Stale Coffee?? It Happens!!

You can tell when bread is stale because it gets hard, smells old, turns green . Cheese with mold is done for. But what about your coffee? Well, it gets stale too. Here's the short version on why and how: Roasted coffee that comes into contact with oxygen begins to deteriorate. Period. There are other factors like how dark it's roasted and how it's packaged but the primary culprit is oxygen.

How do you avoid exposing your coffee to oxygen, which is, uhmm...everywhere and keep it from getting stale as long as possible? It's easier than you think.

1. Buy fresh coffee. Get your coffee from a local roaster. You can check local directories to see who's roasting in your area. Check with a small independent (not chain) coffee shops and cafés to see if they sell what they're brewing. Or check with your local (once again not chain) grocery or specialty foods stores who usually carry local coffee roasters' products.
2. Buy on line. Order from roasters that advertise "custom roasts" or "roast to order". This usually means that they're not roasting until they get orders and your coffee should be less than a week old by the time it reaches your door. Look for a roaster who will include the roast date. If that's not standard ask them to do it...just for you! If they are truly roasting fresh it shouldn't be a problem.
3. Buy small and grind. Buy what you drink in a week or no more than two weeks at a time and buy whole bean coffee. Grinding coffee accelerates the deterioration process. Simply put the more of the bean that is exposed to air the quicker it goes stale. Only grind the amount of beans you plan to drink. Also store your beans in an airtight container and keep in a cool, dark place. Coffee isn't a big fan of the light either. I've found that an old fashion Mason jar works great.

There's nothing you can do to prevent your coffee from getting stale,only slow down the process. And for the lovely liquid paradise that is a good cup of coffee..it's well worth it.