Best Time to enjoy coffee

[flynnaus]

I am generating a new thread following on from this one:

I do notice that the tastes change over time, and for me the coffee gets mellower with age. What I havent decided is how old is best. Sometimes I prefer it young, usually about 3-5 days, usually about a week, although some of the perfumed flavours are diminishing by then.  

When is the "best time" to start enjoying a bean?

From my own observations, beans appear to be at their best somewhere between 7 and 14 days. For the general enthusiast, is there really much benefit in tasting the bean before 5 days. The Huehuetenango I am currently drinking tasted fairly ordinary after 6 days. Yesterday was quite nice. Today, 9 days post-roast, it is stunning!

I have heard the advice to cup my beans pretty soon after roasting but what would I be looking for in doing that? I can understand that roasters will want to cup a bean straight after roasting if they need to make a decision about buying. Andy has already done the "hard work" when choosing the bean for BeanBay so I wonder why it would be worth my while in cupping an unaged roast. Greg has mentioned perfumed flavours. I have tasted this in beans that have been a week or so post-roast.

It would be good to generate a survey of various SOs and when they reach their best. Perhaps in the Cupping Room threads we could add a poll to survey this.

[bassway]

Re: Best Time to enjoy coffee

It would be good to generate a survey of various SOs and when they reach their best. Perhaps in the Cupping Room threads we could add a poll to survey this.

I like the idea but I wonder if it would really work?

Everyone would have to have the storage set up, same bags, light, humidity, temperture etc.

Everyone would have to have the same equipment. Some people claim a different taste from different grinders. I can taste a slight difference from my Rocky to my Cadet/Junior. I can taste a difference from my Silvia to my Brugnetti.

Everyone would have to have the grind setting the same, the temperture of the brew water the same.
Everyone would need to use the same brew type, espresso, plunger, coldpress, syphon etc.

The beans would need to be roasted the same, same roaster in the same enviroment.

The green beans would have to be stored the same.

Probably the hardest thing would be that everyone would have to have the same palate.

I hope I am wrong!

[flynnaus]

Re: Best Time to enjoy coffee

Everyone would have to have the storage set up, same bags, light, humidity, temperture etc.

Thanks BW. I did consider that but I dont think we necessarily need to get a magic number. From the poll, one could determine that most people find bean x to be best y-z days from roast date. Just a general guideline.

Perhaps there are too mnay variables. I started out thinking which beans, if any, might be best enjoyed within 5 days of raosting. The poll gives a rough guide.

[bassway]

Re: Best Time to enjoy coffee

I still think it might be a good idea, I was just being devils advocate.

I guessing most people roast fairly close to each other. Most people would use the one way valve bags.

I think the two biggest variants would be personal taste and style of brew. A fresher, perfumed bean might be more suited to a syphon then espresso. But still one could say at what point their bean peaked for perfume, when it started rounding off, etc.

Or maybe it could be just a guide? Just like saying that you should hit first crack at 11 minutes and second at 17 minutes or espresso is 30ml extracted in 25 seconds. Well not quite the same but you know what I mean?

[mwatt]

Re: Best Time to enjoy coffee

Youre really talking for espresso, I guess?

I often drink beans that are 1, 2, 3 days old as pourover/syphon/cupping style.

Actually, thinking about it I had a Sidamo as espresso a while back that was clearly most excellent at 2 days post roast, so Id never assume its not worth trying a bean for 5 days. Ive read that finer/down-dosed shots are the way to go for super fresh coffee, and have had some pretty good results playing with that.

I would also imagine that the roast profile is going to make a significant contribution to when a coffee peaks.

[flynnaus]

Re: Best Time to enjoy coffee

Youre really talking for espresso, I guess?

Well not just spros Michelle though it would be perhaps more critical for them without milk to smooth the flavours. But youve definitely helped answer my question.

I might slip in a poll at some stage. An Ethiopian would be a good choice as they are among the most popular.

