How Long Does Coffee Last After Roast Date?

crazy by Editorial Staff | Updated on July 29th, 2022

Coffee is a strange yet very different substance. We couldn’t be more grateful to anyone who invented coffee for making our life taste better. You are doing things with a lot more confidence with coffee by your side.


Without this delicious tasty beverage, which gives you enough courage to go through all the troubles every day, we can not imagine a day without one sip. I know we all use insane amounts of coffee, but have you ever wondered how long coffee lasts after the roast date?

The short answer is 3-30 days.

They are going through constant changes in their life cycle, but at its heart-the, the coffee beans ‘ fragrance and the precious oils inside them are the best and most crucial components. So you want to keep them as safe and new as possible.

Yes, even with coffee, there’s an ”expiration date.” Most of us will say it only takes two days to expire (because the coffee is gone by that time, and you’re ready for the next shipment of coffee from Amazon).

But some people drink regular amounts of coffee and might find it helpful. So, yes, they are people who do not drink all of their coffee. You might be one of them.

Experts in the coffee industry can only agree on one thing-changes about coffee. Very rapid, particularly when exposed to oxygen. Coffee is a volatile product, so you need to follow those rules to use coffee correctly.

What does “freshness” mean in coffee?

brown wooden porch swing outside establishment

First, we must establish a shared understanding of freshness and how we can use it for coffee.

If you ask me about “freshness,” I’d say it refers to a condition or moment of food or raw material similar to some original state. For example, fruits or vegetables sold on a farmer’s market are generally considered fresh because the harvest date is very close to when the product is offered.

Now, how to apply this to roasted coffee? Freshly roasted coffee typically means a few hours or days have passed since the coffee was roasted and taken off the drum.

At that moment, perceiving the incredible aroma of complexity is excellent. In specialty coffee and small-batch roasting projects, we were fascinated with providing the freshest coffee and taking advantage of the “freshness” appeal.

As a result, the closer the coffee is prepared to the roasting date, the stronger it is in terms of flavors. It sounds very clear as it copes with our general perception of what new foods or beverages would be like (see above).

But coffee’s slightly different.

There are two ways to see coffee freshness:

  1. From an aromatic perspective
  2. From the viewpoint of CO2

To grasp this and how it affects coffee brewing, we need to take a break and dive into the roasting process.

Regarding aromas, a chemical reaction called the Maillard reaction creates most of them during the roasting process. Don’t worry; I won’t go into chemical depth here because I’m not a scientist, but it’s essentially the same reaction when you toast bread or make “caramelized” onions for your burgers.

These aromas are great; once the coffee beans leave the drum, we can see them all at once. And from then on, aroma intensity begins to drop, which can happen very quickly. But, of course, this depends on how well you store your coffee.

One thing that happens during beans roasting is that carbon dioxide ( CO2) is produced that begins “leaving” beans. It is called degassing, and it’s a very critical point for brewing coffee.

How long does coffee last after the roast date?

Degassing is influenced by ambient temperature, humidity, storage containers, and other factors. Generally speaking, most roasters advise you to wait 3 days to a week after the roast date before enjoying the coffee.

Can you drink coffee too soon after the roast?

Your coffee will reach peak quality for brewed coffee between 20 minutes and 3 days for espresso.

Generally, it’s not a smart idea to brew coffee with beans already ground for reasons I’m about to go over. Instead, your roaster should give them a resting period before selling them.

The roasting process heats beans to very high temperatures.

We’re talking about a 400F heavy dark roast. You’re frying them. This creates lots of latent carbon dioxide (CO2) in beans that wreck your brew’s taste.

After the roast is done, it slowly escapes – about 40% of CO2 will have left just the first day after roasting.

The bloom, where you place a small amount of hot water in your ground coffee and let it rest a minute before boiling, is to help further rid the CO2 coffee.

