Go to the Article: Sourcing Great Coffee
Great coffee content addition!
I've noticed that I generally prefer coffee around the 2 week from roast date mark as opposed to ultra-fresh (but haven't really tried to find the "peak"-- yet).
Is there any accepted explanation of why the peak occurs (on the way up)? Do some of the aromatic compounds take a while to develop? My unresearched hypothesis is that CO2 in the freshly-roasted beans is contributing somehow, but I'm not really sure that makes scientific sense...
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Hello Cory, This answer is from a coffee expert, Sara Dooley.
"Good question, and you're right, it has to do with CO2. A simplified explanation is that roasting produces gas, mostly C02, in the beans. If you grind up freshly roasted beans and make espresso with them, the presence of C02 interferes with extraction, which leads to unevenly extracted or under-extracted coffee. If the beans are allowed to sit, the C02 dissipates, a process called "degassing." For lightly roasted beans, degassing can take up to a couple of weeks, whereas more heavily roasted beans will emit C02 more quickly, since the heat breaks up the cellular structure of the bean. Like you, I find that the "peak" flavor, aroma, and consistency happens between two and three weeks for the medium roasts I like."
Excellent explanation. Makes sense. Thanks to both of you!!
