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Main
Date: 03 Jan 2007 15:32:44
From: Russell Patterson
Subject: Green beans shelflife?
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How long do the green beans keep their value? I know it's longer than
roasted, but how much more?
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Date: 04 Jan 2007 11:25:51
From:
Subject: Re: Green beans shelflife?
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prosenfe@atl.lmco.com wrote:
> i840coffee@optonline.net wrote:
>
> >
> > Keep coffee away from moisture
>
> Does this mean we probably shouldn't store our green beans in the
> plastic bags that many retailers ship their beans in? What's the best
> container for longer storage?
I bought a supply of food grade burlap bags a couple of years ago
through one of the coops. When I receive a shipment of beans, I
immediately transfer them to these bags. I generally have between 50
and 100 lbs on hand at any given time. I recently finished my basement
and, as part of that project, I built a pantry for food, green coffee
beans, etc. I ventilate it with a trio of 80mm case fans that I
scavenged from old computers - quiet, reliable, etc. The air is drawn
from the cold air return attached to my furnace in an effort to avoid
the traditional, musty basement-y smell. The space is, perhaps, 40
cubic feet. While I don't know the specs of these particular fans,
fans of this size are typically rated to move somewhere around 80CFM,
so, assuming that this space is airtight, I'm changing the air about 6x
per minute. Now, I'm not pretending for a minute that that's a rate
that I'm actually achieving - suffice it to say that the air in this
space is not stagnant. Everything in this space seems to keep well.
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Date: 04 Jan 2007 13:59:29
From:
Subject: Re: Green beans shelflife?
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On 4 Jan 2007 11:25:51 -0800, ls1mike@gmail.com wrote:
>
>prosenfe@atl.lmco.com wrote:
>> i840coffee@optonline.net wrote:
>
>I bought a supply of food grade burlap bags a couple of years ago
>through one of the coops. When I receive a shipment of beans, I
>immediately transfer them to these bags. I generally have between 50
>and 100 lbs on hand at any given time. I recently finished my
basement
>and, as part of that project, I built a pantry for food, green coffee
>beans, etc. I ventilate it with a trio of 80mm case fans that I
>scavenged from old computers - quiet, reliable, etc. The air is
drawn
>from the cold air return attached to my furnace in an effort to avoid
>the traditional, musty basement-y smell. The space is, perhaps, 40
>cubic feet. While I don't know the specs of these particular fans,
>fans of this size are typically rated to move somewhere around 80CFM,
>so, assuming that this space is airtight, I'm changing the air about
6x
>per minute. Now, I'm not pretending for a minute that that's a rate
>that I'm actually achieving - suffice it to say that the air in this
>space is not stagnant. Everything in this space seems to keep well.
From my small knowledge of ordering thousands of Burlap bags for our
coffee group, there are 2 kinds of burlap. One is treated with
kerosene, I think, ostensibly to keep bugs out, but the other burlap
which is what I am talking about is untreated.
aloha,
Cea
--smithfarms.com
farmers of pure kona
roast beans to kona to email
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Date: 04 Jan 2007 08:01:15
From: prosenfe@atl.lmco.com
Subject: Re: Green beans shelflife?
|
i840coffee@optonline.net wrote:
>
> Keep coffee away from moisture
Does this mean we probably shouldn't store our green beans in the
plastic bags that many retailers ship their beans in? What's the best
container for longer storage?
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Date: 04 Jan 2007 13:32:11
From: Jack Denver
Subject: Re: Green beans shelflife?
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Some people say cotton sacks or burlap. I think burlap has a smell. For
small quantities, by the time we get the beans they are usually dry enough
that they keep in plastic without getting moldy. You could poke a few small
holes in the plastic bag or keep it open at the top to be sure you aren't
creating a moist incubator. If you have exceptionally dry conditions in
your house (an un-humidified house in winter - the kind where you get shocks
when you walk across the carpet) then the plastic might even prevent the
coffee from drying out too much. Generally speaking the same conditions that
you'd keep rice, dried beans, etc. under are good. I wouldn't recommend a
sealed container (e.g. tupperware) unless you are freezing the beans.
