Can coffee be TOO fresh? The importance of resting coffee

We pride ourselves here at Casa about supplying freshly roasted coffee, but can coffee be too fresh? And the answer is yes!
It may sound a little contradictory, but drinking too-fresh coffee can be less than tasty. This is where degassing coffee, or resting, comes in.

When we roast coffee, we are applying heat to the hard and dense green beans to try and develop flavour and also open the bean structure to make that flavour easier to get at. This process creates a lot of carbon dioxide, which is extremely abundant in the freshly roasted beans.

The problem occurs when we brew coffee that is been roasted very recently- let’s say under a week after roasting. At this point those tasty aromatics are in high levels- but the large volume of carbon dioxide blocks the brewing water from extracting them. This is what causes the bubbles when you brew a coffee. The carbon dioxide dissipates with time.

How long you rest your coffee depends on two things: the brew method you’re using, and the roast level.

When it comes to drip or filter coffee, it’s a good idea to rest your coffee for 2-8 days before using it. Lighter roasts can rest for 4-8 days, and darker roasts can rest for 2-4 days.

When it comes to espresso, you’ll want to wait longer. If you’re using a light roast, you’ll want to rest the coffee for 10 days. If you’re using a medium roast, rest it for 8-10 days.

So when you next buy a freshly roasted bag of coffee, check the roast date on the back and rest accordingly.

Happy brewing.