protecting peak flavor.
1. Myth 1: Coffee Begins To Go Stale After 14 Days... This is simply not true. Once coffee is roasted, it begins to go stale immediately, like fresh bread out of an oven. In order to enjoy peak flavor, you should consume the coffee within two weeks of roast date, which is why knowing the roast date is so important. And "not stale" is not the same thing as impeccably fresh, which is necessary to achieve peak flavor.
2. Myth 2: Keep Your Coffee in the Freezer... Even if coffee is kept in a tight container and in the freezer, it still looses peak flavor after two weeks. If your container isn't tightly sealed, your coffee will loose flavor quicker in the freezer and may end up tasting like, well, your freezer. Coffee is hygroscopic and moisture and strongly flavored foods like cinnamon and garlic are enemies when you are protecting peak flavor.
3. Myth 3: Ground Coffee Is The Same As Whole
Bean... When coffee is roasted, it produces carbon dioxide
which is trapped inside the coffee bean. When the roasted
bean is ground, it releases this carbon dioxide and produces the
outstanding aromas that are so attractive. When water is
added to this freshly ground coffee, it reacts with the carbon
dioxide and produces bubbles or a "bloom" that rises up like the
head of a beer. These aromas contribute greatly to the flavor
of coffee, because what you smell is a big part of what you
taste. What's the catch? Ground coffee releases carbon
dioxide for AT MOST 24 hours. So when you grind your pound of
coffee in the store, unless you use it all in one day, you are
grinding away most of the peak flavor.
If you have any other coffee questions or concerns you can catch me
at the store, call us at 919.968.8993, or send me an email to
bbradley (at) 3CUPS (dot) net. We also have a Coffee
Brewing Workshop every other Saturday at noon, where we
demonstrate 5 different ways to make the same coffee and show you
how each tastes different.Badi Bradley