I think the idea of a "strategic reserve" of decades old coffee is taking it
a bit far. Coffee is a commodity but it's a living product, not a gold
brick. I suspect that a lot of this coffee is not really ketable or
would have to sell at highly reduced prices - they are keeping this stuff
there probably more for political reasons than with any realistic hope of
selling it, the same as the US government has huge warehouses full of cheese
and the EU has warehouses full of wine.
"prosenfe@atl.lmco.com" <jprosenfeld@yahoo.com > wrote in message
news:1167926473.626694.282890@i15g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>
> i840coffee@optonline.net wrote:
>
>>
>> Keep coffee away from moisture
>
> Does this mean we probably shouldn't store our green beans in the
> plastic bags that many retailers ship their beans in? What's the best
> container for longer storage?
>
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Date: 04 Jan 2007 23:36:06
From: Russell Patterson
Subject: Re: Green beans shelflife?
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On Thu, 4 Jan 2007 13:32:11 -0500, "Jack Denver"
<nunuvyer@netscape.net > wrote:
>Some people say cotton sacks or burlap. I think burlap has a smell. For
>small quantities, by the time we get the beans they are usually dry enough
>that they keep in plastic without getting moldy. You could poke a few small
>holes in the plastic bag or keep it open at the top to be sure you aren't
>creating a moist incubator. If you have exceptionally dry conditions in
>your house (an un-humidified house in winter - the kind where you get shocks
>when you walk across the carpet) then the plastic might even prevent the
>coffee from drying out too much. Generally speaking the same conditions that
>you'd keep rice, dried beans, etc. under are good. I wouldn't recommend a
>sealed container (e.g. tupperware) unless you are freezing the beans.
>
>>>
>>> Keep coffee away from moisture
>>
>> Does this mean we probably shouldn't store our green beans in the
>> plastic bags that many retailers ship their beans in? What's the best
>> container for longer storage?
>>
>
Would vaccuum sealed bags be OK? This way it wouldn't gain or lose
humidity.
Also, in my job I get deliveries of medical equipment from Japan,
which comes with many cloth bags of dessicant material to keep the
humidity down inside the boxes. There is no powder or any residue from
these bags. Would it be a good idea to store the green beans with
these in close proximity? For example, put the coffee in its cloth or
burlap bags in a closed container with a couple of these dessicant
bags along side of them.
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Date: 05 Jan 2007 22:16:16
From: Steve Ackman
Subject: Re: Green beans shelflife?
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In <m2lrp2ln0tca3euclpi9ok4ehdpomj7ah5@4ax.com >, on Thu, 04 Jan 2007
23:36:06 -0500, Russell Patterson wrote:
>>>> Keep coffee away from moisture
>>>
> Would vaccuum sealed bags be OK? This way it wouldn't gain or lose
> humidity.
Yes. As long as the beans aren't 14% moisture
content or higher. In that case, they have a high
probability of going moldy.
12% or drier, and they'll keep quite nicely.
> Also, in my job I get deliveries of medical equipment from Japan,
> which comes with many cloth bags of dessicant material to keep the
> humidity down inside the boxes. There is no powder or any residue from
> these bags. Would it be a good idea to store the green beans with
> these in close proximity?
Not really.
Part of greens getting old is dehydration. You want
to store them ideally at 65% to 70% relative humidity,
which will keep the moisture content right around
12% or so.
See the chart on alt.binaries.coffee
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Date: 05 Jan 2007 10:41:33
From: yetanotherBob
Subject: Re: Green beans shelflife?
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In article <m2lrp2ln0tca3euclpi9ok4ehdpomj7ah5@4ax.com >, me@privacy.net
says...
--snip --
>
> Would vaccuum sealed bags be OK? This way it wouldn't gain or lose
> humidity.
