People ask the question: what's the easiest way to make better coffee? The obvious answer is this - Always buy freshly roasted coffee beans from reputable roasters, there's no substitute. 

Also, most people hear that freshly roasted coffee (buying your coffee beans and grinding) is better than buying pre-ground coffee, and they don't know why. It's time to know why if you are one of those people. Bitter and stale coffee beans won't take you to a happy place when brewed.

Why drink a cup of coffee that isn't the best brew you can get. Yes, you may get a bit of caffeine kick but it's nothing compared to the vibrant, tasty experience of fresh coffee that can turn an ordinary cup of coffee into an extraordinary experience.

In this post, you’ll learn why coffee beans go stale fast (and a solution), how fresh coffee beans have yummy flavors like flowers, fruits, and spices, and a way to always make sure you buy fresh coffee. We are sure that once you start using fresh coffee, you’ll always go for it. 

Here's where to buy the best tasting freshly roasted coffee beans. 

But first, read on to find out why it's best. 

FRESH COFFEE HAS WILD FLAVORS YOU CAN ENJOY 

Have you ever taken coffee that tastes like oranges, blueberries, or roses? These flavors are aromas that are given off by coffee's natural oils. As soon as these aromas enter your mouth through your coffee, they rise to your nasal passage and your brain automatically interprets them as rich flavors. Makes more sense now right? 

Sadly, you can only taste these exceptional flavors within 1-3 weeks after the coffee is roasted. After this time, the organic compounds begin to break down, making the coffee duller. It's almost the same thing for pre-ground coffee, you only have about 30 minutes before the best flavors in the coffee start to disappear.  

So, you see why buying freshly coffee beans is nonnegotiable if you want to have an extraordinary drinking experience? What this means is that when high-quality coffee is well grown, well roasted, fresh out of the roaster and ground, the flavors come out perfect. 

Taste notes like mangoes, blueberries, make appearances, and other sweet floral notes show up too. You can find woody and earthy notes that are pleasant and balanced. The sugar in fresh coffee is vivid and tastes like honey or brown sugar. The acidity is refreshing. Freshly roasted coffee beans are packed with flavor- that's what you should be after. 

HOW DOES COFFEE GO STALE? 

A little lesson about how coffee goes stale can help you get a better insight. As soon as green coffee beans are roasted, thousands of chemical reactions take place, altering the beans significantly. Then the aromas are unlocked, the flavor develops and the sugar caramelizes.  But carbon dioxide is trapped within the coffee beans, so they seep out fast immediately after roasting. When the gas forces its way to the surface of the coffee beans, it pushes some of the natural coffee oils with it. 

This process will produce two results - The aromatic oils will evaporate as they are closer to the surface of the beans, the aromas will fly out rapidly and the space that once contained CO2 will be free for oxygen to invade. This makes the beans can go stale or rancid quickly. That means well-packaged coffee (like ours) can keep the oxygen out of the beans whole letting the carbon dioxide out. Bear in mind that as soon as you open the bag, oxidation will start. 

THESE ARE REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD BUY COFFEE BEANS AND GRIND THEM YOURSELF

Several factors like oxidation, moisture and depletion of CO2 affects coffee beans.

WHAT IS OXIDATION? HOW DOES IT AFFECT EVERYTHING 

Oxidation makes metals rust. For food, oxidation makes apples go brown, hardens bread, and makes coffee stale. It happens all around us. 

Is your cereal no longer as flavorful as it used to be? Has it lost its crisp texture, Have your bananas gone all brown? Is your coffee lacking in brightness and flavor? Then oxidation occurred The grounds from coffee beans are responsible for creating the flavor and aroma you find in brewed coffee. Some of these compounds in coffee are unstable so that means they can change and degrade easily.  

During oxidation, the compounds present in coffee beans interact with air molecules thereby creating different molecules. As a result of this, some aromas and flavors are released from the coffee beans which means the oxidation process has a huge impact on the character, flavor, and aroma of coffee. Oxidation breaks down the cell walls in coffee beans, altering the flavor dramatically. You definitely deserve better. 

Have in mind that whenever you grind the beans, you have already started the oxidation process. When you brew the coffee some minutes after grinding, you’ll be able to preserve all the sweet flavors and aroma. 

Whether you are brewing or not, oxidation will surely take place. That means pre-ground coffee has already lost some of its flavors since oxidation is already happening in the shelves and your cupboard if you have gotten some. But if you brew using freshly ground coffee you will be enjoying a cup of coffee filled with all the goodness.

