West Virginia Coffee Company is a micro roaster, meaning that we roast your coffee in small batches, using a small roaster. This allows us to to custom roast every order fresh. We will not sell you coffee that was roasted weeks or months prior. Your coffee will be roasted fresh after it is ordered and then packaged and boxed for mailing within hours of being roasted. This process guarantees that you will be receiving the freshest coffee possible!
Is My Coffee Too Fresh?
Believe it or not, it is possible for coffee to be “too fresh.” Although some coffee afficionados and roasters may not entirely agree with this sentiment and believe that coffee is perfectly acceptable immediately after roasting. Nonetheless, from personal experience with our roasts and consistent with most literature and experts,the coffee bean, after roasting still retains carbon dioxide and other gases that will slowly seep out of the roasted bean, taming some of the wilder and more chemical tasting flavors over a short period of time – generally 1-5 days.
Will My Fresh-Roasted Coffee Taste Different Over Time?
Following from the last statement, the roasted beans will continue what is called the “degassing” process for between 1-5 days. Some literature suggests up to 7 days. However, even after this initial degassing period of rapid release of CO2 and other gasses, the beans continue to age and if exposed to oxygen, will gradually oxidize and become stale. Many store-bought coffees that have sat on the shelf of your cupboard or the store shelf for a period of weeks or months may be significantly lacking in flavor, as a result of this process.
Packaging and Storage May Help
The more limited the exposure of your coffee beans to regular air, heat, UV light, and/or humidity, the longer that your beans may remain “fresh.” All of our coffee is packaged in sealed, lined kraft bags that include a CO2 valve and are resealable (we do recommend squeezing out the air before resealing). The lining prevents the introduction of outside moisture, the kraft packaging prevents exposure to UV light, and the CO2 valve allows for the release of carbon dioxide and gases created during the roasting process.