Ken Fox wrote: I have no explanation for this and haven't posted about this before, because the observation is entirely unscientific.

Scientific data is just the proof of empirical theory. Just because I don't have scientific data suggesting why the sun will come up (someone does, I bet) every twenty-four hours-ish doesn't mean that I'm not depending on that happening again tomorrow.

"Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, third time is cause and effect."
Some Science-y Guy

There are 101 other variables that change over the interval. Noting a difference may simply be the coffee exceeds its rating when frozen because over the interval expectations decreased whilst the coffee changed minimally.

But that's like the doc saying that there is nothing wrong with your foot, the pain is all in your head.
From the doctors point of view, it's a radical change in treatment technique and perception.
To the patient, the source of the pain is academic. All he knows is that it hurts. Telling him that the pain 'isn't real' doesn't tend to make it hurt any less.
But I know what you're saying. And I'd concur, except that, in my case, it went form a cuppa that I wasn't really that fond of to one that I really liked. And my technique is at least somewhat consistent by now...

It's not technique.

Weather in LA this summer has been weird. We went from a couple of weeks of low 50's 95%RH over night to low 60's 35%RH. On the same 125g jar of Caffe Fresco Black Hand, I either had to open the grind a full turn or cut 1g off the 9.5g dose for the same brew ratio. Even at the same brew ratios, I preferred the lower temp, higher humidity shots.

Sorry to re-open this thread but how cold does the freezer need to be? I just bought a chest freezer and after 24 hours, the interior temperature measures -15f!! Do I need to keep it that cold? It has a control that I could increase (warmer) and save electricity but how cold do I need it to be?

According to Ken's article Coffee: To Freeze or Not to Freeze, he tested with the freezer set to -20°F (-29°C). Ian's Frozen Coffee Storage Calculator is a simple web calculator to approximate the age of frozen coffee based on roast and freeze dates and ambient and freezer temperatures.

I don't want to give the impression of a higher level of precision in freezer temperature setting than is realized in real life. The model of Whirlpool branded 7 cubic foot chest freezer I have (they were bought at Costco Wholesale and I have more than one of them) has a temperature control that one sets with either a blade screwdriver or a coin (such as a US quarter). Set at its coldest setting, the temperature will fluctuate. If the freezer is mostly full, observed temperature on an NSF freezer thermometer fluctuates from below -20F to perhaps -5F, although sometimes seems to sit at around -20 most of the time. The measured temperature will be coldest towards the middle of the freezer and a bit higher towards the top of the freezer contents.

At the coldest setting I have never observed a temperature above 0F, although I have seen that (0F) a few times.

ken

The colder the freezer, the more the aging process is slowed. That is true for coffee as well as food. I believe my upright freezer is running around -15. Energy use is not that bad since you are not opening it up all the time and a full freezer runs less than an empty freezer.

I'd expect the energy usage to be the same empty or full, however the runtime may differ. The energy usage is dependent on the heat entering the freezer, while the runtime would depend on the internal mass being cooled.

Do you guys rest the beans before freezing? I ask because now that I'm freezing my order when it arrives (usually about 3days post roast) I noticed that when I use the beans from the freezer, they taste too fresh. Maybe I should let them rest for a couple of days before freezing?