- Contamination – Coffee oils are very delicate, which makes buying pre-ground coffee not good because they are an easy victim of contamination. Whatever odors are around coffee will taint it in ways that will not contribute to your coffee tasting experience.
- Oxygen – The cells inside the roasted coffee bean contain approximately 1,000 different volatile aromas and flavors. Once ground the volatile aromas are immediately released and they react with oxygen in the air (oxidation). After 15 minutes ground coffee loses about 60% of its aroma and freshness.
- Moisture – Coffee oils are water soluble. That’s a good thing or we’d have a very hard time trying to get the oils out of the bean. This fact however poses a great problem for ground coffee. When ground coffee is exposed to moisture in the environment, it immediately starts to dilute the oils. This is why the refrigerator and freezer is not a good idea for storing your coffee.
- Carbon Dioxide Depletion – Increased surface area permits for greater carbon dioxide (CO2) gas liberation. During the roasting process a lot of the CO2 is created. Since the bean is porous, some of it is lost during the cooling process. Much of it is however retained within the cells of the coffee bean. The CO2 plays an important role in that it is the main method for getting the essential coffee oils into the coffee once they are released. The Problem? the increased surface area created after grinding permits for greater CO2 gas liberation. In fact within 60 seconds of grinding 80% of this gas is released into the air.
The Solution – always grind your coffee freshly just before brewing. Follow this rule and you will always have a fresh roasted cup of coffee!
We roast every day at Rescue Me Coffee Company – so you can be sure you are drinking your coffee within 10 days of the roast! Head over to https://rescue-me-coffee.com/ and purchase your coffee subscription today! We are roasting up Panama this month and Our shipping is free!
