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Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Why is fresh coffee so confusing?
This is one problem this industry really needs to get in gear on. We have this muddled idea of fresh ending at fresh roasted. Even the most transparent and progressive roasters are a bit vague on how far coffees are from harvest and that presents a crossroads for our industry.
When I think of fresh, there are four parameters: harvest, roast, grind, brew.
Harvest fresh being within 3-4 months off milling from parchment state or progressively packed in 'non-jute' to preserve that fresh flavor profile. From 4-7 months off harvest, coffees will be fine but aromas will already begin to diminish. 6 months and on, you are pushing how well the coffee can hold up and the acidity will diminish or turn rancid. Forget the soft coffees from places like Brasil or Colombia, they will be long gone by then. Wood, paper, lacking aroma... Do I really need to explain this again?
Roast freshness is the boutique industry(the online cognoscenti and niche roaters) standard. This seems to be the only way most 'Specialty' roasters distinguish themselves from the major chains. While most aggregate to the 2 week mark, a handful put best by dates going as far as six months out. You can almost guarantee these roasters have a market at a Whole Foods type grocer where turnover is hard to control. No roast date though, no idea of freshness.
Grind is a shop to shop issue. While more and more shops are grinding fresh or on demand, a lot of shops are still using the auto feature and filling hoppers or pre grinding drip brew. Whether the blades are serviced or sharp is another issue. As a home user, unless you absolutely cannot afford a grinder, there is no excuse for pre grinding coffee. Think of it this way: The bean is the final package and once it's open, all the flavors can escape.
Brewing fresh is a classic pitch that goes way back. Everyone has experienced the poor flavor of a pot that sat too long.
How important are all of these factors really? Do the customers care?
In the common market place, probably not. When you are asked to justify paying a bit extra for a shot or you are requested to splurge a bit at a cafe, yes. Not every shop in every market place can make these points matter but if one boutique roaster jumps in the deep end on all these points, it's likely many others will follow. Think about what that would mean for the purists among us wishing to really treat certain coffees like high end teas or begin to glimpse the wine model of labeling and marketing. A few bits and pieces to chew on while you think about what goes in your cup.
This is one problem this industry really needs to get in gear on. We have this muddled idea of fresh ending at fresh roasted. Even the most transparent and progressive roasters are a bit vague on how far coffees are from harvest and that presents a crossroads for our industry.
When I think of fresh, there are four parameters: harvest, roast, grind, brew.
Harvest fresh being within 3-4 months off milling from parchment state or progressively packed in 'non-jute' to preserve that fresh flavor profile. From 4-7 months off harvest, coffees will be fine but aromas will already begin to diminish. 6 months and on, you are pushing how well the coffee can hold up and the acidity will diminish or turn rancid. Forget the soft coffees from places like Brasil or Colombia, they will be long gone by then. Wood, paper, lacking aroma... Do I really need to explain this again?
Roast freshness is the boutique industry(the online cognoscenti and niche roaters) standard. This seems to be the only way most 'Specialty' roasters distinguish themselves from the major chains. While most aggregate to the 2 week mark, a handful put best by dates going as far as six months out. You can almost guarantee these roasters have a market at a Whole Foods type grocer where turnover is hard to control. No roast date though, no idea of freshness.
Grind is a shop to shop issue. While more and more shops are grinding fresh or on demand, a lot of shops are still using the auto feature and filling hoppers or pre grinding drip brew. Whether the blades are serviced or sharp is another issue. As a home user, unless you absolutely cannot afford a grinder, there is no excuse for pre grinding coffee. Think of it this way: The bean is the final package and once it's open, all the flavors can escape.
Brewing fresh is a classic pitch that goes way back. Everyone has experienced the poor flavor of a pot that sat too long.
How important are all of these factors really? Do the customers care?
In the common market place, probably not. When you are asked to justify paying a bit extra for a shot or you are requested to splurge a bit at a cafe, yes. Not every shop in every market place can make these points matter but if one boutique roaster jumps in the deep end on all these points, it's likely many others will follow. Think about what that would mean for the purists among us wishing to really treat certain coffees like high end teas or begin to glimpse the wine model of labeling and marketing. A few bits and pieces to chew on while you think about what goes in your cup.
Labels: age, fresh coffee, green coffee, stale coffee
¶ Jaime van Schyndel 12:06 PM
Comments:
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Good post. Starbucks is advertising coffee a couple of blocks from me that was "freshly" roasted about a month ago. Not fresh by any means, but I am happy to see them display a roast date in the stores.
Fresh is always relative, and most customers (I believe) think of fresh as "brewed fresh"... i.e. within the last xx minutes/hours(!). Fewer customers understand freshly ground, even fewer freshly roasted, and so on back to the very beginnings.
Going back (tangent) to the previous post regarding milk, these nuances can get muddled or lost if customers are used to "unfresh" or poor quality and use condiments to "fix up" their coffee. Much of the care that went into delivering that natural flavor can be lost, but over time I think folks begin to appreciate these qualities more and more.
I actually really like milk- I generally don't put it in my coffee, but I'm not one to begrudge anyone putting some cream in their coffee if that's what they're used to. I think over time I slowly win them over to appreciating the coffee more like I would like them to.
Even though customers can't always put their finger on it, they can tell it is "better", and over time I've seen regular customers use less and less additives and express an interest in learning more. End of tangent...
I think with some of our best customers we're starting to impart that coffee really is seasonal and the quicker you get it to market the better you'll be able to experience what it should be.
Fresh is always relative, and most customers (I believe) think of fresh as "brewed fresh"... i.e. within the last xx minutes/hours(!). Fewer customers understand freshly ground, even fewer freshly roasted, and so on back to the very beginnings.
Going back (tangent) to the previous post regarding milk, these nuances can get muddled or lost if customers are used to "unfresh" or poor quality and use condiments to "fix up" their coffee. Much of the care that went into delivering that natural flavor can be lost, but over time I think folks begin to appreciate these qualities more and more.
I actually really like milk- I generally don't put it in my coffee, but I'm not one to begrudge anyone putting some cream in their coffee if that's what they're used to. I think over time I slowly win them over to appreciating the coffee more like I would like them to.
Even though customers can't always put their finger on it, they can tell it is "better", and over time I've seen regular customers use less and less additives and express an interest in learning more. End of tangent...
I think with some of our best customers we're starting to impart that coffee really is seasonal and the quicker you get it to market the better you'll be able to experience what it should be.
Wow, I was just thinking about all these steps while I was at work, and how different businesses try to market each individual step as the only important one. Some it's "fresh ground" and some it's "fresh brewed" but you never see all of them together. It's been very slow at the coffee shop I work at nowadays, and I have to really keep track of the drip coffee - I'm not serving someone a three hour old cup. Surprisingly 2 liters can last that long in the "dead of summer".
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