The earlier you brew your coffee, the larger you’ll probably see after the roast. Create a brew the day after the roast, and you’ll see the fizzy coffee bubbles if you use the pour-over coffee maker!

Indeed, this is the best way to ensure your coffee is fresh.

No blooming? It’s going to be dull.

Now, if you brew your coffee too early after the roast, you’ll probably get a big bloom and sour flavors that go along with the CO2 and other things that come from the roasting. It’s pretty doubtful that most roasters would sell you coffee beans that aren’t good yet, or at least without telling you they need a few days of ‘rest’ before they’re good to drink.

However, if you brew your own, you’ll want to experiment with how long you’re giving your beans.

How long do coffee beans last? Coffee bean shelf life

coffee bean

You can see their expiration date when you buy coffee beans, but there is always more than just a date. It’s all about freshness-the closer the date of roasting, the more aromatic your beans become.

The best taste will come within 2-10 days of roasting the beans. Coffee stays fresh and retains much of its flavor and stays fresh until about 30 days after roasting. After that, and in most cases, the beans would be considered dry.

How long the freshness of the coffee lasts often depends on roaster processes such as the packaging. A few well-known ways to package coffee can kill oxygen and avoid stale beans.

Lavazza, for example, saves coffee beans by flushing the oxygen away and thus temporarily solves the problem of lousy coffee. We say temporarily because oxygen finds its way into and starts its dirty work as soon as you open the bag, stealing the coffee flavor and soaking valuable oils out.

This process could never be stopped; using proper coffee storage containers could only be put off for a while. Coffee beans last roughly in your pantry for about 2-4 weeks and, if stored correctly in your fridge (not recommended yet), about 3 to 4 months of shelf life will remain safe.

How can you tell coffee beans go bad?

coffee beans

Trust your heart, Sherlock. The concept of bad coffee beans in your house sounds mission impossible, but sometimes it sounds like that. The pleasant aroma is gone, and most of the taste. Before you get moist and oxygen to your favorite beans-they leach the coffee oil slowly. The older the beans are, the less pleasant they will taste if they aren’t properly stored.

Oils found in your favorite beans will disappear, and now every bit of flavor is gone, leaving you with sad remnants of something that could have been the greatest espresso ever. But, for every coffee drinker, flavor plays the most crucial part.

You’ll know something is going off with that horrible, rotting scent; even mold can sometimes show up. That beautiful dark color is gone, too, and now your coffee is a light brown shade. So when you notice that your coffee beans are gone wrong, use your senses and drink till you can drink!

Can coffee beans grow mold?

Yes! I was pretty disgusted when I heard that coffee beans could develop mold. The mold that can grow on whole coffee beans or ground coffee can develop ochratoxin A (also known as OTA).

Ochratoxin is harmful to the kidneys and is a carcinogen. To further freak you out, carcinogens are believed to cause or at least lead to various cancers’ development. In addition, OTA will weaken the immune system.

The easiest way to stop OTA is to know where your beans come from. Please pay attention to the farm where they were raised, how they were handled, and how they were delivered.

One study showed that over 75% of the coffee beans tested were contaminated with OTA.

Will microwaving the coffee kill bacteria? 

Although microwaves can kill bacteria pockets because they heat from outside, they also leave cold pockets in the middle of food and beverages where bacteria can thrive. But they shouldn’t be relied on to destroy something in your cup of coffee.

Can you get sick from drinking old coffee?

In a pinch and in need of a caffeine fix, many people would risk flavor quality— make sure you don’t drink coffee that’s gone rancid, and make you sick. As long as coffee is stored correctly (unopened, sealed, dry), it’s safe to drink for years.

How can you tell if coffee is rancid?

If it looks or tastes a little “wrong” (moldy, rotten, or mildewy), throw it out. It will taste bland if it just tastes dry, as the coffee scent is essential to its flavoring profile.

How should you store your coffee beans properly?

Instructions for storing your precious coffee beans properly are in just a few simple rules–store them in a cool, dry area and keep the bag tightly sealed.

