What Does Fresh Coffee Really Mean?

I was giving a presentation a few weeks ago to a group of about 75 people on Weekly Roast and what we we’re all about. During the presentation, I kept stressing our point of differentiation – delivering fresh coffee to our customer’s homes or offices within 4 days of roasting. With most of the group, the idea of freshly roasted coffee resonated and they were on board! They got it… obvious coffee junkies, always seeking a better cup who understood that fresh coffee means using fresh beans which have been roasted within just a few days.

With others, though, I really wasn’t feeling it. It seemed as if they weren’t fully understanding our business model and why we would go through the hassle of roasting our coffee after receiving actual orders, not roasting ahead of time based on anticipated sales.

So, I thought I’d check for understanding by asking the question – what does fresh coffee really mean?

With furrowed brows, this small group explained that they weren’t understanding how the coffee they make at home every day couldn’t be fresh if they just made it! How much fresher could it be? That’s when I realized that there’s a huge gap out there between what some think fresh coffee is and what it really means and that not everybody fully understands.

In fairness, I think fresh coffee really does comprise all of these viewpoints. There are, however, some points of clarification that should be made so more people out there can understand what fresh coffee really is and enjoy the coffee they brew that much more.

What Does Fresh Coffee Really Mean?

• Fresh coffee starts with the beans you use. Period! The single best way to have truly fresh coffee is to buy high quality whole bean coffee that has been roasted within 3-4 days (but, no earlier than 3 days as the beans are degassing during this period and will brew stale-tasting coffee). Never buy prepackaged ground coffee or grind your own in a grocery store or coffee house. Ground coffee goes stale within 30 minutes of it being ground… so if you grind it in the store, it’s likely stale before you can get home. If you buy prepackaged ground coffee, it was stale before it even left the roaster (not to mention traveled through the distribution channels to get to the coffee house or grocery store!). Because of the distribution channels, and with most roasters roasting coffee based on anticipated sales, most of the coffee beans available to buy in stores and coffee houses are weeks old. Freshly roasted coffee beans are a must have for having fresh coffee.

What Isn’t Fresh Coffee?

• Some people think that scooping their own beans or bagging coffee themselves equates to fresh coffee. Coffee shops store these beans in big clear containers. This is the same concept as those clear, eye-level bins in the grocery store where you can bag your own coffee to purchase. Both tend to position the freshness of the beans by advertising them as “freshly scooped” or “freshly bagged”. When coffee is scooped or bagged doesn’t make it fresh or not fresh. The question shouldn’t be “when was my coffee scooped or bagged” but rather “when was my coffee roasted, and how much time has passed since roasting?”. Coffee goes stale after 10-14 days… the coffee being stored in these clear bins is likely weeks old (not to mention, if these bins aren’t airtight and are repeatedly opened for scooping or bagging, harmful oxygen will make the beans stale in no time).
• Some think that fresh coffee means brewing up a fresh pot. This is part of making great coffee, but if fresh coffee beans aren’t used, it doesn’t matter how fresh the brew is – it won’t taste fresh. This would be like baking a dessert but using old ingredients. Sure, it would be freshly made, but it likely won’t taste very good!
• Others think that fresh coffee means drinking a freshly made batch within a few minutes and not reheating their coffee. This is also part of making great coffee – it should never be reheated and should be consumed within 30 minutes of brewing (at the most!) but even this isn’t what fresh coffee is all about.

Although the presentation went well, I couldn’t help but wonder as I drove home, how many people in that audience I wasn’t able to connect with and didn’t truly get what we’re doing… and if my talk would in any way change the way they think about their daily cup of joe…