The only green beans I ever had go "bad" on me were ones I vacuum sealed
in a FoodSaver bag. YMMV, but the bag puffed up over time, and when I
cut it open after several months, the beans had an unpleasant, musty
odor. I tossed them rather than play around further with them. Other
than that, I've stored green coffee beans in paper bags, plastic bags,
plastic-lined paper bags, plastic, metal and glass containers, tightly
closed, loosely closed, etc. and never had another problem with anything
I would call spoilage.
>
> Also, in my job I get deliveries of medical equipment from Japan,
> which comes with many cloth bags of dessicant material to keep the
> humidity down inside the boxes. There is no powder or any residue from
> these bags. Would it be a good idea to store the green beans with
> these in close proximity? For example, put the coffee in its cloth or
> burlap bags in a closed container with a couple of these dessicant
> bags along side of them.
>
May be worth a try. Cool, dark and dry storage seem to work for me.
Bob
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Date: 05 Jan 2007 15:00:45
From: Jack Denver
Subject: Re: Green beans shelflife?
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If you go so far as to vacuum seal, I'd then put the beans in the freezer.
These two steps combined would probably keep the fresh crop character of the
coffee the most intact (this is what George Howell is currently doing on a
commercial scale). Sealing at room temp may create an incubator for mold.
"yetanotherBob" <yetanotherbob@gmail.com > wrote in message
news:MPG.20083bbc63545d01989793@news.erols.com...
> In article <m2lrp2ln0tca3euclpi9ok4ehdpomj7ah5@4ax.com>, me@privacy.net
> says...
> --snip --
>>
>> Would vaccuum sealed bags be OK? This way it wouldn't gain or lose
>> humidity.
>
> The only green beans I ever had go "bad" on me were ones I vacuum sealed
> in a FoodSaver bag. YMMV, but the bag puffed up over time, and when I
> cut it open after several months, the beans had an unpleasant, musty
> odor. I tossed them rather than play around further with them. Other
> than that, I've stored green coffee beans in paper bags, plastic bags,
> plastic-lined paper bags, plastic, metal and glass containers, tightly
> closed, loosely closed, etc. and never had another problem with anything
> I would call spoilage.
>
>>
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Date: 04 Jan 2007 07:03:41
From:
Subject: Re: Green beans shelflife?
|
On 4 Jan 2007 08:01:15 -0800, "prosenfe@atl.lmco.com"
<jprosenfeld@yahoo.com > wrote:
>
>i840coffee@optonline.net wrote:
>
>>
>> Keep coffee away from moisture
>
>Does this mean we probably shouldn't store our green beans in the
>plastic bags that many retailers ship their beans in? What's the best
>container for longer storage?
We store our bags of green coffee in a special storage room of 70%
humidity and 69- 70 temperature and we keep them in the burlap bags we
get back from the millers.Air can circulate through and around the
bag.
I do agree that moisture is the biggest enemy. Green can get white
and mushy if allowed to get damp. Your plastic bags are probably fine
if used in a reasonable amount of time.
From the previous posts, it seems, in storage, some coffee improves
and some does not. I think after a year, the nuances of Kona -at
least- begin to fade. I am not a cupper like Jim and Bob and Don and
Barry, etc. are, but some of our customers actually rek on the
change of flavors as the year progresses. The flavor change could be
happening at the customer's house too. More humid, less cool... Who
knows?
aloha,
Cea
--smithfarms.com
farmers of pure kona
roast beans to kona to email
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Date: 04 Jan 2007 07:59:41
From: Flasherly
Subject: Re: Green beans shelflife?
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notbob wrote:
> On 2007-01-04, DavidMLewis <DavidMLewis@mac.com> wrote:
>
>
> > months to two years would be a reasonable range.
>
> I disagree. I found some green beans, a little over a year old, in
> the back of a drawer in a sealed plastic zip bag. When I roasted
> them, they were terrible. I tossed the whole batch.
