Unopened vacuum sealed bag... is coffee really good for 3 months off roast if unopened?

[dsc106]

Family is bringing me back a bag of Kona Peaberry medium roast, $69 for 16oz. Yikes! Comes in standard vacuum sealed bag. It was roasted yesterday. When I get the bag, it will be 10 days off roast, but sealed in the vacuum sealed bag.

The employee told them the bag was fresh for 3 months after roast, but to use within 2 weeks of opening. Is that really the case? I was always under the impression that while opening the bag accelerates aging by oxidizing, the coffee would still continue to age even while sealed much quicker than 3 months.

[Jeff]

"Fresh" is in the mouth of the taster, to paraphrase.

Square Mile did some testing of their coffee over a month and found that too soon was not pleasant, and that it aged over a month across a drinkable spectrum. Lighter roasts tend to benefit from longer resting (a month for things like La Cabra or Tim Wendelboe), and "conventional wisdom" is darker roasts need to be consumed faster.

Espresso seems to be less forgiving than drip/immersion brewing.

I'd look into portioning and freezing what you don't immediately use. Lots of threads here on the topic. Small Mason jars sounds like they work well if you don't have a vacuum sealer.

[cafeIKE]

Kona is the one coffee I both roasted and purchased that seemed to have longer legs. But not 3 months at room temperature. Frozen, maybe.

Whenever I've visited coffee growers and the salesroom says the vac bag is good for anything longer than two weeks, I challenge them to a blind taste off, which has never been accepted.

Also refuse to buy any coffee with obfuscated roast dates or 'Good until'

[Frenchman]

The sales staff probably has zero interest (or time) to pander to someone's incredulity about their claims, let alone setup a proper blind test you'd find satisfactory.

I've bought coffee from roasters who have told me their coffee won't be at its peak for 3 or 4 weeks after roast. Why wouldn't I believe them? They know their coffee, some of them were Q graders, and since I have the coffee in hand there is absolutely no reason for them to say that unless it's true.

[tennisman03110]

To any normal person, coffee is perfectly fine for three months. And I mean tastes good, not just "safe". It's drinkable for years.

Now me, I'm borderline insane. Anything over one month goes from espresso to V60. These months, Aeropress. Longer than that, it's gifted to my mom.