Ground vs Whole Bean Coffee: Why Does it matter?
When you buy roasted coffee from either the grocery store or your favorite roaster (hopefully it’s the latter), most of the time it can be bought two ways — Ground or Whole Beans. Deciding which way to buy your coffee can play a big role in how your coffee will taste.
Now, if you don’t give a shit about how your coffee taste and you want the convenience of pre-ground coffee, then by all means, do your thing! However, if you want coffee at its peak flavor potential, then buying whole bean coffee and grinding it fresh is the way to go.
how can I keep my coffee fresh?
It’s important to understand that oxygen is the enemy here. Whether you prefer whole or pre-ground, oxygen will eventually win in a natural environment. Pre-ground coffee oxidizes much quicker and thus, loses its aroma and flavor potency at a much faster rate, which means it is going to go stale more quickly!
Coffee is At peak freshness for one to two weeks after it’s been roasted.
Luckily, your coffee is still going to taste good after that, but its flavor potency is going to start to degrade. However, depending on how far off from the roast date you brew the coffee, it is up to you and your palate to figure out when it’s not right for you anymore.
Know that a darker roast will degrade much faster than a lighter roast. This is why we always recommend grinding your coffee right before you brew it so you take advantage of all those volatile aromatics and non-oxidized coffee.
Freshly Grinding your coffee won’t add more than 5 seconds to your morning routine.
We get it, that 5 seconds of missed sleep can feel like a huge difference, but you will be able to look forward to a fresh cup of coffee.
tips you can do ahead of time, the night before, to avoid having Making coffee in A sleep-deprived state:
Weigh out your coffee ahead of time and place it in an air-tight container so you can easily pour it into your grinder.
Have your water in its vessel ready to brew or boil.
Have the filter of the brew vessel already prepped and set out on the counter.
In conclusion, your coffee is at its peak freshness in a couple of weeks out from the initial roast date. However, depending on the coffee that you have, the degradation of flavor may happen at a different rate. We hope this quick insight into why it matters helps you enjoy your coffee even more!