Stale Coffee

Italian_Goddess

After being in the industry for years, loving espresso - adicted! Am opening the discussion -"When does coffee go stale?".

How long can the coffee beans stay in the hopper?
How long can the grind sit in the group head before you pour?
How long can the grind sit in the hopper?

Is it an exact timed science, or is it based on experience, testing and trials - I want to know
Post your thoughts!

pab

I was told that the grinds shouldn't be in the group head any longer than 4 secs before you pour. Any longer the dry heat of the group head will burn the coffee.

mininova

I believe the oilier the bean the sooner it will go stale/rancid so it will depend on the roast. For example I have 2, 1 kg opened bags of beans about 2 weeks old sitting at home. one is a darker roast which is a little oiler than the other medium roast. The darker roast is now undrinkable but the medium is still tasting ok (just). Beans in the hopper are another matter. I would not keep them in there for more than a day as they are exposed to more air and usually a higher temperature. Even less if you are not keeping the hopper completely full all the time. The ground coffee in the doser I keep for up to 10 mins otherwise it gets chucked, and as Pab suggested ground coffee in the group less than 5 secs. regards doug.

Mr._barista

pab is correct with the group head. A general rule to use to stay consistant with this is to simply start the pour as soon as the group head is in place. This will minimise the risk of burnt bitter coffee. As for the ground coffee, lots of cafes will keep the ground coffee for no longer than 30-40 minutes before throwing it. As soon as the coffee is ground, it is imediately subjected to the ellements (oxygen, moisture etc), which even over a short period of time can effect the way it pours, tastes and performs. I believe the freasher the grind the better. If you have time, grind to order.....

FreshCoffee2

lovely photo. FC.

Mr._barista

thank you. i thought so. there is nothing like it...

johnronchi

all great comments... Remember the coffee is a food product and as such should be used as soon as possible... I would say... 1 day in the hopper, 30min in the dosing chamber, and 4 seconds tops in the group head PS great name 'Italian Goddess'!! :-*

[deleted]

how long can beans stay in the big hopper above the machine not the grinder hopper I know off one cafe that sells 12different beans...a few hoppers would have low sales and I see they are at least 2 months old. many small cafes break all the rules, hence the dishwater served up do you dend it back all the time,,,,cant be bothered so i leave it.. cheers sassy

[deleted]

My local cafe sells lots of coffee and not many beans.........their hoppers over the machines are full of beans and they have 6 of them.....I watch them and asked them how often they filled them..................about every 4-8 weeks the guy said...goes against what people recommend here does it not ??????????????? also I see most industry pros say dont keep coffee in the fridge....or freezer etc.. why does this pro site say to do that is okay ?? coffeewarehouse.com.au under FAQ just passing comment anyway i buy my beans every week that are roasted that day and keep them in a cool dark cupboard and taste pretty good. sadly most cafes let you down when you are spoilt at home i see from another post coles have beans for 12 bucks a kilo...im trying them out just for curiosity .....they have profit on that so it makes you wonder hey ?? popin

FreshCoffee2

Hello Popin, ".......My local cafe sells lots of coffee and not many beans.........their hoppers over the machines are full of beans and they have 6 of them.....I watch them and asked them how often they filled them..................about every 4-8 weeks the guy said...goes against what people recommend here does it not..." Yes it does. Every time we hear a cafe owner saying he/she wants to put in coffee hoppers and sell beans to the public we cringe...there is precious little turn over of "bulk" coffee in those situations and in the end they end up putting all the stale coffee through their own espresso machine. "...also I see most industry pros say dont keep coffee in the fridge....or freezer etc..

[deleted]

Basicly as soon as you insert the portafilter in the head you commence immediate extraction. I believe 4 seconds is to long. As far as ground coffee goes more than 5 minutes tops and it is stale. Just do some taste test youselves and see. We grind fresh per cup, so our dosing chamber is empty all the time. As far as beans go, mine don't see the day out, but in all once you have opened the bag(fresh roasted) no more than 7 to 10 days. No, do not store coffee in the fridge or freezer. A dark, dry cool place is much more prefered. :-*

[deleted]

Saw a large add in the melbourne SUN and sydney paper today sunday for 1 KILO of Vittoria beans at safeway on SALE for 14.98 4 dollars off. I had read someone mentioned this earlier.....cheap beans.....but for vittoria beans thats a great price I know they are not great in how long they have been roasted for but it is a great price. Shows you the profits being made by roasters buying green beans selling at 6.50 for 250 grams. I bought a kilo today and they were pretty good I must say. a lot better than a can of illy so called great..... beans by the latte set. in that i mean the vittoria beans still better than 80-90 percent of cafes you go to.....all in the grind as i have figured....too coarse and not packed right by most cafes and in effect watery crap no crema. try the VITTORIA at woolworths or safeway

lars

Hi Zig - have had some posts about Illy in the last few months - why anyone would bother paying premium prices for it beats me - it's stale, by definition! As for Vittoria, I guess it's roasted here, which is at least some advantage, but I'm pretty sure there was a post on the forum a long time ago giving an example of Vittoria packs that have use-by dates of up to (and over) a year from packing! Can't say that I'd recommend buying an 11- 1/2 month-old pack from Woolworths or anywhere! Lars :o

admin

Hi Lars - no wonder you remember the post about the Vittoria coffee - you were the one who made it! I have revived the thread - see 'CAN<T HELP MY SELF' in Off topic/Fun stuff! Ciao -A 😉

lars

No, do not store coffee in the fridge or freezer. A dark, dry cool place is much more prefered. :-*

Oops - sorry Admin...by the way Brian - I'm not sure about your comment on storing coffee - this is one of those things that everyone has an opinion about, but no-one seems to know for sure...as long as it's kept dry, I don't see why beans shouldn't be kept in fridge (see my post in Trade about Coffee Freshness...) Lars -L

Kate

Rather than taking the advice of others, whatever their agenda is - why not do the experiment yourself? Take some fresh coffee - whatever your definition of freshness is, and put it in separate airtight containers. One in the fridge, one in the freezer, one in the cupboard. Perhaps put some out on a plate on your bench as a control. Leave it for a few days and make some coffee from it - we'd all like to hear the results - I might just do it myself. Have a safe christmas everyone. Kate

FreshCoffee2

Good point. FC.