>
> Maybe if they'd been vac packed.
Think my last supplier's mentioned to store in a cool location, not the
refrigerator or freezer, but where air can circulate around the beans -
not in plastic but cloth bags. Perhaps the time was a year. Kept mine
mine in the original 2lb. paper bags around a 4gal. steel cooking pot
without a lid. Didn't have to double stack any bags to fit 12lbs in
it. Convenient, but may have ordered a little too much. Finishing up
two varieties of Mexican coffee beans, which should be the end of the
robustas. Tastey, but I tend somewhat more to Arabicas. Next order
will be less maybe 5lbs. Six months or less sounds better to me for
keeping the stuff around. Like flour for breads I make or dry yeast --
use it up, yum-yum, all gone and time for so more interesting prospects.
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Date: 03 Jan 2007 22:18:55
From: Ken Fox
Subject: Re: Green beans shelflife?
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"Russell Patterson" <me@privacy.net > wrote in message
news:vk4op2ponmshcoa1gui6618ebdbq5cdsq1@4ax.com...
> How long do the green beans keep their value? I know it's longer than
> roasted, but how much more?
As per other posts in this thread, it depends on the beans, the way they are
stored, and your taste.
I had an interesting experience with Ethiopian Harrar Horse when the crops
changed several months ago. I had some remaining beans from 2005 that had
been stored in my very cool (mid 50's F, even in summer) and dry basement.
I roasted up some 2005 crop, some 2006 crop and then for fun I made a 50-50
blend of the two.
My favorite (for espresso) turned out to be the 50-50 blend of 2005 and 2006
beans.
ken
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Date: 03 Jan 2007 20:30:37
From:
Subject: Re: Green beans shelflife?
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GREEN BEAN STORAGE
You can store coffee indefinitely. The cup quality of green coffee
changes as it moves further from the tree in time. Some coffees
deteriorate. Others are enhanced with age. Fashion also plays a roll.
In recent generations bright, snappy Central American coffees have
become the desired cup characteristic. In the 20th Century "new
crop" straightforward lighter coffees were preferred, and generally
bring a premium. A hundred and fifty years ago, in the age of sail,
smooth heavy bodied complex coffees were the fashion. Some aged
coffees (Old Brown Java) and virtually aged (Monsooned Malabar) are
among the rarest and priciest beans.
The older the coffee is the more water weight is lost in storage by
natural dehydration. Chlorophyll is lost and the color of the beans
slowly changes from jade to parchment. Storage can make a rank coffee
such as Brazil Rio flatten out with age into something drinkable, while
a snappy Costa Rica Tarrazu may become insipid and flat with over
warehousing.
Keep coffee away from moisture, keep them aware from glaring sunlight,
and keep them cool. Keep them from being in an environment that is
changeable; every time you open the freezer door take them out and put
them back there is a temperature, humidity and light change that
potentially bruises the cup quality.
The Brazilian Governmant has coffee in store for over a generation. It
is not the same as when it went into the warehouses, but it still has a
monetary trading value as coffee.
-Donald Schoenholt
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Date: 04 Jan 2007 09:57:35
From: yetanotherBob
Subject: Re: Green beans shelflife?
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In article <1167885036.815076.211090@51g2000cwl.googlegroups.com >,
i840coffee@optonline.net says...
>
> The Brazilian Governmant has coffee in store for over a generation. It
> is not the same as when it went into the warehouses, but it still has a
> monetary trading value as coffee.
>
Ah. The fabled "strategic coffee reserves". Stored, no doubt, deep in
the earth in abandoned salt mines.
Bob
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Date: 03 Jan 2007 18:32:57
From: DavidMLewis
Subject: Re: Green beans shelflife?
|
Russell Patterson wrote:
> How long do the green beans keep their value? I know it's longer than
> roasted, but how much more?
