R&D: How Long Does Coffee Stay Fresh in Sealed Retail Bags?
In early 2019, our retail bags got a new look: we switched from craft paper bags to our current PBI Biotre 2.0.* We made the change in an effort to deliver our coffee in packaging that is more durable and weatherproof. Most importantly, this packaging comes with a gas valve and allows us to heat-seal our bags, thus extending the shelf life of the coffee!
At the time we transitioned to new bags, we did our due diligence and put these retail bags to the test in order to determine how long our coffees remain fresh when sealed in these bags. The R&D process for this spanned over several months, and we used cupping as our main method for evaluation because it allowed us to perceive the most delicate flavors in coffee. Keep reading if you’d like learn more about our testing methods, or skip to the bottom to learn about our results and brewing recommendations!
Brewing coffee using the cupping method. It was developed by Hills Brothers Coffee in the late 1800s as a way to efficiently evaluate their coffee. This method is easy to replicate, so it soon became a popular coffee for evaluation around the world.
The coffee brews for 4 minutes until we “break” the surface. Coffee grinds will sink to the bottom, but any remaining foam is scraped off. After 10-12 minutes, the coffee is cool enough to taste. We taste a coffee several times to evaluate how the coffee performs as it continues to cool.
TEST NUMBER 1: WHOLE BEANS
We first tested the freshness of whole beans in sealed retail bags. Seven samples of seven coffees were pulled: our three blends, decaf, a milder single origin, a brighter single origin, and a natural single origin. The coffees were roasted and sealed on the same day. Every week for up to 5 weeks, we opened up a new bag of sample coffee and evaluated it. We then tested it at 9 weeks (approximately 60 days), and then 13 weeks (approximately 90 days). All coffees passed evaluation at 60 days with flying colors, but at 90 days, some coffees exhibited faded aromatics, muted acidity, and milder flavor overall. Since coffee is most commonly brewed as drip, we also brewed coffees at the 90 day mark to see how they would taste. To our surprise, they all tasted fantastic and didn’t show any signs of age or lack of freshness! That said, because not all coffees passed our main evaluation method at 90 days, we recommend that coffees are enjoyed within 60 days of roast date.
TEST NUMBER 2: GROUND COFFEE
Next, we tested the freshness of ground coffee in sealed retail bags. We tested three ground coffee sizes: french press (coarse), pour over (medium fine), and espresso (fine), plus whole bean to serve as our control. A blend and a bright single origin was used for this test. All coffees were roasted, ground, and sealed the same day. We did our first test after 5 weeks from the roast date, and did the next test at 7 weeks. For each test, we ground up the whole bean (control) the day of testing and then cupped it alongside the pre-ground coffee. For example, we ground up whole bean as french press the day of testing and cupped it alongside the coffee pre-ground for french press. We wanted to see if the pre-ground coffee matched the fresh ground coffee. All of the coffees passed at 5 weeks, but most did not pass the test at seven weeks. Therefore, we recommend that pre-ground coffees are enjoyed within 30 days of roast date.
Coffee ground for french press (coarse)
Coffee ground for pour over (medium fine)
Coffee ground for espresso (fine)
SUMMARY OF RESULTS
Our whole bean coffees will keep their freshness for up to 60 days in a sealed bag, and will behave like a fresh roasted coffee if opened within this time frame. Upon opening, we recommend consuming coffee within the month for peak freshness. For maximum flavor, open the bag ahead of time and let the coffee “age out” for at least a few days. Similar to letting a bottle of wine breathe before pouring yourself a glass, de-gassing the coffee makes brewing a little easier and allows for the delicate flavors in coffee to really shine. Some folks like to put a hard stop at brewing coffee after two weeks, but some of the best coffees I’ve ever brewed at home were over 3 weeks past the roast date!
Our pre-ground coffee will keep their freshness for up to 30 days in a sealed bag. Upon opening, the coffee should then be consumed within two weeks. The finer the grind, the quicker the coffee will age and de-gas. If you find that your coffee is tasting a little flat when using pre-ground coffee, increase your coffee dose by another gram or so in order to achieve those same flavors you would get from freshly-ground coffees.
It took a long time to complete this R&D project, but it was a lot of fun to put our senses to the test! We take freshness seriously and want our customers to have access to fresh coffee beans, but remember--as long as it tastes good, keep on brewing!
* Note: Biotre is 60% compostable and 40% renewable, and must be disposed of as trash. While it’s not ideal, there are limited options for tamper-proof, eco-friendly bags, and this bag is better than conventional plastic packaging because a percentage of it is biodegradable. We hope to have fully compostable and tamper-proof packaging one day, and intend to upgrade to that when we can!
