Basic Brewing Principles The first step in producing a good cup
of coffee is to start with fresh beans. Think of coffee like
fresh produce, not bulk goods. Coffee is a seasonal crop and
should only be harvested at certain times during the year. Once
processed, the raw coffee bean is fairly durable, but its
flavors tend to mellow over time. While there are stories of
green beans sitting in warehouses for a decade a more, with rare
exception, the best coffees will have been picked within the
past two years. Once roasted, the beans become more volatile.
Despite that fact, most large-scale roasters, if they provide a
sell-by date at all, will keep beans on the shelf for up to a
year after roasting them. However, coffee’s most delicate and
complex flavors are really only present for about the first two
weeks after roasting. That is because from the moment coffee
beans are roasted, they begin releasing carbon dioxide. While
the beans are de-gassing, the carbon dioxide creates a
protective envelope that preserves th