4 Ways to Identify Fresh Roasted Coffee Beans & The Best Ground Coffee | Updated in 2023
Here’s a question – could you identify a premium-quality, fresh roasted coffee bean by way of its appearance alone?
If you love fresh coffee in 2023, the keyword really is ‘freshness’. Making fresh ground coffee at home is a redundant process if the beans you use aren’t as fresh as it gets. You might as well buy the best ground coffee already processed. The speed at which fresh roasted coffee loses its freshness really is extraordinary.
Precisely why it’s good to familiarise yourself with the characteristics of fresh roasted coffee beans. The easier it is to spot fresh coffee when you see it, the more likely you are to enjoy every last drop!
Of course, there’s no realistic way of gauging the freshness of even the best ground coffee by appearance alone. Hence, the importance of buying fresh ground coffee from a reliable roaster, like Hayman, or making the best ground coffee at home using fresh coffee.
As for fresh roasted coffee beans, there are a few ways of pinpointing a fresh batch or otherwise – including the following:
1) Look for a glossy appearance
Coffee beans are bursting with all manner of gorgeous oils and natural compounds. Each of which contributes to the flavour of fresh coffee. During the roasting process, many of these oils and compounds come to the surface of the beans, creating a slightly oily and glossy appearance, especially in the case of darker roasts. Over time, this glossy appearance fades and the beans take on a duller appearance. So if the beans are beautifully glossy, you’re probably looking at fresh coffee.
2) Check for residue
Another way of assessing the freshness of fresh roasted coffee is to grab a handful of beans, squeeze them very gently and then take a look at your hand. If they’re genuinely fresh, they should leave a small amount of oily residue on your hands, for the same reasons as those mentioned above. Darker roasts naturally give off significantly more residue than lighter roasts, so it’s important to bear this in mind when carrying out this test. A quick squeeze before brewing fresh ground coffee often being quite informative!
3) Check for a valve in the bag
Fresh roasted coffee beans continue to release carbon dioxide for quite some time after being roasted. This is why the sealed bags in which fresh coffee is shipped feature a one-way valve, which allows the CO2 to escape the bag, without impacting freshness. If there’s no valve in the bag and no signs of the bag inflating like a balloon, this suggests the beans weren’t particularly fresh at the time they were packaged. Speak to your chosen seller if unsure.
4) The plastic bag test
Last but not least, you can also put the above-mentioned theory to the test and see what happens. Take a handful of beans, put them in a small freezer bag, remove as much air as possible and seal it tightly. Leave it overnight and see what’s happened the next morning. If the bag has puffed-up to some extent, you’re looking at fresh coffee. If there’s no change, you’re probably not!
At Hayman’s online coffee store you will find incredibly fresh roasted coffee beans and the best ground coffee ever! Choose your specialty coffee from an unbelievable menu, featuring world-famous treasures, such as Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, Hawaiian Kona coffee, and Panamanian Geisha coffee (aka Gesha coffee). Click here to order now, we offer free worldwide shipping!
