Common Coffee Myths
Myth: Store your coffee in the 'fridge to keep it fresh.
Fact: Refrigeration causes the natural fats/oils in roasted coffee beans to emulsify, which quickly degrades the flavour of the coffee. Please don't put your coffee in the refrigerator. A cool, dark place away from heat, sun and air is all you need.
You'll notice on our packaging, it says "Although we're not crazy about using a fridge or freezer to store your Mad Roaster coffees, if you plan on keeping them for more than 10 days you may consider these options." The fridge or freezer should only be used after your coffee has aged and has emitted all the CO2 gas it can. When buying coffee from a grocery store - it has already aged considerably, whereby when purchased fresh and directly from a roastery, the above fact is very applicable.
Myth: Coffee is only fresh for a few days after it's roasted.
Fact: Coffee - like red wine, needs time to mature and develop its character. However, air is an enemy of coffee and will destroy it very quickly. So, if your roaster hands you coffee in a brown paper sack - then you want to drink it quickly before it's destroyed by air. But, that's like always drinking wine that was never aged.
If you buy coffee beans that went from the roaster to proper lightproof packaging that contains a degas valve, your coffee is good for 4-5 weeks with no problem.
(more about coffee freshness here)
Myth: "Full City" is the best way to roast coffee
Fact: That's a myth started by Peet that Starbucks decided to run with. Maybe you've
heard "The Right Roast for our Special Beans is Full City and Only Full City". It's simply not true! If you took one bean and
roasted it to light, medium and dark, each would have a unique flavour that is a combination of the bean and the roast. Which you
prefer is a matter of preference. Make no mistake, full city is a great roast but go ahead and try your favourites in both medium (Full City)
and dark roast. You might surprise yourself.
Myth: Vacuum Sealed Coffee Bags means Fresh!
Fact: The roasting process causes coffee beans to release a gas by-product, specifically CO2. The gas release process goes on for several days after roasting. In order to vacuum seal your coffee, the coffee would have to release all its CO2 first or it would burst the bag. That means vacuum-sealed coffee had to sit around for a few days, exposed to air, before it could be vacuum-sealed.
The best method for packaging and shipping coffee beans is in valve-sealed bags. The valve allows the carbon dioxide gasses and moisture to escape but doesn't allow oxygen or moisture in.
(more about coffee freshness here)
