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

4 Cool Cafés to Try Out in Kuala Lumpur

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5 Amazing Coffee Drinks in Reno, Nev.

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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 […]


Playing Leaderboard, the Arcade-Inspired Coffee Game

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

5 Amazing Coffee Drinks in Reno, Nev.

Here are some standout specialty drinks you can try in the Biggest Little City in the World. BY EDDIE P. GOMEZSPECIAL TO BARISTA MAGAZINE Photos by Eddie P. Gomez Reno, Nev., has more cafés per capita than just about any other place in North America. And because it is a snowier-than-usual winter in northwestern Nevada […]


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 […]


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 […]


Weekly Coffee News: Grounds for Health Week + Iconic SF Shop Closes

Welcome to DCN’s Weekly Coffee News. Keep up with all the latest coffee industry stories and career opportunities by subscribing to DCN’s newsletter. Tell our editors about your news here. Registration Opens for Inaugural…

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

Cup of Excellence to Offer El Salvador Immersion Program

The immersion experience will allow participants to grow their knowledge on Salvadoran culture and coffee varieties. BY J. MARIE CARLANBARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Photos courtesy of Cup of Excellence Cup of Excellence is launching a new learning opportunity in 2024: the Origin Immersion Program, to be held in El Salvador from February 26 to March 5. […]


Ethos Agriculture’s Journey from Vision to Impact in Coffee Sustainability: Part Two

In the second half of this article, we discover how the Coffee Barometer attempts to bridge the gap between discourse and action, envisioning a sustainable…


Book Review: From Nerd to Pro, by Patrik Rolf

From Nerd to Pro: A Coffee Journey is an autobiography by roaster, café operator, and coffee competitor Patrik Rolf sharing his coffee journey. BY TANYA NANETTI SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Featured photo by Tanya Nanetti I’ve read plenty of books on coffee over the years: manuals on how to brew great coffee at home, books on […]


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

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.

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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

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