Is there such a thing as beans that are too fresh?
Just visited a local roasters and bought these, roasted yesterday! (We can go on weds and meet the roasters for a demo too). Do we need to leave them for a few days? (We have other beans to use).
by jolittletime
29 Comments
Edskie24
Yes you do! A week or two.
aknapp391
Typically wait about 2 weeks after roast date from what ive heard. Otherwise youll get a shot of crema with a little drop of coffee at the bottom
NeverTooOldTooGame
If they are dark roast a couple of days to a week. Anything lighter…a week to 2. I acutally like tasting the change in flavor.
sevensixtw0
It depends on the roast. A dark roast can be fine in 3ish days. A light roast you want at least a week.
Meetdotasim
I read James Hoffman book, coffee atlas, he mentioned freshly roasted coffee have lot of trapped CO2 gas so it’s best to wait at least 1 week before using it.
Tam_Ken
you’ll get an insane amount of crema if you don’t wait at least a week
dadydaycare
Yes, you want to let beans rest for like 7-14 days otherwise they taste raw, burnt and not good.
ThisTookSomeTime
Yes! A local home roaster once gave me a half bag of a slightly older roast and recommended the still-warm beans I bought rest for a week.
Betyarkortelekvar
Yes! Yes, there is.
CO2 builds up in the beans during roasting. This gives the coffee an unpleasant sour note. It is surprisingly noticeable and does make a difference.
You should let the beans rest and offgas for one to two weeks.
colonel_batguano
I find at least 5 days is a good rest. If I have to use very fresh beans (sometimes I procrastinate roasting) I will grind them and let them sit in a cup for a few minutes to off-gas. Still not as good a proper resting, since there is flavor development that seems to happen during the rest period.
jhadred
People used to post videos of pulling shots of too fresh coffee, and its mostly foam coming out and in the cup due to th co2. Also can get some undesired flavors that won’t show up with a few days of rest, like everyone said.
I think you can use it for a pourover coffee earlier than for espresso, though. Though you run into the annoying situation of feeling like you don’t have enough of the coffee for either process, or that you need a regular buying or roasting schedule so you still have a weeks worth of coffee left while you buy/roast the next batch which can sit and degas in the meantime.
exwirus
I find that ultra fresh coffee like this is a pain to extract. Usually whenever I try to make espresso from just roasted beans it flows super fast no matter what I do and ends up tasting sour. Even for pour over, coffee that’s too fresh usually tastes bready and sorta flat/underdeveloped.
Let it rest for a week or two and enjoy it then! Dialing it in now will be a waste of beans.
BadRaz
I roast coffee. in my tests I’ve seen that you need to let coffee rest a few hours because that s when most of the co2 is out of the fresh beans. if you don’t believe me, after roast, let the coffee a few hours then put in a bag without a valve and check how much the bag will puff and you’ll see that it won’t release much co2. so after 1-2 days rest you’re pretty much good do go. that 1-2 weeks is marketing nonsense that roasters use to sell older coffee I guess
Gingerramos
Yeah best to let de-gas
Eclipsed830
Yes… Wait two weeks.
Or grind and let them sit ground for an hour or so and they’ll be okay
Ordinarypimp3
Local
TechnicalDecision160
Yep, 1-2 week wait unless you want ALL THE CREMA
Sotov4ex
For me 4 weeks are good to open the bag. 8 weeks – perfect.
No-Butterscotch7993
I wait 5,7 days for medium and dark roast
James_Vowles
my beans usually get delivered having been roasted the day or two before so I always wait a week.
DLuke2
I am blessed to have a roaster 2 blocks away from my apartment on the town green. They roast every Thursday. Blessed thing to get home from work Thursday evenings and if the wind is right the whole downtown smells of roasted beans.
The place has 10-12 beans/blends in large containers you just bag and weigh what you want. So most of the beans are about a week old or so. Haven’t had major issues. As others said I have had noticed flavors develop over the aging and maybe more crema when they are fresher.
jane0404
Technically yes, it’s just volatile so the dial in recipe can change within hours. However it still tastes good.
calinet6
Definitely don’t pull a shot on day 2… but also, maybe don’t wait 2 weeks. Fresh beans are really good and you want that freshness.
I think people on this sub are too afraid of a little CO2 and sometimes miss the fresh positives because of that.
Test it out at 4 days, then 6 or 7, and see if it’s too frothy or off. But also taste how it changes and what develops as it offgasses and oxidizes slightly. It’s an interesting experiment if nothing else.
