I believe I prefaced it all by saying I was really finicky.

cafeIKE wrote:Adrian, please tell us how long you have been making espresso and roasting coffee.

I have been making espresso and roasting coffee for about twenty years. My gosh, thanks for making me feel old! I nearly stopped drinking espresso in disgust until last year when I upgraded my equipment and switched from air roasting to my Behmor roaster.

cafeIKE wrote:Coffee that is oily on the first day is ruined / burnt in some circles.

I should have clarified, since you are very correct. If the beans are oily, the coffee is no good, in my opinion. When I said oily I referred to the fact that the coffee grounds are a bit more oily and stick together a bit more and the crema seems to be slightly more oily in the first few days.

cafeIKE wrote:The darker the roast, the more oil exposed to the air and the quicker it rots, necessitating early consumption.

Yes, if the beans are starting to show some oil, the coffee may last a day more, but that is it, for my palate. After that it is too stale and should be dumped. I use a very light roast, City to C+ with Single Origin beans. My goal is to optimize their distinctive flavors.

cafeIKE wrote:Some coffees aren't ready to drink until day 8, 10, 12.... IIRC, a WBC champ used a 28 day old coffee.

Well, I think it depends on what you can tolerate. There is a clear flavor arc, with flavors of the coffee blend emerging as time goes on. On the other hand, bitterness, sourness, and stale flavors increase as time goes on. For me, the balance between flavors and staleness is best between Days 2-7 for most blends I have tried. It is a generalization. If you are less sensitive to off flavors, you may be able to enjoy a coffee into its 2nd or 3rd week. And there will always be some oddball esoteric blends out there with atypical aging characteristics. I'm just giving out some of my experience; people should experiment for themselves and find out what works for them.

Adrian

drdna wrote:I believe I prefaced it all by saying I was really finicky.

Well, I think it depends on what you can tolerate. There is a clear flavor arc, with flavors of the coffee blend emerging as time goes on. On the other hand, bitterness, sourness, and stale flavors increase as time goes on. For me, the balance between flavors and staleness is best between Days 2-7 for most blends I have tried. It is a generalization. If you are less sensitive to off flavors, you may be able to enjoy a coffee into its 2nd or 3rd week. And there will always be some oddball esoteric blends out there with atypical aging characteristics. I'm just giving out some of my experience; people should experiment for themselves and find out what works for them.

Adrian

With respect, and honestly not trying to start an argument, I think you are universalizing your individual experience with the coffee you like, to coffee generally. Your experience is different than mine with many of the coffees that I purchase. It is your experience with the coffees that you roast. Both experiences are OK - but neither is applicable to all coffee.

My 2 cents worth.

I have been experimenting a bit with this and my opinion is just that (my opinion) not science. Anyway I find letting the beans degas 3-5 days before freezing works for my tastes. I enjoy the pre frozen coffee just the same as not frozen and it appears to stale and about the same rate.

Enjoy

CB