It depends on the bean, the storage conditions, and your taste. Six
months to two years would be a reasonable range. As Jack mentions, some
espresso blenders intentionally use older crop to tame the acidity; I
believe Dr. John of Josuma does this. I'm going out on a limb, and I'm
sure I'll be corrected, but I suspect that just as with roasted
coffees, the more delicate floral flavors are more fugitive, along with
the acidity. I've recently taken to vacuum packing coffee when I get it
and dropping it into the freezer. I'd thought that the growth of ice
crystals would affect at least how it roasts, but that doesn't seem to
be so, for reasons I frankly don't understand. I haven't kept any of
this coffee around long enough to know if it extends the life
significantly. It doesn't like to be hot, and it doesn't like to stay
in the jute bags in which it's shipped, I think because of the oil used
on the jute.
Philosophically, I look forward to the day when suppliers don't feel
they have to keep all varieties in stock all the time, when they say
"taste this wonderful Rwanda Gatare now, because it won't be the same
next year," and celebrate that.
Best,
David
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Date: 04 Jan 2007 20:10:09
From: Marshall
Subject: Re: Green beans shelflife?
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On 3 Jan 2007 18:32:57 -0800, "DavidMLewis" <DavidMLewis@mac.com >
wrote:
>Philosophically, I look forward to the day when suppliers don't feel
>they have to keep all varieties in stock all the time, when they say
>"taste this wonderful Rwanda Gatare now, because it won't be the same
>next year," and celebrate that.
Periodically someone floats the "third-wavish" idea of roasters
abandoning named blends in favor of "2007 Moka-Java Blend G." This
would avoid the implication that blends remain constant over the
different harvests. I don't know if anyone has actually tried it yet.
People love ordering their favorite blends by name so much I don't see
this gaining much traction.
shall
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Date: 04 Jan 2007 15:50:55
From: Jack Denver
Subject: Re: Green beans shelflife?
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The flip side of this is that the Italian roasters take great pride in their
ability to maintain a consistent flavor profile regardless of crop
availability - they view their product like non-vintage Champagne where
there is a particular flavor profile associated with the house and label
which doesn't change from year to year, so the consumer always knows exactly
what to expect when he pulls the cork/opens the bag of his favorite brand.
I think the same thing is true here really. If I order a new crop single
origin estate coffee I know it may not be exactly like last year's crop
from the same finca. But if I order some DSB from Barry I expect it to be
pretty darn close to what I think of DSB tasting like, regardless of crop
year.
"shall" <mrfuss@ihatespamearthlink.net > wrote in message
news:mgnqp250csfptvf5307lejbcoavit94t96@4ax.com...
> On 3 Jan 2007 18:32:57 -0800, "DavidMLewis" <DavidMLewis@mac.com>
> wrote:
>
>>Philosophically, I look forward to the day when suppliers don't feel
>>they have to keep all varieties in stock all the time, when they say
>>"taste this wonderful Rwanda Gatare now, because it won't be the same
>>next year," and celebrate that.
>
> Periodically someone floats the "third-wavish" idea of roasters
> abandoning named blends in favor of "2007 Moka-Java Blend G." This
> would avoid the implication that blends remain constant over the
> different harvests. I don't know if anyone has actually tried it yet.
> People love ordering their favorite blends by name so much I don't see
> this gaining much traction.
>
> shall
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Date: 04 Jan 2007 23:33:20
From: jim schulman
Subject: Re: Green beans shelflife?
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On Thu, 4 Jan 2007 15:50:55 -0500, "Jack Denver"
<nunuvyer@netscape.net > wrote:
>
>I think the same thing is true here really. If I order a new crop single
>origin estate coffee I know it may not be exactly like last year's crop
>from the same finca. But if I order some DSB from Barry I expect it to be
>pretty darn close to what I think of DSB tasting like, regardless of crop
>year.
>
There may be profitable room for something in the middle. One could
have a blend with a certain style, that is a set of basic flavors and
a fixed balance, but leave room for varied extra tastes based on what
is good each year. For instance, take a basic red fruit and chocolate
blend like a Sidamo and Brazil, keep that fairly constant, add some
interesting deep notes only if there's a good indo out there, or an
interesint highlight if theres the right Kenya or Yrg, etc etc.
