Why Do Coffee Beans Need Resting? How Long Should Coffee Beans Rest? Can Pour-Over Coffee Beans Skip the Resting Period?

Introduction

Baristas at FrontStreet Coffee always remind customers who purchase coffee from the store, "This bag of coffee was freshly roasted within the last two days. We recommend letting it rest for two more days before opening and tasting!" Many people have only a partial understanding of bean resting. In this edition of Barista Training, we'll share why coffee beans need resting.

Why Do Coffee Beans Need Resting?

Because after roasting, approximately 2% of coffee bean weight consists of carbon dioxide, and these large amounts of carbon dioxide continue to be released. When the gas inside coffee beans is too vigorous—meaning they are extremely fresh—a period of time is needed for some of this gas to escape, allowing the coffee beans to stabilize.

Excessive gas is not a good thing. During pour-over brewing, vigorous gas will continue to be released when coffee grounds encounter water, disrupting the coffee bed. Too much coffee gas also inhibits the release of coffee flavors and increases brewing difficulty. However, coffee beans without gas are also not ideal, as this indicates staleness. Without the inhibition of gas, coffee flavors dissipate more easily.

How Long Should Coffee Beans Rest?

Taking FrontStreet Coffee's roasted beans as an example, FrontStreet Coffee marks the roasting date on every bag of coffee beans. Generally, light to medium roast pour-over coffee beans need to rest for about 4-7 days, medium-dark roast pour-over coffee beans need about 7 days, while espresso beans are recommended to rest for about 10 days. Of course, because each roaster has a different roasting style, the resting period will vary accordingly.

What Happens If You Drink Coffee Without Resting?

Insufficiently rested coffee beans will have a "harsh" or "baked" quality. This is the smoky taste remaining inside the coffee beans after high-temperature roasting, which needs time to be removed through carbon dioxide release. Therefore, compared to unrested coffee, beans that have been rested for several days will have a cleaner taste with more prominent flavors.

How to Rest Coffee Beans?

Actually, you don't need to do much with coffee beans once you get them. No need to open the bag and transfer to a sealed container, and no need to refrigerate. Simply leave them in their original packaging in a cool, dry place. Coffee bags are equipped with one-way degassing valves. When coffee beans release gas, the bag will expand, and the degassing valve prevents the bag from bursting while maintaining pressure balance between the inside and outside. Then, after the recommended resting period, you can open and enjoy them.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473