At the risk of offending the aristocracy here… expired beans are not necessarily bad

At the risk of offending the aristocracy here… expired beans are not necessarily bad

Breaking New Ground: A Sicilian Coffee Plantation, Part 2

The Morettino family has successfully cultivated a coffee plantation right in Sicily. Next on the agenda: making the island an international coffee hub. BY JOSEPH PHELANSPECIAL TO BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Feature photo by Tomas Anton Escobar via Unsplash Editor’s note: Check out part one of this story here. Andrea Morettino’s family has proven that coffee […]


Three Questions with IWCA Executive Director Blanca Castro

When International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) Executive Director began her job years ago at the Guatemalan coffee association Anacafé, she knew next to nothing about coffee.  “I just pretended that…


Understanding the Process: Double Fermentation

Continuing our series on coffee processing, we learn about double fermentation, a term that can refer to several different processes. BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos courtesy of Cafe Imports Editor’s note: Check out other entries in our “Understanding the Process“ series here. When exploring the wonderful world of high-quality coffee, you’ll discover that no […]


Serving Coffee in the Epicenter

The Turkish specialty-coffee community is coming together to support earthquake relief. BY MICHAEL BUTTERWORTHSPECIAL TO BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE When Niji Coffee went live on Instagram,…

At the risk of offending the aristocracy here… expired beans are not necessarily bad

Why it’s easier for wealthier producers to grow specialty coffee

It takes money – and sometimes a lot – to grow specialty coffee. Producers not only need to continuously maintain and improve quality and yields, but they also have to invest back into their farms. Whether it’s replacing equipment and machinery or planting more resilient varieties, producers need to turn a profit to operate their […]


Out Now: The February + March 2024 Issue of Barista Magazine!

In our new issue we feature Lisa Lawson from Glasgow, Scotland, take a look at the newest grinders, explore spring drink inspiration, see how more women are getting involved in coffee tech, and much more! BY SARAH ALLENBARISTA MAGAZINE We’re stoked to announce the release of the February + March 2024 issue of Barista Magazine, […]


PRF El Salvador announces speakers and panellists

Following a call for applications in October 2022, Producer & Roaster Forum (PRF) has announced its first speakers and panellists for PRF El Salvador. The two-day forum will be held on 16 and 17 March 2023 at the Salamanca Exhibition Centre in San Salvador. The event is set to return to El Salvador after it […]


Competition, Cold, and More from the 2024 U.S. Coffee Competition Qualifiers in Houston

The first round of qualifiers for the 2024 season of the United States Coffee Competitions featured the U.S. Barista, Cup Tasters, and Roasters qualifying competitions. BY KATE VAN PETTENSPECIAL TO BARISTA MAGAZINE Photos courtesy of U.S. CoffeeChamps The first round of qualifiers for the 2024 season of the United States Coffee Competitions took place January […]

At the risk of offending the aristocracy here… expired beans are not necessarily bad

María Andrée Is Honing Olfactory Skills in Antigua 

A sensorial class in Guatemala at Artista de Café teaches how to use your nose for the ultimate coffee experience. BY JORDAN BUCHANANBARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Photos courtesy of Arista de Café Walking into a specialty café in Guatemala, your nostrils are infused with aromas from the best coffees in the country. Your nose recollects the […]


Playing Leaderboard, the Arcade-Inspired Coffee Game

We sat down to try the newest version of the game—a fun opportunity to learn more about coffee while vying for cool coffee prizes.  BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos by Tanya Nanetti I’ve never been much into video games, except for the classic arcade games of my youth.   Growing up in the ‘80s meant […]


Coffee News Recap, 20 Jan: Last chance to apply for PRF El Salvador Mayorga Scholarship and volunteer positions, World of Coffee Dubai attracts more than 12,000 visitors & other stories

Every Friday, Perfect Daily Grind rounds up the top coffee industry news from the previous week. Here are this week’s stories. Mon, 16 Jan World of Coffee Dubai 2023 attracts more than 12,000 visitors from 48 countries. The event, which was held at the Dubai World Trade Centre, also included over 180 exhibitors and 36 […]


Get Ready for The Barista League’s 2024 Season

The Barista League has announced 12 competitions across four continents. BY J. MARIE CARLANBARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Photos courtesy of The Barista League When The Barista League announces new events, it’s worth paying attention! This year, the schedule will be organized by geographic location, bringing together coffee people in various communities. At The Barista League in […]

At the risk of offending the aristocracy here… expired beans are not necessarily bad

At the risk of offending the aristocracy here… expired beans are not necessarily bad

minimum dose size?

Jan 31, 2024 |

I use the Hario switch to brew my coffee and am trying to reduce my caffeine consumption. Hence I would like to brew smaller cups of coffee. I am currently using 10g of coffee with 160g of water. (1:16 Ratio) I am wondering if there is a minimum amount of coffee...

At the risk of offending the aristocracy here… expired beans are not necessarily bad

Yes, I realize that as an enthusiast's group, this subreddit caters to the elites of coffeedom, where all coffee mugs are held with pinky out, water is a manufactured commodity, and etiquette demands that one portions coffee grounds with the appropriately colored spoon and no other… but sometimes a guy just wants a solid cup o' joe without spending 45 minutes to create it or fretting over whether the beans are 14 minutes past expiration date.

