Understanding Coffee Bean Resting and Degassing: What Is Coffee Bean Resting, How to Rest Beans, and For How Long

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Understanding Coffee Bean Resting and Awakening

"Freshly roasted coffee beans need to rest/awaken before they taste good~" The concepts of bean resting and awakening are likely familiar to most coffee enthusiasts. However, coffee beans are not quite like wine! In this article, FrontStreet Coffee will help you understand why coffee beans need resting and awakening periods.

Ultimately, both bean resting and awakening are processes of releasing carbon dioxide, which affects the stability of coffee extraction and the extraction of flavor components from the coffee.

The Science Behind Coffee Bean Resting

During the roasting process, the internal structure of coffee beans undergoes further changes as heating time increases, releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide. The moment coffee beans come out of the roaster, thermal expansion and contraction cause them to instantly shrink, "re-absorbing" significant amounts of carbon dioxide which become "locked" inside. After roasting, these beans slowly release this gas on their own.

The advantage of this carbon dioxide is that it helps preserve the coffee's flavor and aroma. However, the drawback is that excessive carbon dioxide can affect the stability of coffee extraction. Therefore, there's no rush to drink freshly roasted coffee beans. Let the coffee beans rest in their original sealed packaging with a one-way degassing valve for several days, allowing the beans to naturally release carbon dioxide through the valve (which only lets gas out, not in).

Resting Times by Roast Level

Each bag of coffee beans requires different resting/awakening periods. Different roast levels will also result in varying resting times. FrontStreet Coffee currently offers coffee beans in three roast levels: light-medium (milk chocolate color), medium (cinnamon color), and medium-dark (dark chocolate color).

The darker the roast level, the more carbon dioxide the coffee beans contain. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee recommends a resting time of 3-4 days for light-medium roasted coffee beans; 4-5 days for medium roasted beans; and 6-7 days for medium-dark roasted beans.

Storage and Preservation

All coffee beans sold by FrontStreet Coffee are shipped within 5 days after roasting is completed. When you receive your coffee beans, you can check the roast date on the back label of the packaging to determine whether additional resting time is needed~ Properly rested coffee beans can be stored in their original packaging or in an opaque, airtight container.

Some might wonder why some coffee shops store their beans in transparent containers. This is because baristas want to better display the coffee beans to customers, but strong sunlight or artificial lighting can accelerate the dissipation of coffee bean flavors. If your coffee consumption rate isn't particularly fast, FrontStreet Coffee still recommends using opaque, airtight containers for storage. If you do use transparent containers, remember to store them in a cool, dry place~

Optimal Flavor Period

Although roasted coffee beans have a shelf life of one year, the aromatic compounds in coffee gradually dissipate as time passes after roasting~ Therefore, the optimal flavor period for freshly roasted coffee beans is within 30 days after the resting period.