New coffee seasonality question

[paisley]

Hi:

I found the thread on coffee seasonality. I have to say that I began to freak a bit when I thought of running out of the coffee I am falling in love with each day. My first fresh-roasted coffee order was the decaf Peruvian from CCC. It was great but in hindsight, it was nothing compared to the decaf Sumatra I find myself looking forward to each day. I literally wake each morning looking forward to that first cup. It isn't the caffeine jolt because I cannot drink caff drinks because of migraines.

Yesterday I had my daughter pick up an air popcorn popper from Walgreens with hopes of roasting my own beans in the near future. I placed an order for two pounds of Sumatra decaf and one pound of decaf Donkey Blend from Sweet Marias yesterday. I plan to attempt to roast my own beans so I can be sure I have the freshest roasted coffee available. Given my new obsession, I felt it a prudent step in my coffee-lover evolution.

The thought of seasonal coffee availability gives me the heebie jeebies. According to the link someone was kind enough to post, the Sumatra season runs from October to March. This leaves April to September with no Sumatra crop other than what I can find through local roasters but given that Sumatra is a popular coffee, I feel it will run out long before the next crop. Even then, there is no guarantee the next crop will be as good as the previous one.

It is important to know that I have no desire to put back 50-some pounds of coffee. I would like to keep some on hand though at least until I find a suitable replacement or alternative. I tend to drink at least two cups a day made from double-shots each. On weekends, I generally drink one to two more than the average.

I will appreciate any advice or tidbits of information. Right now, I am not certain how my roasting will turn out but I am hopeful. I am churning out wonderful espresso shots from the Silvia machine. It is hard to admit that I had my doubts I could do that but thankfully, they were doubts that never came true. I love my coffee better than anything I've bought in a store or cafe. Roasting my own beans just feels like the next logical step. I plan to move up to a real roaster once I learn to roast using the air popper. BTW, the one I bought is the Kitchen Gourmet from Walgreens. I believe it is a rebadged Toastmaster TMCP4 although I am not certain. There was a listing on CoffeeGeek about the air poppers. I opted to go that route before investing in a more expensive roaster.

If my roasting abilities take off as my espresso-brewing ones have, I need to know a few things to prepare for losing this great coffee or at least put coffee back for as long as possible without losing it to going bad from sitting.


Are there any precautions regarding storage of green coffee beans other than keeping them in a cool, dry place?

What is the most I can keep on hand without having it go bad?

Can someone recommend a coffee bean comparable to (decaf) Sumatra?


Paisley

[Ken Fox]

It seems like you are drinking either exclusively or primarily decaf. Storage conditions are important whatever you are storing (cool and dry is best), however decaf green beans have a very short shelf life if you are seeking optimal results (for decaf, that is). Caffeinated beans will probably last around a year, with dry processed varieties lasting longer although changing continuously during the period of storage.

Decaf beans have a MUCH shorter shelf life; 4 months is good and 6 months is really pushing it. Not only do the beans deteriorate quickly but after 6 months the cracks are nearly inaudible above the sound of your roaster or popper. If I was storing decaf beans I'd buy no more than I was sure I could consume in maybe 3 months. I sometimes find myself with decaf beans older than 6 months and don't necessarily toss them at that point, but then I seldom drink them myself and when they get served it is usually to nondiscriminating houseguests whom I try to talk into drinking regular.

[RapidCoffee]

Are there any precautions regarding storage of green coffee beans other than keeping them in a cool, dry place?

What is the most I can keep on hand without having it go bad?

Can someone recommend a coffee bean comparable to (decaf) Sumatra?

Hi Samantha. I'm probably not the best person to answer these questions, but I'll give it a stab.

Store green beans in a cool dry place out of direct sunlight. Transfer them to paper or cloth bags where they can breathe (well, that's what you're supposed to do ). Some vendors still claim up to two years storage is fine, but estimates are dropping; most now say under a year. Nonetheless, unlike roasted coffee (which gets stale within a couple of weeks), you can certainly store green beans for several months.

Sumatra is a classic Indonesian coffee, full-bodied and low-toned. Other similar origins include Celebes/Sulawesi, Papua New Guinea (PNG), even Indian coffees. You can find excellent descriptions of coffee origins in several places on the Web, e.g. here.

Home roasting is a wonderful way to explore coffees from all around the world. Don't limit yourself to just Pacific island coffees. Try (at the very least) some Africans and other South/Central American beans. BTW, I highly recommend Kenneth David's classic Home Coffee Roasting, it's a fine read and a great intro to home roasting.

Have fun - John

EDIT - Oops, cross-post. Listen to Ken.

[paisley]

My thanks to both of you for answering my questions.

