Why Rest Coffee Beans? What's the Difference Between Resting and Aging? What Does Freshness Mean?

During the roasting process, coffee beans produce numerous carbon dioxide molecules due to chemical reactions within the beans. These gases accumulate inside the beans due to pressure. Although carbon dioxide doesn't directly affect the coffee's taste, excessive amounts can hinder extraction, reducing the amount of flavor compounds that hot water can extract from the coffee.

Therefore, we need to reduce the carbon dioxide content in the beans to a certain level through specific methods, allowing hot water to more evenly extract the flavor compounds from the coffee. There are two main specific methods: "bean resting" and "bean awakening." Some friends may not be very familiar with them, especially the latter. Don't worry! FrontStreet Coffee will share today what bean resting is and what bean awakening is!

What is Bean Resting?

Bean resting refers to the period when freshly roasted coffee beans naturally release gas, expelling large amounts of carbon dioxide from within. When the carbon dioxide content in the beans decreases to a level that doesn't affect extraction, it means the beans are properly rested and have entered their optimal flavor window. It's actually the same principle as fattening a pig before slaughter! Rested beans, having released carbon dioxide, allow hot water to more easily extract the flavor compounds from the coffee, enabling the coffee to fully express its delicious qualities.

Generally, the resting time depends on the roast degree of the coffee beans. Although many friends might think that dark roast coffee beans require shorter resting time than light roast beans due to their more porous structure, the reality is quite the opposite—the darker the roast, the longer the resting time required. This is because darker roasts mean the beans spent more time in the roaster, accumulating more carbon dioxide inside! Even though their structure is more porous, the excessive carbon dioxide content requires more time for degassing.

Generally, FrontStreet Coffee suggests resting light roast beans for 3-5 days, while dark roast beans should rest for 5-7 days to achieve more stable extraction of delicious coffee.

What is Bean Awakening?

"Bean awakening" is a relatively unfamiliar term for most people. It's used so infrequently that even coffee professionals with years of experience might not recognize it, which isn't surprising. Bean awakening doesn't mean waking up the coffee beans! Rather, it refers to taking the coffee beans you plan to use from their bag before brewing and letting them sit for a short period. This allows them to come into contact with more fresh air, thereby accelerating the release of carbon dioxide. Because sometimes coffee beans received are too fresh, and some friends are eager to enjoy a cup, they use this method to reduce extraction hindrance caused by excessive carbon dioxide.

However, this process actually takes quite a long time. Without grinding, the contact surface area of coffee beans is relatively small. Although it releases gas faster than regular bean resting, it still takes at least an hour. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee recommends grinding the coffee beans first and then letting them sit. This significantly increases the surface area of the beans, shortening the "awakening" time to just a few minutes, allowing us to enjoy delicious coffee more quickly!

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473