Have you ever wanted to buy coffee and when you looked at the bags and you couldn't make sense out of what was there and got confused at some point? You are not the only one, most people don't know how to read it properly. 

Reading coffee bags can be difficult, there are some names you’ll see that you may not be able to pronounce, and sometimes it's hard to understand the different languages used. You may find it difficult to decipher which coffee bag is great and which one is utterly disappointing. 

Because there is not a lot of packaging standardization, some bad apples may try to deceive you with names you don't understand and different coffee options. Clever trickery and lack of information is a problem people face in the coffee industry. But all that stops today. 

We’ll gladly work you through all you need to know on the coffee bag. With this education, you’ll not be deceived anymore. You’ll know if the coffee is of high quality or if it's just the roaster’s tricks. You’ll also know if the description on the coffee bags matches your preference. 

As a coffee lover, you ought to buy coffee that is well grown, ethically sourced, and properly roasted. Who wouldn't want that? Let us educate you on that more so you'll have a fresh, delicious brew to start your day.

FRESHNESS OF THE COFFEE 

Some roasters may want to keep you in the dark about how important fresh coffee is but we won't. Some of them try to make you believe that coffee remains the same over time but that's not true. This is only a strategy to make them sell the coffee on their shelves without worrying about discarding it when it gets stale. 

The truth is that coffee goes stale. It's just like apples or bread, it's an organic product so it decays with time. Coffee starts to lose its freshness within 2 to 3 weeks. All the flavors and aromatic compounds begin to fall apart, even the aromatic oils evaporate. You know what? Grounded coffee is even worse. When coffee is grounded, you only have about 30 minutes to 1 hour before it starts losing its freshness. That means once you open the bag of ground coffee, the bag is on its way to staleness. 

When coffee is fresh, you’ll notice all the vivid flavors, with a crisp and acidity that feels refreshing. The coffee will be sweet, mouthful, and well-rounded. This is the reason why you should go after fresh coffee, not stale and dull ones. 

Buy from roasters that have a roast date and an expiry date. If you see a coffee bag that the ‘best by or ‘use by’ is some months ago then the roaster is trying to sell you the lie that there is no difference between fresh coffee and stale ones or they don't know the importance of using fresh coffee. Either way, you shouldn't be wasting money on stale coffee beans. So always look out for roast dates. It is better to buy from roasters that roast every day and deliver the beans some hours after it has been roasted. 

COFFEE FLAVORS

You have to know the kind of coffee flavors you like-is it fruity, sweet, floral, or chocolatey? Do you like coffee with crisp acidity or a strong one? If you can't answer all these questions, that means you don't know the coffee flavors and you should probably change your roaster. 

The flavors on the coffee package should empower you to fully understand coffee flavors. The hints like fruity, spice, or flowers should be found on the package. There are lots of coffee bags that will describe coffee in the same ways. It's either because the roaster doesn't want you to know it's stale or it doesn't have flavors or because they don't want to be involved in helping you have a good coffee drinking experience.  

If a roaster gives you specific flavor details, it will spur you to appreciate coffee better. It's a good sign when the roaster gives you details. Do you know that some roasters get really bad coffee that doesn't taste so nice? To cover these odd flavors, they buy flavor oils over the coffee beans which will definitely taste after brewing. 

These oils ought to be in the beans naturally, but the ones that are sprayed are artificial. They do this to cover up the bad coffee. This is not what you want for your morning brew. If you want to have great coffee, you have to stop buying flavored coffees so you can tell when you are being lied to. 

COFFEE ORIGIN

There has always been exploitation in the coffee industry and some companies are more focused on keeping the farmer's poor by not paying them fair prices. Some of the coffee farmers are still poor to date, Some companies source coffee in unconventional ways, this will not help the farmers to earn a decent income that can help improve their towns, communities and improve their standard of living. 

These companies don't want to share much information about where the coffee came from. Coffee roasters that write about their partnership with farmers are open to more questions from consumers. These roasters are concerned about making positives in the communities and would love it if you join in this movement. 

Related: What Makes Specialty Coffee Special?

Roasters who write the coffee origins on the bag are transparent and accountable. They are less likely to deceive you or lie to you. 

Note that two major types of coffee are grown. They are Arabica and Robusta. Arabica is sweeter and of a higher quality while Robusta is another specie but it is bitter, harsher and contains more caffeine. You might also hear of Liberica but it is not a popular specie. We advise that you get Arabica beans if you want to drink high-quality coffee. 

BLEND AND SINGLE-ORIGIN COFFEE 

When you see ‘single origin’ on a bag, it means the coffee comes from a particular region while blends are mixtures of different coffee beans. You might also see the inscription ‘micro-lots' which means the coffee comes from smaller sections in a farm. 

You may be wondering what's the need of separating the coffee. It is done so you’ll see where the coffee is grown, processed, and packaged. Some coffee lovers prefer single-origin coffee because it is of a higher quality and has unique flavors. It has the type of aromas and flavors the roaster may not want to hide by mixing it with other beans. 

Coffee blends on the other hand happen when two coffees are combined to give a balanced taste. For example, the Ethiopian coffee that is light and fruity will need a hint of body and mouthful to make it complete. It can be blended with another coffee that has a full body. 

Single-origin coffee is usually respected and preferred by some coffee purists, it might even be more expensive but try both of them. You shouldn't reject coffee blends just because it is mixed with coffee from two other countries. You can also focus on single-origin coffees if you want to. Try coffees from different regions, then go into blends. 

You can order Guatemalan coffee that has a spicy note and a balanced body. Or you can try Coffee from sweet Colombia, with a balanced body. You’re going to love it.

WHERE TO BUY HIGH QUALITY COFFEE 

Coffee Hero is a reputable roaster in Australia with awards. You can see all that is mentioned above on the coffee package. This helpful information will enable you to learn more about coffee.

We are proud to tell you our roast dates, flavor notes, and coffee origin, the processing methods used, the elevation, and the plant variety. We aim to give you more knowledge about your favorite coffee drink. This is what you should be after.  

FINAL WORDS

The coffee package is supposed to teach you about the freshness of the coffee. Look out for all the things we talked about, it will give you an idea of more names an varieties to research. You’ll realize over time that the differences in coffee flavors are because of how the green beans were processed, the plant variety, and more.

With more knowledge, you can explore the grand world of fresh coffee. We don't hide anything from you. The farm origin, roast date, and variety are all on our site, Click here to find more. Allow us to send ethically sourced fresh coffee beans to your doorstep.