MOISTURE 

Moisture plays a huge role when it comes to the quality of your brew. The oils present in coffee are soluble in water. The solubility of these oils in water enables you to enjoy a delicious cup of coffee that smells so good. You should know that you don't need a cup of water to dissolve or extract these soluble oils, we call them ‘precious oils’, they are precious after all. What's a cup of coffee without the aromatic experience? 

Sadly these oils and flavor you are trying to preserve can be diluted by atmospheric moisture. What this means is that unless you live in an area without traces of moisture, then the beans may not be affected by moisture. In fact, your air conditioning system can also degrade the quality of coffee beans. Anytime you grind coffee beans, you create a larger surface, which hastens during dilution. 

Thus, when you brew a cup of coffee immediately after grinding. You will be able to enjoy a greater concentration of these precious oils. On the other hand, pre ground coffee won't have the same amount of soluble oils since they may have been lost on the shelves of a supermarket. 

DEPLETION CAUSED BY CO2

The effect CO2 has on coffee is almost the same as moisture. As we said earlier, CO2 is the main compound that transfers oils present in the coffee beans to your brew. Every time you grind the beans you are creating a greater surface area for the carbon dioxide to escape’ As we have already told you, coffee beans are highly porous, which means grinding makes the situation worse.  

However, if you grind just before brewing, your grounds will still have enough CO2 to transfer oils to your brew, giving it more flavor, sweetness, and aroma. 

Note that improper storage of coffee leads to the quick loss of CO2. Grinding more coffee than you require makes it even harder to store them and retain the CO2.   

LEARN MORE: BEST WAYS TO STORE COFFEE BEANS

Have you found enough reasons to buy only freshly ground coffee? There are other reasons you should use why you should use fresh grounds. Coffee making requires precision and one small feature can affect how much you enjoy the next brew. 

HELPS TO AVOID CONTAMINATION 

You should know that all the odors that move around your kitchen also affect ground coffee. That onion or garlic you just cut moves right into the coffee grounds, thereby altering the taste and flavor of your brew. If you dislike the idea of coffee that tastes like garlic or onion, then avoid buying ground coffee. This is the only way to enjoy the full flavor of coffee without any form of contamination.  

If you want to store the beans you got, you can either store them in the coffee bag, using adhesive tape, or pour the beans quickly into a canister and cover it with a lid. Put the canister into your cupboard, make sure it's not a cupboard near the stove so it won't get in contact with moisture. 

Also, note that coffee beans or ground are not safe inside your refrigerator. A refrigerator is used to store other types of food products like vegetables, beverages, and meat products. If you store your coffee in a refrigerator, the extreme cold might reduce your sense of smell but it doesn't mean the flavors are not in the refrigerator. There's plenty of flavor in the refrigerator and you obviously don't want coffee that smells like bacon or garlic.

YOU GET TO CHOOSE THE GRIND SIZE THAT'S PERFECT FOR YOU

When you buy coffee beans and grind at home, you will have a greater chance of making a really delicious cup since you have control over the brewing process. After all, control is the key element when it comes to brewing exceptional coffee. In other words, grinding your own beans gives you control over the grind size and the kind of grinder to use, which has an impact on the flavor.  

Different brewing methods such as Aeropress, pour-over, and espresso work with different grind sizes. The finer the grounds, the easier it is for water to extract the beans' flavors. The size affects how tightly you can pack them in a portafilter. This density affects the flavors that come out in the spout. 

If you love using a French press, You will need bigger grinds, so they don't move through the filter when pushed down. If you are using a drip coffee maker, you’ll need a medium-fine grind because of the type of filters they use inside. You need finer grinds if you are an espresso lover because water needs to push through the puck at the right speed. If you use a coarse grind, it will create a loose puck and it will rush through without extracting any flavors from the grounds. 

Buying pre-ground coffee limits your options. How do you manage these situations if you use pre-ground coffee and you have no control over the coarseness? So, use a burr grinder, some fresh coffee beans, and create your own coffee world. 

LEARN MORE: HOW TO GRIND COFFEE

WHY IS GROUND COFFEE CHEAPER THAN BEANS? 

Ground coffee is cheaper because it uses less expensive coffee beans that are roasted and ground to be sold at a lower price. Whole coffee beans, especially when bought from specialty coffee roasters like us, are from better producers and represent a much higher quality product.  

The choice is all yours, are you going to take some minutes to seek out the freshest coffee beans or you’ll keep taking stale and dull coffee? If you picked fresh coffee, then make sure the beans you are buying are as fresh as possible.  

At coffee hero, we sell specialty-grade beans and roast daily. You’ll surely be getting the best. Freshness isn't the only thing we are known for, our coffee beans are sourced from the best most sustainability-minded farms across the world. We also sell single-origin beans and coffee blends that are organically grown. Buy and taste it yourself