The simplest way to brew great coffee at home is by starting with high-quality beans. Whether you’re purchasing coffee from the grocery store, a coffee shop, or directly from a roaster, it’s essential to understand what to look for on the packaging. This can be overwhelming, but don’t worry! We’ve simplified all that information and provided you with exactly what you need to choose the best beans available.
Let’s start by discussing black pepper. You know that freshly ground pepper is better than pre-ground pepper, right? The same principle applies to coffee beans. You should purchase whole coffee beans and grind them just before brewing. The oils responsible for those fruity, toasty, and delightful flavors begin to degrade as soon as the beans are ground, similar to how spices lose their potency. This means that pre-ground coffee loses its flavor while sitting on the grocery store shelf for weeks, months, or even years. By switching from pre-ground to whole beans, you’ll unlock more flavor, aroma, and energy in your cup, which is exactly what we want in the morning.
When choosing coffee, there’s more to consider than just whether it’s labeled “Whole Bean” or “Pre-Ground.” It’s important to avoid buying whole coffee beans from large, open barrels in grocery stores, as they can be exposed to oxygen, UV rays, and even handled by small children.
Two key aspects to look for on a coffee bag are where the coffee was grown and when it was roasted. Once you dive deeper into the world of coffee, you can explore more details, but for now, focus on these factors. Transparency is crucial for great coffee, and reputable roasters will provide information about the farms, regions, and roasting locations. We recommend purchasing coffee that has been roasted locally or in places you are visiting.
There’s one more thing that’s even more important: when that coffee was roasted. The roast date is the most important piece of information on a bag of coffee. You want beans that were roasted no longer than two weeks ago. Once they pass that stage, they start to lose flavor. And once they hit a month, they’ll start to taste like cardboard. Can’t find the roast date? That’s because the people who made the coffee don’t want you to know when the beans were roasted. That’s not a good look, and you should definitely put those beans back on the shelf.
When you pick up a bag, make sure to look for the roast date first!
And since buying whole-ground coffee is all about getting the most flavor from your beans, we’d like to ask a favor of you: Please don’t put your coffee in the freezer. The cold messes with the oils and fibers that lead to full, flavorful coffee. Instead, store the beans on your counter or in a cupboard, out of direct sunlight, sealed in the same bag they came in. And remember, you only want to buy as much coffee as you’ll drink in a week or two. Buying whole-bean coffee in bulk isn’t doing you any favors in the storage or taste departments, because of the way coffee’s flavors and aromas degrade over time.
That’s all you need to know to start your brew off on the right foot. The foundation of your coffee future starts with fresh, whole-bean, transparently grown and roasted coffee. From here, there’s nothing else to do except catch a nice little caffeine buzz.