I think Barry has this in mind with his annual Tallioferro surprises.
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Date: 05 Jan 2007 17:09:53
From: Barry Jarrett
Subject: Re: Green beans shelflife?
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On Thu, 04 Jan 2007 23:33:20 -0600, jim schulman
<jim_schulman@ameritech.net > wrote:
>There may be profitable room for something in the middle. One could
>have a blend with a certain style, that is a set of basic flavors and
>a fixed balance, but leave room for varied extra tastes based on what
>is good each year. For instance, take a basic red fruit and chocolate
>blend like a Sidamo and Brazil, keep that fairly constant, add some
>interesting deep notes only if there's a good indo out there, or an
>interesint highlight if theres the right Kenya or Yrg, etc etc.
>
>I think Barry has this in mind with his annual Tallioferro surprises.
dsb varies a bit with crop, but the coffees in it aren't known for
large swings in character. it's due for some tweaking this spring, i
think, as one of the coffees has undergone a gradual change over the
years with which i'm not entirely pleased.
talia is the hard one. it was built around one particular kenya that,
of course, isn't around anymore. customer demand keeps it around;
i've tried to kill it off a couple of times because we don't sell a
lot of it, but took a lot of grief from the diehard fans. i try to
keep the taste somewhat similar to the memory of the original, often
substituting various blends of other africans. at one point, i think
i had worked out some bizarre blend where the kenya was replaced with
burundi or zimby and a 1/12th fraction of yemen or harar which was
added in the last couple of minutes of the roast to hit the taste i
wanted (all the roasts are pre-blends).
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Date: 05 Jan 2007 06:52:33
From: Gary B
Subject: Re: Green beans shelflife?
|
On 3 Jan 2007 18:32:57 -0800, DavidMLewis wrote:
[snip]
> Philosophically, I look forward to the day when suppliers don't feel
> they have to keep all varieties in stock all the time, when they say
> "taste this wonderful Rwanda Gatare now, because it won't be the same
> next year," and celebrate that.
>
> Best,
> David
David,
Agreed.
That's certainly the approach taken by Tom Owen at Sweet ia's - that
coffee is a seasonal crop, enjoy it while it's here, next year's crop will
be different and, possibly, undrinkable, etc.
The challenge for my brain is to get a better hold of that. I tend to think
that I enjoyed last year's [insert favourite bean here] so it should be
good this year; and that I really didn't like [insert some other bean] and
thus I'll never drink it. In reality I know the crops and batches vary, but
we tend to associate flavours and experiences to names.
Regards, Gary
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Date: 04 Jan 2007 10:19:21
From: jim schulman
Subject: Re: Green beans shelflife?
|
On 3 Jan 2007 18:32:57 -0800, "DavidMLewis" <DavidMLewis@mac.com >
wrote:
> I'm going out on a limb, and I'm
>sure I'll be corrected, but I suspect that just as with roasted
>coffees, the more delicate floral flavors are more fugitive, along with
>the acidity.
My take on the information out there is that most experts think green
coffee stales or ages roughly the same way as roasted coffee, only a
lot slower. The deeper tastes, especially woody and smoky ones can get
enhanced; while the brighter fruits and flowers fade fairly quickly.
