Let’s grind straight to the point
In the world of coffee, everyone’s obsessed with “freshness.” It’s the gospel according to every barista, supplier, and self-proclaimed bean whisperer. “Fresh is best!” they chant, like it’s the secret to eternal life, or at least to surviving your Monday morning Zoom call. But here’s the shot of reality: sometimes, coffee can be too fresh. Yes, you heard me. Too fresh. Like a teenager with acne or a dog that's caught its tail and has no idea what to do next.
You see, roasting coffee is a bit like sending beans to a sauna. They come out all hot and bothered, filled to the brim with carbon dioxide, enough gas to power a small coffee farm. If you brew your coffee while it’s still in this gassy state, you’re not going to get a clean cup. Instead, you’ll get a mug that tastes like it’s been filtered through a pair of old socks (and thats a real thing), flat, bitter, and about as appealing as decaf at midnight.
The Great Bean Off-Gassing
After roasting, coffee beans need to let off steam. Literally. Those gases need to escape, or they’ll cloud the flavour like a barista’s mind after a triple shot. Rested coffee is like a well-written email: clear, concise, and unlikely to cause an existential crisis.
But here’s where it gets tricky. Some roasters bag their coffee faster than you can say “double macchiato,” trapping all that gas inside. Others let the beans chill for a day, which is a bit like letting your coffee cool before you spill it on your keyboard. At Jae's Roastory, we rest our coffees for a couple of days, and espresso for a bit longer - because, much like a good watch, timing is everything.
Why Bag It So Quickly?
If you don’t bag your coffee fast, it starts absorbing every odour in the room, like that time you left your mug next to the printer and it came back tasting like toner. Oxygen, humidity, the faint aroma of last night’s takeaway... it all seeps in. So, the trick is to bag it quickly, but not drink it immediately. It’s a delicate balance, like typing an important email to your boss before your morning brew kicks in.
The Resting Period: Coffee’s Beauty Nap
At Jae’s Roastory, we've discovered that coffee needs at least a week to rest before it’s ready to perform. Filter coffee? Give it a week. Espresso? Two or three weeks, because espresso is the diva of the coffee world, and it needs its beauty sleep. Try pulling a shot with coffee that’s only a day old, and you’ll get more bubbles than a barista’s group chat and less flavour clarity than a Monday morning brain.
And don’t forget, temperature matters. In winter, let your coffee rest a bit longer, because cold weather slows down degassing. It’s like trying to get your brain in gear before your first cup, slow, painful, and not worth rushing.
Storage: Stand Up and Be Counted
Store your coffee bags upright. This isn’t just for show, it helps the gases escape properly. Think of it as keeping your mug right-side-up. No one wants a spill on their keyboard.
Roasting and Blending: Not All Beans Are Created Equal
At Jae’s Roastory we use Loring roasters, which roast beans in an oxygen-free environment. It’s the coffee equivalent of noise-cancelling headphones—less interference, more clarity, and a longer shelf life. And, just like every group project, different beans and roast levels mean different amounts of gas. Darker roast? More gas. More gas? More resting time. Simple as that.
Espresso vs. Filter: The Extraction Olympics
Espresso is like the 100m sprint; fast, intense, and unforgiving. Too much gas in your beans, and your crema will be all froth and no substance. Filter coffee is more of a leisurely stroll, but even then, patience pays off with a cleaner, brighter cup.
Clarkson’s Challenge: Brew, Wait, Sip, Repeat
Next time you get a bag of freshly roasted coffee, don’t just chuck it in the grinder and hope for the best. Brew it over a few days. Notice how the flavour changes. Does it get clearer, more aromatic, more consistent? Or does it taste like you’ve been drinking from the office drip tray?
Remember: coffee, like emails and bad puns, is all about timing, patience, and knowing when to hit send - or in this case, when to brew. Cheers, and may your mornings be strong and your mugs never empty.