Coffee berries are a fruit and as such freshness may refer to the harvest date. Coffee around the world is harvested throughout the year but the tyranny of distance means that many coffee beans do not arrive in Australia for 3-4 months post harvest and processing. The general consensus amongst roasters is that green coffee beans are considered fresh for 6-12 months. The cup of joe you are enjoying at home today may have been picked a year ago!
At other times freshness refers to the roast date. Our objective at Acuratore is to always supply coffee to our customers that is no older than 7 days from roast date. For best tasting coffee, it is recommended that you consume your beans between 10 and 28 days from roast date. The way you store your coffee beans is important to ensure that the flavour is not impacted. Coffee beans are like sponges so keep your beans fresh by avoiding light, oxygen and moisture.
We recommend storing your beans in an opaque, airtight container, at room temperature, to retain their flavour. The Airscape is a great coffee storage solution with patented technology that removes and locks out the air from the container. Shop here: Airscape Kilo 8" Coffee Canister Black (acuratore.com)
Consuming your freshly roasted coffee will always deliver the best flavour profile. It is also worth remembering that pre-ground coffee will lose it’s flavour sooner than whole beans.