How to Choose Fresh Coffee Beans? How Much Do Freshly Roasted Coffee Beans Cost_ Which Brand of Fresh Coffee Beans is Best

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

If you're buying single-origin coffee beans, take a handful of about 10 beans and check if each bean's color is consistent, if the particle sizes are uniform, and if the shapes are the same, to avoid buying inferior products disguised as mixed beans. However, if it's a blend, different sizes and colors are normal. Strong, dark roasted coffee beans will develop oil on the surface. However, if light roast beans develop oil, it indicates they have deteriorated - not only has their rich aroma decreased, but they will also develop astringent and sour flavors.

Have you seen fresh-looking oily coffee beans? Why do some coffee beans have an oily, shiny surface while others look "dry and comfortable" without any greasiness? What's the relationship between coffee bean "oiling" and freshness? Should we choose coffee beans that appear "oily" or "non-oily"?

Not Oil, but Coffee Oils

The "oil" evenly distributed on coffee bean surfaces is actually not "grease" but a water-soluble organic substance that appears oil-like. "Coffee oil" itself contains many aromatic components of coffee and can dissolve in water, so your brewed coffee won't have a layer of greasy oil floating on top.

Two Reasons for "Oily Beans"

a) Stale Light Roast Beans

"Light roast beans" with lighter roasting levels that appear in light brown tones are dry on the surface after roasting and won't develop oil. About five days after roasting (possibly shortened to one or two days during hot summer months), they begin to show "spot oiling" phenomena (oil droplets appearing on certain sides of the coffee beans). Note: A small amount of "spot oiling" doesn't necessarily indicate staleness; sometimes it actually represents the peak flavor state of light roast beans. If they continue to sit for more than two weeks after roasting, light roast beans gradually develop a uniform, thin, shiny oil film on the surface. When smelled, the aroma isn't sweet and fragrant but carries a rancid oil smell. At this point, the flavor of "light roast beans" has declined, and you should avoid purchasing them.

b) Fresh Dark Roast Beans

"Dark roast beans" with deeper roasting levels that appear in dark brown tones show a slight sheen on the surface after roasting, and begin to develop significant "oiling" on the surface from the first to the second day after roasting. The shiny appearance of "dark roast beans" not only doesn't indicate staleness but quite the opposite - dark roast beans will gradually lose their surface sheen after three weeks from roasting, eventually becoming dry, stale beans. Therefore, if you see coffee beans that are dry and non-oily but appear dark brown, pay special attention to whether they indicate a roasting date, as they are very likely already deteriorated stale beans.

Even stale "light roast beans" with oily surfaces will gradually become dry after long-term storage (such as three months), eventually returning to a dry, non-oily appearance.由此可见，外表是否出油，只是判断咖啡豆新鲜度的一个参考，而非绝对。

First, please purchase from professional coffee roasters who clearly label dates, have brand credibility, and emphasize fresh roasting. Additionally, excellent coffee packaging bags usually feature a "one-way degassing valve" (a button-like small hole on the coffee bag) design to allow coffee beans to release naturally produced carbon dioxide. Point the one-way degassing valve at your nose and gently squeeze the coffee bean bag to smell the gas that comes out. If it's a charming, rich coffee aroma, then freshness is not a problem. Conversely, if it smells insufficiently rich or even has a rancid oil smell, it indicates this coffee has long deteriorated and become stale, and should be avoided for purchase.

#2 Smell

Smell whether the beans have a coffee aroma - if they do, it represents that the coffee beans are fresh enough. If the aroma is very weak, or even has developed a greasy smell similar to peanuts that have been stored too long, it indicates the beans are completely no longer fresh. You absolutely should not select them, because no matter how much effort you put in, it's impossible to brew good coffee.

