When is the Best Time to Drink Freshly Roasted Coffee Beans_Do Freshly Roasted Coffee Beans Develop Oil?

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Friends who like to make coffee at home may notice that some freshly roasted coffee beans develop a layer of "oil-like" substance on the surface. Many people refer to this as coffee oil.

Coffee Bean Oil Characteristics

Coffee beans, like other seeds such as corn and soybeans, contain oil. The oil on the surface of coffee beans is a water-soluble organic substance that appears oil-like, and these oils carry aromatic substances from the coffee.

Dark roasted beans with a deep brown coloration will show a slight oily sheen after roasting, and begin to release significant amounts of oil approximately three to five days after coming out of the roaster.

Contrary to what one might assume, the shiny appearance of dark roasted beans does not indicate they are stale. In fact, for dark roasted beans, the surface oils will be reabsorbed into the interior of the coffee beans about a month after roasting, which can produce unpleasant flavors. Therefore, seeing oil on dark roasted coffee beans does not indicate they have lost freshness.

Generally, light roasted beans will not release oil, so even after three months they will not become oily. Therefore, the presence of oil cannot be used to determine the freshness of light roasted beans. Medium-light roasts may begin to show slight oiliness after about a month and a half, which can also indicate that these medium-light roasted coffee beans are no longer very fresh.

Maintaining Coffee Bean Freshness

So, how can we ensure that freshly roasted coffee beans maintain their freshness within a certain period of time?

Because coffee's flavor compounds are very unstable and easily affected by factors such as light, temperature, humidity, and oxygen. When roasted coffee is exposed to air for extended periods, it oxidizes easily. Oxidation is a significant cause of coffee deterioration.

Roasted coffee contains approximately 10-15% fat, with 50% being linoleic acid. Linoleic acid can auto-oxidize into hexanal. The longer it is exposed to air, the more hexanal will oxidize into volatile compounds, producing undesirable qualities and leading to decreased coffee flavor.

Currently, coffee beans purchased on the market are typically packaged in opaque aluminum foil sealed bags with one-way valves. Each valve is designed to allow gas out but not in, so the carbon dioxide produced during bean maturation can be released while oxygen cannot enter. Additionally, the aluminum foil is opaque and offers good moisture resistance. As long as this packaging is kept in a dry, cool place, there should be no major issues.

Some coffee packaging bags do not have sealing strips, so after opening the package, we need to purchase airtight containers ourselves. The editor recommends this particular airtight container.

This coffee container comes in 200ml, 500ml, and 1L sizes, with market prices around 15-20 yuan each. They are affordable and provide good sealing performance.

Pressing the red button on top can expel air from the container, effectively preventing air from entering and extending the oxidation time of the coffee beans. Through testing, coffee beans stored in these airtight containers away from light in dark places can maintain good freshness for over a month.

Actually, no matter how good the sealing effect is, it's not as good as consuming the coffee beans as quickly as possible. Both dark and light roasted coffee beans have an optimal tasting period, so drinking the beans quickly is the correct approach.

No matter how perfect the storage method, it cannot keep beans in their optimal flavor state long-term. Over time, coffee beans will become less fresh, so it's not recommended to purchase large quantities of coffee beans at once.

Freshly Roasted Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

Single-origin freshly roasted coffee beans from FrontStreet Coffee: Yirgacheffe coffee, Kenya AA coffee, Panama Geisha coffee, and others all have excellent guarantees in terms of brand and quality, suitable for brewing with various equipment. More importantly, they offer extremely high value for money. A half-pound (227g) package costs only around 80-90 yuan. Calculating at 15g per pour-over coffee, one package can make about 15 cups, with each cup of single-origin coffee costing only about 6 yuan. Compared to coffee shops selling similar products for dozens of yuan per cup, this represents exceptional value.

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small storefront but diverse bean varieties, where you can find both famous and lesser-known beans. They also provide 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