Sometimes this leads to disagreements. Paradise Roasters brought in a
DP Yrgacheffe called Adado. The preship sample in the spring was a
classic "superstar" coffee; one could smell the dry grounds from
across the room and it was like walking into a florists. By the time
the actual lot got in, all that power was gone. So Miguel at
Paradise,and Bob Yellin, my partner at Coffeecuppers, were
disappointed and scored the coffee below 90. I, on the other hand,
figure if I want room filling floral aromas, I can buy flowers. On the
other hand, the peach syrup flavor of the "faded" bean was completely
delicious, so I scored it very close to the original lot (Yeah, I
know, I can also buy peach syrup; but try putting that in a PF)
Of coiurse, all this evidence is anecdotal, and comes from comparing
the gold hued memories of preship samples to the bags that get dropped
at the loading dock. Terroir has experience cupping frozen and
conventionally stored green side by side, and states that the frozen
green is closer to the new crop. However, in this case, both samples
are being compared to a memory. I've tried some greens freezing of
very acidic coffees, and wasn't nearly as happy with the result as
freezing roasted coffee; the aciodity was there, but tasted very
rough, like it had been spiked with white vinegar. Howevr, my
technique may have had flaws, for all I know.
Certainly, as Don says, taste fashion and the way most coffee is
consumed will determine whether green beans "stale" or "age."
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Date: 05 Jan 2007 04:03:33
From: Barry Jarrett
Subject: Re: Green beans shelflife?
|
On Thu, 04 Jan 2007 10:19:21 -0600, jim schulman
<jim_schulman@ameritech.net > wrote:
>classic "superstar" coffee; one could smell the dry grounds from
>across the room and it was like walking into a florists. By the time
>the actual lot got in, all that power was gone.
this is a concern of mine wrt the ethiopian auction coffees from this
past summer which, as of last update, hadn't even left the country
yet. it'll be interesting to see how lindsey, et al, feel about the
coffee once it hits the US, if it ever does.
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Date: 04 Jan 2007 23:26:23
From: jim schulman
Subject: Re: Green beans shelflife?
|
On Fri, 05 Jan 2007 04:03:33 GMT, Barry Jarrett
<barry@rileys-coffee.com > wrote:
>On Thu, 04 Jan 2007 10:19:21 -0600, jim schulman
><jim_schulman@ameritech.net> wrote:
>
> >classic "superstar" coffee; one could smell the dry grounds from
> >across the room and it was like walking into a florists. By the time
> >the actual lot got in, all that power was gone.
>
>this is a concern of mine wrt the ethiopian auction coffees from this
>past summer which, as of last update, hadn't even left the country
>yet. it'll be interesting to see how lindsey, et al, feel about the
>coffee once it hits the US, if it ever does.
>
Miguel Meza is getting disenchanted with this slow handling. He bought
one lot, but is trying to get the coffee direct.
This year the Japanese bought a lot of the these DP coffees, including
the Adado. I wonder if they have a faster way of getting the coffee
out.
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Date: 03 Jan 2007 21:49:55
From: notbob
Subject: Re: Green beans shelflife?
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On 2007-01-04, DavidMLewis <DavidMLewis@mac.com > wrote:
> months to two years would be a reasonable range.
I disagree. I found some green beans, a little over a year old, in
the back of a drawer in a sealed plastic zip bag. When I roasted
them, they were terrible. I tossed the whole batch.
Maybe if they'd been vac packed.
nb
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Date: 03 Jan 2007 17:59:04
From: Jack Denver
Subject: Re: Green beans shelflife?
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Fresher is better, but coffee is an annual crop so sometimes the coffee
must be up to a year old or you can't have that origin at all. Beyond a
year there's no good excuse because you could be roasting this years crop.
It "keeps" longer in the sense that it doesn't exactly spoil under proper
storage conditions, but it definitely begins to fade with age. Then again
some people might like the faded taste in and of itself - less "bright" than
new crop.
"Russell Patterson" <me@privacy.net > wrote in message
news:vk4op2ponmshcoa1gui6618ebdbq5cdsq1@4ax.com...
> How long do the green beans keep their value? I know it's longer than
> roasted, but how much more?
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Date: 03 Jan 2007 21:25:18
From:
Subject: Re: Green beans shelflife?
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Just FYI - Doutor Coffee in Japan recently came out with a limited
promotional coffee that was advertised as the green beans having "aged
on the shelf" for 3 years. It was branded as "aged coffe".
