That $80 bag of single-origin beans I let sit for 6 weeks before realizing stale coffee is a crime

I spent $80 on a rare Ethiopian natural process bag from a local roaster in Portland, stashed it in the back of my cabinet thinking it'd keep, and only after brewing a sour cup 6 weeks later did I check the roast date - has anyone else ruined expensive beans by just forgetting they exist?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_piper1mo ago

I'll admit I used to think "coffee is coffee" and didn't get why people fussed over freshness. Then I scored a bag of this Gesha variety from a tiny Costa Rican farm, paid $65, and left it in my pantry for two months because I was scared to waste it on a regular Tuesday. Finally brewed it up and got this flat, dusty cup that tasted like someone described coffee to me from memory. That was the day I learned roast dates aren't just for show.

patriciap521mo ago

Oh man. My buddy Dave got this $90 bag of Hawaiian Kona back in January, put it in his "fancy coffee" cabinet, and found it in April behind a box of tea he forgot he owned. He tried to brew it anyway and said it tasted like dirt water with a hint of cardboard. He still brings it up every time we walk past a coffee shop.

logan20513d ago

Ninety bucks for a bag of coffee you forgot about is more money than sense no matter how you slice it. I've had bags of $8 store brand Folgers sit in my cabinet for six months and they taste exactly the same as day one. Because its already stale when you buy it. The whole freshness thing is mostly hype for people who want to feel like experts. Your buddy Dave probably couldnt tell the difference in a blind taste test anyway. Its coffee, not a living creature. It doesnt go bad in two months, it just gets a little less exciting. Maybe that's a good thing.