Yes, I stick with decaf exclusively. Caffeine causes migraines and I have humdingers. Many years ago my doctor worked with me to come completely off caffeinated coffee. It was causing rebounding migraines that I could not knock for the life of me even with the use of drugs specifically designed to do so. Once I switched to decaf, the problems lessened drastically. I've only recently started drinking coffee on a regular basis. It's something I enjoy and it is difficult to give up cold turkey. I find I still occasionally get headaches, which I believe are possibly due to the minute amounts of caffeine found in decaf beans but it is tolerable. The fact I drink milk-based drinks makes it less of a problem since it is lowering the amount of coffee yet still allowing me to enjoy something I love so much.

I do enjoy trying different coffees but I know what I don't like. I don't care for overly strong coffees. I like full body tastes but not to the point where it is so strong it turns bitter. My coffee time is like a sweet time. It's when I indulge.

The problems I am having now that I am drinking coffee each day is being able to afford beans as fresh as possible without breaking the bank. Ordering isn't that bad. It is the shipping costs that are killing me. Besides, I think I will enjoy roasting beans. If I don't, I've only lost $10 on the popper and what little I've spent on the beans. I figure I will know after the first dozen or so batches right? (grin) I hope I can make it work.

I'll try to find out if the local LIB has the book mentioned. I can't read it in print format so I will have to find it in audio or super large print. John, I'm actually legally blind. According to what I read online, roasting can be done by ear. If I find days when the remaining vision is better than others, I may be able to rely on what bit of light perception I have left but for the most part, I'll be listening for the cracks and going by my nose. Hey, I learned to make an excellent cup of cappuccino and americano. This can't be much harder than learning to do that and froth milk. LOL!

Thanks for all the information. I'll start moving some things around in my cabinet to make room for bean storage. I have some cotton bags with drawstrings around the house that will be perfect for storing beans if the ones I ordered don't come with them.

Warmest regards,

Paise

PS: I made a notepad list of the other coffee beans listed. I'll start checking them out too.

[RapidCoffee]

I do enjoy trying different coffees but I know what I don't like. I don't care for overly strong coffees. I like full body tastes but not to the point where it is so strong it turns bitter. My coffee time is like a sweet time. It's when I indulge.

The problems I am having now that I am drinking coffee each day is being able to afford beans as fresh as possible without breaking the bank. Ordering isn't that bad. It is the shipping costs that are killing me. Besides, I think I will enjoy roasting beans. If I don't, I've only lost $10 on the popper and what little I've spent on the beans. I figure I will know after the first dozen or so batches right? (grin) I hope I can make it work.

I'll try to find out if the local LIB has the book mentioned. I can't read it in print format so I will have to find it in audio or super large print. John, I'm actually legally blind. According to what I read online, roasting can be done by ear. If I find days when the remaining vision is better than others, I may be able to rely on what bit of light perception I have left but for the most part, I'll be listening for the cracks and going by my nose. Hey, I learned to make an excellent cup of cappuccino and americano. This can't be much harder than learning to do that and froth milk. LOL!

Much of Ken Davids book is online at Lucidcafe, including instructions for popcorn popper roasting. Take a look at Sweet Maria's as well; they have a great selection of green beans and some wonderful home roasting articles.

Roasting in a popcorn popper is easy, inexpensive, a lot of fun, and has the potential to produce great results. Visually monitoring bean color certainly helps, but listening to the popping sounds of second crack is perhaps a better way to track the roast progress. I think you'll do fine.

BTW, I would not characterize any of the highly regarded coffees of the world as bitter. East Africa (Yemen, Ethiopia, Kenya, etc.) produces some of the most intense, complex, fruity, really interesting coffees on the planet. Central American (Guatemala, Costa Rica, etc.) coffees are often brightly acidic and wonderful for drip brewing. Trust me, they're all worth a try! Order a sampler pack and keep on indulging yourself.

- John

[another_jim]

Decaf coffees have progeria; the green beans go bad in three to six months, the roasted ones in three to six days. Even coffees that age gracefully and will keep two or three years like mochas and indos become undrinkable in short order once they are decaffed.

If you drink decaf, roast twice a week and turn your green bean stock over 3 to 4 times a year. Check with your greens supplier that the bags they are selling you have been decaffed recently. It's not the time the crop was picked that's critical here, but the time it was decaffed.

Intelligentsia and a few other roasters who sell green are having the swiss water people decaf their coffees in small lots. These are pretty premium priced, but will be fresh. Royal Importers runs its own decaf plant in Mexico and decafs their standard list coffees several times a year. These sell under the names "Royal select" or "water process" Internet greenies who sell Royal imports, like Sweet Marias and Coffeebean Wholesalers carry these.

Decaf buying is always a crap shoot, but these are the best bets. My buying tactic was to test with 1 or 2 pound buys, then get enough for a quarter only.

The main drawback is the huge amount of searching involved; and since I'm not too caffeine sensitive I've decided to be more restless at night and go caf all the time. However, if decaf is required, this somewhat work intensive approach is best.