#3 Peel

Use your hands to peel the coffee beans. If the beans are fresh enough, they will be easy to peel and will be accompanied by a crisp sound. If the beans are not fresh, it will require great effort to peel them. After peeling, you can check if the roasting level is uniform. If it is uniform, the outer skin and inner layer of the coffee beans will be the same color. If the surface color is much darker than the inner layer color, it indicates the roasting fire may have been too strong, which will also affect the aroma and taste of the coffee beans.

#4 Chew

When selecting, it's best to take one or two beans and chew them in your mouth. If the beans are very crispy and make a clear, crisp sound when chewed, it indicates the beans have not been affected by moisture. Besides this, if they leave a lingering fragrance in your mouth, then it's top quality!

#5 Whether there are enough rich bubbles during brewing

Freshly roasted coffee beans contain large amounts of gas in the bean body and have active respiration. During extraction, gases from the beans are released, and what we see are the wonderful, full bubbles - there's a vivid metaphor for this: "blooming." Yes, when fresh coffee beans are extracted, clusters of rich bubbles are like flowers in this season, blooming. Accompanying this is the rich aroma of fresh coffee beans.

In-depth exploration of bubble richness

During extraction, the richness of bubbles is positively correlated with freshness - the fresher, the more bubbles produced. However, there's a prerequisite here: for the same coffee bean. More precisely, the same green beans, same roasting, same operation.

Between different coffee beans, or between different roast levels of the same coffee bean, or between different operation parameters of the same coffee bean, bubble richness will show different performances.

To summarize simply: for the same coffee bean, the fresher it is, the richer the bubbles; for the same coffee bean, dark roast produces richer bubbles than light roast.

Coffee enthusiasts who are just starting out and new to single-origin coffee may find it difficult to better find coffee that suits their taste. This simply and clearly explains the flavor profiles of coffee beans from various origins.

TIP

So why do coffee beans need to use packaging bags with one-way valves?

1. Roasted coffee beans, sealed and packaged in aluminum foil bags, can avoid rapid aroma dissipation and oxidation caused by contact with light and air.

2. "One-way degassing valve" coffee bags can block light and air from outside the packaging bag from entering, allowing coffee beans to maintain their original fresh flavor in the best preserved packaging state.

3. Roasted coffee beans naturally release carbon dioxide. If accumulated in the packaging bag, it will affect the quality of the coffee beans. The "one-way degassing valve" on the bag allows excess gas inside the bag to be expelled, and when selecting coffee, you can squeeze the packaging bag to smell the aroma.

This packaging design features a valve with a double-layer structure made of film on the packaging bag seal. After placing roasted beans inside, the carbon dioxide gas produced after roasting is expelled from the valve, while external gases cannot enter the bag. This effectively maintains the original aroma and essence of roasted coffee beans. This is currently the most recommended packaging method for roasted coffee beans, and when selecting, you should also try to choose coffee products with this type of packaging.

To put it more simply, this valve only allows exit but not entry. After coffee beans are roasted, they produce gases like carbon dioxide that need to be slowly released. The one-way degassing valve sealed on the coffee bag, with holes punched in the bag surface at the sealed valve position, can automatically discharge the carbon dioxide extracted from the roasted coffee beans outside the bag, while external air cannot enter the bag. This effectively ensures the dryness and original rich flavor of the coffee beans, prevents the bag from swelling due to carbon dioxide accumulation, and also prevents external air from entering to accelerate oxidation.

Fresh Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's freshly roasted single-origin & espresso fresh coffee beans: Yirgacheffe coffee, Brazilian coffee, Mandheling coffee, etc., all have full guarantees in terms of brand and quality, suitable for brewing with various equipment. More importantly, the cost-performance ratio is extremely high - a half-pound (227g) package costs only about 80-90 yuan. Calculating based on 15g of powder per pour-over coffee, one package can make 15 cups of coffee, with each cup of single-origin coffee costing only about 6 yuan. Compared to the normal cafe price of 30-40 yuan per cup, this is extremely cost-effective.

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small storefront but diverse bean varieties, where you can find various famous and lesser-known beans, while also providing online store services. https://shop104210103.taobao.com

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473