Ken Fox wrote:The coffee-wine analogy fails on many levels. Among them is that wine is sold as a finished product, in a sealed container, which if treated with minimal respect will last decades, assuming this is the sort of wine worth buying and that will age.(...)
Coffee is sold either as a green, unroasted, unfinished product, or as a roasted, unfinished product. Whether or not you have to roast it, you still need to grind it and extract a beverage out of it before it is to be consumed. During this preparation phase, there is considerable risk of ending up with a substandard result from what was a first rate but unfinished product.(...)
Expensive wines are almost always "ageworthy," and if well chosen, will increase in value over the aging period. Coffee is very perishable, whether in the green or roasted state.
Matthew Brinski wrote:Excellent coffee should possess the ability of being presented to the consumer with its special aspects highlighted, all while standing on its own two feet.
It is all very true.
As for tea, it is also up to the consumer to extract the beverage out of it and it needs a lot of skill (I'm a tea lover too).
If you don't mind a question, how long do the green beans last? Tea leaves can be preserved at their best even over two years quite easily.
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