On Wed, 3 Jan 2007 17:59:04 -0500, "Jack Denver"
<nunuvyer@netscape.net > wrote:
>Fresher is better, but coffee is an annual crop so sometimes the coffee
>must be up to a year old or you can't have that origin at all. Beyond a
>year there's no good excuse because you could be roasting this years crop.
>It "keeps" longer in the sense that it doesn't exactly spoil under proper
>storage conditions, but it definitely begins to fade with age. Then again
>some people might like the faded taste in and of itself - less "bright" than
>new crop.
>
>
>"Russell Patterson" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message
>news:vk4op2ponmshcoa1gui6618ebdbq5cdsq1@4ax.com...
>> How long do the green beans keep their value? I know it's longer than
>> roasted, but how much more?
>
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Date: 03 Jan 2007 13:36:12
From: shane
Subject: Re: Green beans shelflife?
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I have a number of green beans that are a couple of years old. They
seem to roast up and taste ok. Perhpas the taste is off, I don't
know. I am working on using up my old stock before ordering anything
new.
Shane
Jeff wrote:
> Russell Patterson wrote:
> > How long do the green beans keep their value? I know it's longer than
> > roasted, but how much more?
> While the "common wisdom" is that its good for several years, I've
> noticed that after 6 months to a year the quality is off. Recently I
> visited Terroir Coffee (George Howell's new business) and they seal
> and freeze green beans to ensure freshness. In fact, the several 2
> pound bags I purchased came direct from the freezer. (It was superb, BTW)
>
> http://www.terroircoffee.com/content/view/144/28/
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Date: 03 Jan 2007 21:44:00
From: Mike Hartigan
Subject: Re: Green beans shelflife?
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Alas, such is the dilemma of roast-your-own. I'm also holding off on
any new acquisitions until I've made a serious dent in my current
stash of about 100 lbs of green. I, nevertheless, make an occasional
exception when something truly stellar comes along.
WRT shelf life, I can attest to one year without detectable
degradation (detectable to me - that's what counts, IMO).
In article <1167860172.116517.125900@i80g2000cwc.googlegroups.com >,
shane.olson@juno.com says...
> I have a number of green beans that are a couple of years old. They
> seem to roast up and taste ok. Perhpas the taste is off, I don't
> know. I am working on using up my old stock before ordering anything
> new.
>
> Shane
>
>
> Jeff wrote:
> > Russell Patterson wrote:
> > > How long do the green beans keep their value? I know it's longer than
> > > roasted, but how much more?
> > While the "common wisdom" is that its good for several years, I've
> > noticed that after 6 months to a year the quality is off. Recently I
> > visited Terroir Coffee (George Howell's new business) and they seal
> > and freeze green beans to ensure freshness. In fact, the several 2
> > pound bags I purchased came direct from the freezer. (It was superb, BTW)
> >
> > http://www.terroircoffee.com/content/view/144/28/
>
>
--
-Mike
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Date: 03 Jan 2007 16:26:54
From: Jeff
Subject: Re: Green beans shelflife?
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Russell Patterson wrote:
> How long do the green beans keep their value? I know it's longer than
> roasted, but how much more?
While the "common wisdom" is that its good for several years, I've
noticed that after 6 months to a year the quality is off. Recently I
visited Terroir Coffee (George Howell's new business) and they seal
and freeze green beans to ensure freshness. In fact, the several 2
pound bags I purchased came direct from the freezer. (It was superb, BTW)
http://www.terroircoffee.com/content/view/144/28/
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Date: 03 Jan 2007 15:42:56
From: yetanotherBob
Subject: Re: Green beans shelflife?
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In article <vk4op2ponmshcoa1gui6618ebdbq5cdsq1@4ax.com >, me@privacy.net
says...
> How long do the green beans keep their value? I know it's longer than
> roasted, but how much more?
>
Kept in a cool, dark, dry place, they should be good for two years.
I've kept some longer, and they seemed fine to me.
Bob
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