Roast Dates & Resting

We only sell freshly roasted coffee beans at The Coffeeworks, but what "freshly roasted" actually means is a slightly different matter.

Most of our coffee is actually roasted on the day of dispatch, or sometimes a day or two ahead during very busy periods (very occasionally slightly longer than this, for example over Christmas).

All orders are sent via Royal Mail Tracked 24. This is a tracked delivery service with a next working day delivery aim (not a guarantee).

So in many cases you'll find that you receive our coffee when it's only a day or two from roast date, and although this may sound great, in practice this often isn't the best time to start using your beans.

Degassing, in case you're unfamiliar with the term, is when freshly roasted coffee beans expel CO2.

Depending on the beans & the roast level, they'll generally continue to degas for 1-2 weeks, and the degassing will become less volatile over time.

So the best time to open your bag of freshly roasted coffee and start using it is generally 1 - 2 weeks from the roast date. This does depend on the bean and the brewing method. 

You can absolutely start enjoying your coffee within a day or two of the roast date, but you're more likely to get better extraction and better consistency if you start using your new bag of beans 1-2 weeks after the roast date.

In terms of how long it's OK to take to use a bag of coffee, as long as you're keeping your beans in the bag and ensuring the re-seal strip is properly sealed, your beans should be absolutely fine for around 4 weeks from opening.

Even after this period, as long as your beans are well stored, they won't suddenly go stale; they'll just slowly lose their vibrancy over time as they continue to age.

Keeping your beans cool will help to slow the ageing process, but we wouldn't recommend the fridge. 

Freezing coffee beans is fine, as long as the bag is properly sealed and you allow them to thaw fully before opening. 

So, yes it's always the best idea to enjoy freshly roasted coffee as fresh as you can within reason (remembering that 1-2 weeks from roast date is generally the best time to start using them), but don't chuck your beans away when they get to four weeks old, that would be a travesty.

If you disagree, do some blind taste testing and see what you think. Unless you're at Q-grader level in terms of your palate, you'll probably change your mind.