Once you have opened your freshly roasted beans, oxygen begins to play its part. Moisture and oxygen are the worst enemies of coffee, and they start a brewing process and extract all the sweet flavors once they come in contact with it.

The sad truth is that, over time, all the coffee will fail–and you can only delay this process for some time. Degradation is more rapid depending on the surface area. So this is great news: coffee beans are always the best choice compared to ground coffee. You can always grind the coffee and have a fresh taste when appropriate.

With a few easy hacks, you can improve the shelf-life. First and foremost, move your roasted coffee beans to a canister with an airtight seal that blocks out all light. Next, look at our best airtight containers for your coffee beans.

You might have heard some stories about keeping your coffee in your refrigerator. However, due to temperature fluctuations, it is not recommended to store them; coffee is very volatile so it could affect the coffee’s taste and flavor.

On the other hand, freezing coffee is a bit different story–coffee may lose some of its distinctive flavors through this process, and it is recommended in just one case if you cannot buy your coffee beans within three weeks. Freezing your coffee beans, the same rule should be followed for storing them in your pantry; use a sealed, airtight container.

Can expired coffee hurt you?

roasting coffee beans

Are coffee beans good after the expiration date? Like other dry food products, coffee has the best before date, merely a recommendation for how long the coffee will taste. It doesn’t mean that the coffee expires, as dairy products say. And drinking coffee far beyond this date isn’t harming your health or making you sick.

Does coffee expired data matter?

The closer to the roast date, the better for filter-brewed coffee. Think of it as a healthy steak to let sit. But unfortunately, plenty of gas is trapped there with coffee, so it’s necessary to let it rest for 24 to 48 hours.

Espresso is different, and most cafes let beans rest for five days for espresso drinks. Otherwise, due to carbon dioxide release, customers can taste any extra salt or find tiny bubbles bursting in their latte art.

Here’s what you should do:

  • Find the beans’ roasting date
  • If you have the quality beans, try brewing the beans over various days (whatever brewing process you’re using) to get a notion of how long the beans have to rest, there’s no general law, and coffee and roast differ.
  • Expiration dates don’t matter when assessing the flavor consistency of the coffee.
  • Store coffee properly, particularly to maintain aromas
  • Purchase small quantities and eat them ample time to get the best taste. Monitor how much coffee you need over time.

How long until coffee is no longer drinkable?

Coffee is surprisingly consumer-resilient. Leave meat out for a day, cheese out for three, and bread out for over a week, and you’ll experience the inevitable spoilage of a billion lifestyles, enjoying a banquet on your once pristine food.

Coffee, on the other hand, will last years and not spoil.

So if you have some coffee that’s been in your home for 6 months, a year, or even longer, then it’s drinkable, it’s not going to kill you, but it’s a long way from the optimum flavor. So if you’re curious how long you should hold coffee on that kind of timeline, you’ll want to take a trip down to the segment about putting coffee in a freezer.

Why doesn’t coffee go bad like other consumables?

Okay, the first explanation is that coffee lacks calories; bacteria and other nasties have little room to feast on.

The second explanation is that caffeine is a known poison for many lifestyles, so they steer clear. I’ve always found it amusing how natural protection against insect predators was the favorite psychoactive drug of humankind!

What about coffee grounds of instant coffee? Do they go bad?

Check out our article to learn more about when those types of coffee go bad.

Conclusion

If you’re drinking coffee even after the expiration date and all the flavor is gone–it’s a little health risk, but we think an absolute coffee junkie should enjoy the real thing: total taste, beautiful scent, and satin-like feel. Now you know how to keep your beans safe-less; oxygen means more taste!

crazy

Editorial Staff

The editorial staff at Crazy Coffee Crave is a team of coffee enthusiasts & Baristas who enjoy the one thing we all think about as soon as we get up in the morning. Trusted by thousands of readers worldwide.