[mwatt]

Re: Best Time to enjoy coffee

Well not just spros Michelle though it would be perhaps more critical for them without milk to smooth the flavours. But youve definitely helped  answer my question.

Er, milk, um yeah ... :
Sorry, I meant espresso as opposed to other brewing methods.

[flynnaus]

Re: Best Time to enjoy coffee

Sorry - should have realised what you meant by espresso.

[redzone121]

Re: Best Time to enjoy coffee

Very roughly my pattern seems to be Pour over: Day 1-7 and for milk based Day 5 - 16. But as Michelle said sometimes those fresh flat whites are devine, but lately havent had the pleasure.

Chris

[Lozzo]

Re: Best Time to enjoy coffee

i only drink espresso usually a restricted pour.
I like my beans roasted about 1-2min into SC and drink a min of 8-12days after roast.
I do try in between but usually wait longer, the longer the better up to 20 days, usually i find the sweet spot for various beans between 10-14 days.
I find first thing in the morning is the best time to drink it too.

[Koffee_Kosmo]

Re: Best Time to enjoy coffee

I  drink espresso 50% of the time and milk topped espresso 50% of the rest

But lately I have been grinding fine to powder & brewing some Greek coffee in the briki
and experimenting with the baby Cona vac pot
So that puts my percentages out of whack

I mainly roast to 30 to 60 seconds into second crack

Anyway for my taste buds
I do prefer beans 5 to 14 days post roast for the South Americans and countries north of  Australia

African Beans 14 days + post roast

KK

[flynnaus]

Re: Best Time to enjoy coffee

Mmm..just had another flash/idea: The CS Home roaster "club" (a bit like a bookclub where the members read a book then meet together to discuss it later)

Wotif each BeanBay we nominate a bean and then we start up a Forum Topic  to accommodate discussion of its merits? Include options such as roast method/s, cupping profile, etc. It could also include input from those who have bought the bean pre-roasted from Bean Bay.

I know we already have similar forum topics for this sort of discussion but I was thinking of something a bit less ad hoc.

Worth a ...errr...shot?  :-/

[cksyd]

Re: Best Time to enjoy coffee

Mmm..just had another flash/idea: The CS Home roaster "club" (a bit like a bookclub where the members read a book then meet together to discuss it later)

Wotif each BeanBay we nominate a bean and then we start up a Forum Topic  to accommodate discussion of its merits? Include options such as roast method/s, cupping profile, etc. It could also include input from those who have bought the bean pre-roasted from Bean Bay.

I know we already have similar forum topics for this sort of discussion but I was thinking of something a bit less ad hoc.

Worth a ...errr...shot?  :-/

Sounds like a plan...

The issue will then become:

Roasted bean X for coffee making process Y, so does it have to be multiple threads for bean X?

Interesting talking to Andy at Cafe Biz as he was saying the overall roasting styles of Sydney and Melbourne are quite different as far as he knows, with Sydney looking for acidity and Melbourne looking for body. Would this again fragment of confuse the thread?

Overall I really like your idea as you will be able to match certain parameters of what you do vis a vis what others do and get some useful information and comparisons.

Terrible pun at the end though... ;D

[GregWormald]

Re: Best Time to enjoy coffee

Wotif each BeanBay we nominate a bean and then we start up a Forum Topic  to accommodate discussion of its merits? Include options such as roast method/s, cupping profile, etc. It could also include input from those who have bought the bean pre-roasted from Bean Bay.

I reckon Id be in for this.

Greg

[redzone121]

Re: Best Time to enjoy coffee

Wotif each BeanBay we nominate a bean and then we start up a Forum Topic  to accommodate discussion of its merits? Include options such as roast method/s, cupping profile, etc. It could also include input from those who have bought the bean pre-roasted from Bean Bay.

Nice one, would be great fun.

Interesting talking to Andy at Cafe Biz as he was saying the overall roasting styles of Sydney and Melbourne are quite different as far as he knows, with Sydney looking for acidity and Melbourne looking for body

Really ?? :-/