specially aged coffee

plantation_coffee

im wondering who else out there has experienced surprise at the taste of aged coffee
and by age i mean two or more weeks of age.

i was surprised by mistake today with a sumatran that had been left to age (by mistake)
since no other choice was available , it had to be used up. turned out to be very earthy , medium
in body , had some spicey flavours , a little acidity with a liqourice overtone - in espresso
as for the 3/4 latte all these flavours carried through to my surprise.

my question is who else has experienced something similiar? , what origin was it? and what did you taste?

cheers

WotB

I've said this before somewhere - I've done a fair bit of experimenting with ageing greens.  We're talking at least 5+ years. Most people say that the beans degrade as they age.  I prefer to say that they change.  You get good results, and you get not so good results. How in the world did someone figure out that some wines are better when they've aged? I'll offer a few samples to those willing to try it for themselves.  Mind you, I've roasted it for filter, but you can have it as a long black. PM if keen.

askthecoffeeguy

I find Sumatra and Columbia coffees especially drink beat ten days plus post roast and many other coffees still drink exceptionally well two to four weeks post roast - I made a friend a coffee at home recently that was six weeks post roast and had been stored well, and we were both surprised by how good it tasted - fresh as a daisy? Assuredly not. But full and flavorsome all the same. Was blend of png Lamari, Sumatra wahana, Columbia huila, and blended brazil orange and yellow bourbon

mycuppa

There is a lot of false information (way too much) out there about the age at which roasted coffee should be discarded. I test this theory constantly via control samples and my testing range is upwards of 120 days (but this is the extreme edge, most is within the 45 day range). One of my customers (and I regard his palette as up there with the best) will only touch a roasted bean after 21 days. Yes, that's right and he goes through 3-4 times as many kilos per week than the biggest cafes. Sumatrans and some very "fresh crop" greens need at least 12 days to develop. Roast level, degas method, packaging and storage determine shelf life. I have also found some beans age better than others (DNA perhaps). People turning their nose up at coffee that is 14 days post-roast are perhaps delusional or have read too much information that somehow their mind is playing tricks with their palette.

beanflying

I did some fairly informal testing a few months ago with a blend I know fairly well. Fine out at 4 weeks, becoming flat at 6 weeks and went ordinary within a couple of days of opening, dull at 8 and not worth continuing with the next day. That is certainly not to say most customers would find it offensive or bad, just I wouldn't be happy serving it. A local cafe imports his own roasted beans from Italy and his coffee tastes flat due to the age most likely. Some of the lighter roasts I have been drinking over the last few years peak at day 4-7 and after 2 weeks have lost most of their high 'notes' and we all know notes are important   The 3 week thing is simply no more than a guide. A bag of MTE I had was fairly average on the first two roasts but when left as green for another 6 months and roasted to a similar profile was vastly improved. This certainly doesn't apply universally to green as most of it will be pushing 6 months post processing by the time we see it anyway. Good storage and beans while they may change over years still are not necessarily bad just become different. I have seen some writings on COE's being down 10 points or more within a year of storage.  :-\