When it comes to brewing our coffee at home, we want to make sure you get to enjoy the coffee without having lots of trouble extracting a well-balanced cup. Other than making sure the coffee quality is consistently good, we want you to keep all these tips so that you can brew your favourite cup, deliciously.
And to achieve that, you will have to know all about what is degassing, resting and how to store your coffee well to extend its shelf life.
Why are there gases in coffee?
When the green coffee bean undergoes roasting, a lot of gases, including carbon dioxide, are formed inside the coffee bean as a by-product. Simply put, when the coffee bean starts to turn brown, complex carbohydrates inside the seed are broken down into sugar, along with water vapour and carbon dioxide. With that saying, the amount of carbon dioxide in the coffee can be a good indicator of your coffee freshness. Yet, it doesn’t mean that the coffee tastes good when it is ‘too fresh’.
The coffee bean releases most of the gases in the first few days after roasting, and for our coffees, the peak of degassing falls on the 4-7th day after roasting. Thus, these air pockets that escape from the coffee bean during the brewing process would disrupt the contact of coffee ground and water, which eventually lead to an uneven extraction. Meanwhile, when the coffee degasses too much, it will taste stale and flat in flavour.
When the coffee disperses the right amount of carbon dioxide, it makes coffee extraction easier as the air doesn’t block the water from going through the coffee ground.
Delicious coffee takes time to rest
Resting is the process of allowing the coffee to develop its flavour, in other words, to build up its characters. To reach the optimal flavour peak of the coffee, it takes time for the aromatic compounds, which gives coffee its flavour, to develop after roasting, as well as other components such as carbohydrates, protein and fat to reconcile. When the coffee is well-rested, it makes coffee extraction much easier.
The amount of time needed for the coffee to rest varies depending on several factors, such as:
coffee bean size & density
processing method
roast profile
and the like. As we roast our coffees lightly, they usually reach the first flavour peak after resting for 11 days, where you can taste its flavours that fall in a wider categories (floral, berries, tropical fruits). After resting for 17 to 22 days, you can taste more distinctive and detailed flavour notes (jasmine tea, blueberries, hints of pink guava).
Here’s what we’ve got from our experiment on our coffee beans, yet it serves as a guide for us as coffees come in different size and density and the suggested resting period to reach its flavour peak would vary accordingly too.
Taste experience according to different resting period (in filter coffee)
(no. of days after roast date)
1-3 days : coffee tastes fine, yet it will be slightly unstable in its outcome in terms of flavour, body & mouthfeel.
4-7 days : the most unstable period, as the coffee reaches its peak of carbon dioxide degassing
11 days - coffee reaches its first flavour peak, you can taste its flavour that falls in a wider category (eg: Berries notes, floral notes...)
17-22 days : coffee reaches its second flavour peak, you will find more distinctive flavour (eg: Blueberry, Sakura...), and more detailed flavour notes can be tasted
23-60 days : consider reaching a stable stage. Flavours are slowly fading as it's being oxidised when it gets in touch with the air
60 days onwards : off peak period, it will taste bland & flat in flavours
For espresso brewers, we suggest consuming your coffee within 40 days after roasting for the best experience. It will still be good in terms of flavour after resting for 40 days and above, just that you will get less crema formation, with a slightly watery texture, lighter mouthfeel.
Tips for storing coffee bean
Coffee bean quality can be easily affected by its surroundings, such as the moisture in the air and temperature. The faster it gets oxidised, the shorter its flavour peak would last.
It would be a plus point if you have a vacuum container, if not, just keeping your coffee in our coffee bag (with a one-way valve) in a dry and cool condition will do.
Here’s a small tips for you if you’re keeping the coffee inside a coffee bag:
Squeeze out the air from the bag before re-zip the coffee bag. This is to reduce the air trapped inside the bag, and to minimise oxidation.
You could also experiment your brewing with the resting time, and we'd love to know the outcome. If you need any support regarding coffee & brewing knowledge, drop us a message on Instagram or email (sweetblossomcoffeeroasters@gmail.com), we’d love to assist you to brew better.