Resting your new coffee

Imagine: your fresh roasted coffee is on it's way and you've been mashing the refresh button on your postal tracking when suddenly the status changes to "Delivered."

Now, much like Alice in Wonderland, you'll probably open your package and - as the aroma wafts skyward - think, "Drink Me!" But fresh coffee needs a rest. It's just been through literal hell and needs a break before it can taste its best.

How long?

The amount of time to rest varies between different coffees and roast levels, but a good rule of thumb is the following:

Lighter coffees rest longer
Darker coffees rest shorter.

So if you can resist, try to wait at least 3-5 days after the "roasted on" date in your package. (Depending on how long it took in transit, this may only be another day or two!)

Why?

The process of roasting coffee beans causes gasses like CO2 to build up inside. They naturally leach out over time, and are released in volume (but not completely) when the coffee is ground. The darker a coffee is roasted, the more the physical cellular structures of the bean are broken down, allowing CO2 to escape faster.

The quantity of CO2 isn't harmful to us, but it is harmful to the extraction process. As the hot water dissolves ground coffee, the remaining gasses are released, and like tiny jets of air they repel the water and delay its ability to saturate the grounds.

The end result is weaker, harsher tasting coffee, and ain't nobody got time for that.

So rest those beans, and enjoy!