Heck you can absolutely pull a shot right now and just see how it tastes. You might like it! I always have loved a frothy over the top 110% fresh shot every once in a while, it’s not illegal.
Liven413
yes usually 2 weeks but depending on preference it may be months. Dark roasts are usually better sooner and very light roasts need a long time to rest to get the full flavor.
Chromejob
Lots of correct answers here already, but kudos for supporting your local roaster!
captain_blender
yes. fresh off roast beans will have a lot of CO2 that is a byproduct of the Maillard reaction. A lot of CO2 present in the beans when you grind+brew will interfere with extraction and may cause off flavors. In espresso, you will see large foamy cones and low TDS as the CO2 will interfere with water doing its job as a solvent.
Hence, the advise to let beans rest after roasting. YOu can just leave them in their retail bag. Most are equipped with a cheap 1-way valve that will allow excess CO2 to escape (this is mainly a concern for shipping/storage of coffee bags — its no fun when they explode).
The rate at which beans will out-gas depends on roast level. Lighter roasts may take weeks for the roaster’s intended flavor profile to settle. H&S ultralights, for example, can easily use 4-6 weeks on the shelf before fully opening up. Medium-to-dark roasts will off-gas the majority of CO2 within 24 hours, but can take 3-5 days to a week or so to fully peak. this can vary a lot with personal taste. To get a reference, best to ask the roaster, most will be forthcoming with this information.
a roaster’s trick: for very fresh beans, grind your dose and let it sit for 20-30minutes. The extra surface area afforded by the fine grind size will allow a more CO2 to escape; some roasters have advised to let them sit overnight.
Hope that helps.
IanC9090
Coffee beans off gas CO2 in an inverse exponential manner when they are roasted. Within the first 24 hours they lose about 40% of that, but continue losing it over the next few weeks. The wee valve on the bag allows them to release CO2 but stops oxygen getting in.
Minimum, 3-5 days before you grind them, but a week is better. The earlier you do it you’ll see the CO2 in the brewing of Espresso as it is pouring, in the form of lighter crema and foam. After a month they are past their best.
Oxygen is the fresh bean killer as it causes them to, well…..oxidise.
If you’ve ever wondered why high end Grinders seem to be Single Dose, that is why. Keep the beans in their own bag in a darkened room, okay, that’s extreme, but you get the point. Only put in your hopper what you’ll use in a day and keep the rest in an airtight container.
Galbzilla
No, I roast at home and brew it about 24 hours later every time and I love it. Flavor will be best right away but you will get a lot of crema, which I do enjoy.
Rolex_throwaway
Yes, if you use freshly roasted beans there will be too much C02 and you will end up with a glass of foam.
29 Comments
Yes you do! A week or two.
Typically wait about 2 weeks after roast date from what ive heard. Otherwise youll get a shot of crema with a little drop of coffee at the bottom
If they are dark roast a couple of days to a week. Anything lighter…a week to 2. I acutally like tasting the change in flavor.
It depends on the roast. A dark roast can be fine in 3ish days. A light roast you want at least a week.
I read James Hoffman book, coffee atlas, he mentioned freshly roasted coffee have lot of trapped CO2 gas so it’s best to wait at least 1 week before using it.
you’ll get an insane amount of crema if you don’t wait at least a week
Yes, you want to let beans rest for like 7-14 days otherwise they taste raw, burnt and not good.
Yes! A local home roaster once gave me a half bag of a slightly older roast and recommended the still-warm beans I bought rest for a week.
Yes! Yes, there is.
CO2 builds up in the beans during roasting. This gives the coffee an unpleasant sour note. It is surprisingly noticeable and does make a difference.
You should let the beans rest and offgas for one to two weeks.
I find at least 5 days is a good rest. If I have to use very fresh beans (sometimes I procrastinate roasting) I will grind them and let them sit in a cup for a few minutes to off-gas. Still not as good a proper resting, since there is flavor development that seems to happen during the rest period.
People used to post videos of pulling shots of too fresh coffee, and its mostly foam coming out and in the cup due
to th co2. Also can get some undesired flavors that won’t show up with a few days of rest, like everyone said.
I think you can use it for a pourover coffee earlier than for espresso, though. Though you run into the annoying situation of feeling like you don’t have enough of the coffee for either process, or that you need a regular buying or roasting schedule so you still have a weeks worth of coffee left while you buy/roast the next batch which can sit and degas in the meantime.