Additionally, not everyone has the same discriminating palate. Some people can't appreciate or won't be bothered to deal with the same levels of subtlety or minutiae that others seemingly thrive upon.

I'd been reading here regarding the importance of beans not being too old, to the extent that with respect to locally roasted coffee, the acceptable windows of use being framed not in months or weeks, but rather days or even hours… which makes my hair hurt.

So if one is in the "middle tier " of all this madness, i.e., you want better than pre-ground Folgers or instant coffee, but don't want to engage in the ancient mystic rituals of pour-over or spend the prerequisite mortgage equivalents on South American Rain Forest Civet Poop Roast hand-delivered to your door within a 47-minute window before which it obviously expires and must be discarded, could you get a passable cup of coffee on the cheap with expired beans (oh, the HORROR!!!)

While visiting family this past week in central Pennsylvania, I visited a store called "Hornings Market," a Mennonite-run grocery market and discounter that gets all sorts of clearance and closeout goods. These typically include grocery items at or past their expiration dates. The selection from week to week can be extremely random.

When I was there, they happened to have any number of expired coffees, both ground and whole bean, but at incredibly large discounts. While pre-ground coffee that is expired is considerably more iffy than whole bean that has been vacuum sealed, could it be viable? The stuff was cheap enough that I bought a selection to bring back with me just for giggles:

  • Eight O'Clock Chocolate Coconut Macroon (flavored, ground). Expired July 2022. Cost: $0.99/12 oz ($0.09/oz)
  • Eight O'Clock Texas Pecan Praline (flavored, ground). Expired August 2022. Cost: $1.99/12 oz ($0.17/oz)
  • Eight O'Clock Michigan Cherry Pie (flavored, ground). Expired January 2022. Cost: $0.99/12 oz ($0.09/oz)
  • Starbucks Pike Place (whole bean). Expired July 2022. Cost: $1.99/16 oz ($0.13/oz)
  • Starbucks Decaf Espresso (whole bean). Expired May 2022. Cost: $3.99/16 oz ($0.25/oz)
  • Starbucks Italian Roast (whole bean). Expired June 2022. Cost: $5.99/5 pounds ($0.08/oz)

I had no expectations regarding the pre-ground coffee, and this was borne out. I've only tried two of the three, and they were both subpar, if not outright nasty. Admittedly, I'm not a HUGE fan of flavored coffees to begin with, so I may not be the best judge, but I think that the artifical flavorings don't hold up well over time and may "turn".

The Starbucks whole bean offerings held more optimism for me, although I was still expecting "meh". I've only tried the Pike Place and the Decaf Espresso thus far, but I was very pleasantly surprised. Both held up well and produced a decent cup at my normal ratios. Not weakened, not "off" tasting in any way. In retrospect, I should have purchased a few more at those prices; at least around here those same size bags are anywhere from $13-18 per pound.

tl;dr. If your palate isn't the most refined or if you're just looking for coffee on the cheap, expired whole bean that has been kept vacuum sealed isn't *necessarily* a bad thing.

submitted by /u/PolkSDA
[link] [comments]

At the risk of offending the aristocracy here… expired beans are not necessarily bad

Perfect Little Beans

Chinmey Hill Coffee uses specialty-grade beans with zero primary defects (such as black beans or sour beans) and less than five secondary defects (such as broken beans). This is important because primary defects will greatly affect the taste of the coffee. Having zero defects allows the coffee to be the most optimal flavor.

Window for Optimal Flavor

Chimney Hill Coffee ships our coffee the same day it was roasted, so you will receive it before it enters the window of optimal flavor.  This means you’ll never miss the opportunity to enjoy the coffee’s peak flavor.

Coffee Ratings

Coffee undergoes many scoring processes by professionals who achieved their Q Grader certification. Coffee is first graded when it’s green. If there are defects the coffee is determined to be “not-specialty grade”. For those coffees that pass green grading, they are sample roasted and cupped. (Cupping is the official term for critically tasting and scoring coffees. The official cupping form is standard worldwide, and where the 100-point scoring system comes from.) A coffee’s dry fragrance, wet aroma, flavor, aftertaste, body, acidity, balance, and overall impression are taken into consideration while uniformity issues and defects, will lower the overall score.

Specialty Coffee

Specialty coffee, coined by Erna Knutsen in 1974, refers to a coffee that receives a quality grading score of 80 percent or higher. While “premium” or “gourmet” seem like they’re synonymous with “specialty,” they simply are marketing terms with no defined standards. Specialty coffees are grown in specific and ideal micro-climates, and have distinctive and unique flavor profiles, with little to no defects.

Third-Wave Coffee

We’re currently in the third wave of coffee. The first wave of American coffee put pre-ground, vacuum-sealed cans in kitchens across America. The second wave started with the late ‘60s introduction of Peet’s coffee (by Alfred Peet) through the proliferation of Starbucks. The third wave of coffee focuses on origin transparency, nuanced flavors, and artisan roasting. The term “third wave” is synonymous with specialty coffee.

At the risk of offending the aristocracy here… expired beans are not necessarily bad

Shopping cart0
There are no products in the cart!
Continue shopping
0