I find that ultra fresh coffee like this is a pain to extract. Usually whenever I try to make espresso from just roasted beans it flows super fast no matter what I do and ends up tasting sour. Even for pour over, coffee that’s too fresh usually tastes bready and sorta flat/underdeveloped.
Let it rest for a week or two and enjoy it then! Dialing it in now will be a waste of beans.
I roast coffee. in my tests I’ve seen that you need to let coffee rest a few hours because that s when most of the co2 is out of the fresh beans. if you don’t believe me, after roast, let the coffee a few hours then put in a bag without a valve and check how much the bag will puff and you’ll see that it won’t release much co2. so after 1-2 days rest you’re pretty much good do go. that 1-2 weeks is marketing nonsense that roasters use to sell older coffee I guess
Yeah best to let de-gas
Yes… Wait two weeks.
Or grind and let them sit ground for an hour or so and they’ll be okay
Local
Yep, 1-2 week wait unless you want ALL THE CREMA
For me 4 weeks are good to open the bag. 8 weeks – perfect.
I wait 5,7 days for medium and dark roast
my beans usually get delivered having been roasted the day or two before so I always wait a week.
I am blessed to have a roaster 2 blocks away from my apartment on the town green. They roast every Thursday. Blessed thing to get home from work Thursday evenings and if the wind is right the whole downtown smells of roasted beans.
The place has 10-12 beans/blends in large containers you just bag and weigh what you want. So most of the beans are about a week old or so. Haven’t had major issues. As others said I have had noticed flavors develop over the aging and maybe more crema when they are fresher.
Technically yes, it’s just volatile so the dial in recipe can change within hours. However it still tastes good.
Definitely don’t pull a shot on day 2… but also, maybe don’t wait 2 weeks. Fresh beans are really good and you want that freshness.
I think people on this sub are too afraid of a little CO2 and sometimes miss the fresh positives because of that.
Test it out at 4 days, then 6 or 7, and see if it’s too frothy or off. But also taste how it changes and what develops as it offgasses and oxidizes slightly. It’s an interesting experiment if nothing else.
Heck you can absolutely pull a shot right now and just see how it tastes. You might like it! I always have loved a frothy over the top 110% fresh shot every once in a while, it’s not illegal.
yes usually 2 weeks but depending on preference it may be months. Dark roasts are usually better sooner and very light roasts need a long time to rest to get the full flavor.
Lots of correct answers here already, but kudos for supporting your local roaster!
yes. fresh off roast beans will have a lot of CO2 that is a byproduct of the Maillard reaction. A lot of CO2 present in the beans when you grind+brew will interfere with extraction and may cause off flavors. In espresso, you will see large foamy cones and low TDS as the CO2 will interfere with water doing its job as a solvent.
Hence, the advise to let beans rest after roasting. YOu can just leave them in their retail bag. Most are equipped with a cheap 1-way valve that will allow excess CO2 to escape (this is mainly a concern for shipping/storage of coffee bags — its no fun when they explode).
The rate at which beans will out-gas depends on roast level. Lighter roasts may take weeks for the roaster’s intended flavor profile to settle. H&S ultralights, for example, can easily use 4-6 weeks on the shelf before fully opening up. Medium-to-dark roasts will off-gas the majority of CO2 within 24 hours, but can take 3-5 days to a week or so to fully peak. this can vary a lot with personal taste. To get a reference, best to ask the roaster, most will be forthcoming with this information.
a roaster’s trick: for very fresh beans, grind your dose and let it sit for 20-30minutes. The extra surface area afforded by the fine grind size will allow a more CO2 to escape; some roasters have advised to let them sit overnight.
Hope that helps.
Coffee beans off gas CO2 in an inverse exponential manner when they are roasted. Within the first 24 hours they lose about 40% of that, but continue losing it over the next few weeks. The wee valve on the bag allows them to release CO2 but stops oxygen getting in.
Minimum, 3-5 days before you grind them, but a week is better. The earlier you do it you’ll see the CO2 in the brewing of Espresso as it is pouring, in the form of lighter crema and foam. After a month they are past their best.
Oxygen is the fresh bean killer as it causes them to, well…..oxidise.
If you’ve ever wondered why high end Grinders seem to be Single Dose, that is why. Keep the beans in their own bag in a darkened room, okay, that’s extreme, but you get the point. Only put in your hopper what you’ll use in a day and keep the rest in an airtight container.
No, I roast at home and brew it about 24 hours later every time and I love it. Flavor will be best right away but you will get a lot of crema, which I do enjoy.
Yes, if you use freshly roasted beans there will be too much C02 and you will end up with a glass of foam.