# Not freshly roasted?



## Si macc (May 24, 2017)

Don't want to name the roaster but I bought some beans from an online shop (they also have a coffee shop too) and they're on the higher end of what I normally spend (£9 per 250g - did included postage). I've received them today with a generous first order gift but the 250g bag were roasted on the 28th August. Bit disappointed that they weren't roasted to order but thought more on it and think it's actually timed well for me as I can use them straight away given it was 7 days ago and I normally don't open the bag till now anyway.

Wondering whether to email them or just let it go? Had I been really organised and order ahead of finishing my bag I would have ended up waiting 7 days from now till I open this bag. Also to add there is nothing on the website stating they would be roasted to order but I would assume at this price and the way the company is presented on the site that this would be a given?

Your thoughts would be appreciated!


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## Dumnorix (Dec 29, 2017)

Personally I would say anything up to a week is fine, especially if they haven't mentioned they will be roasted to order. I once received a bag which was roasted 2 weeks before- I contacted the roaster and they were very apologetic and sent me another bag free of charge.


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## Jony (Sep 8, 2017)

Knocks you out of sync, fire them a email if they are good company it will be resolved.


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

Roasting to order is not always possible. There is no definition of the word fresh in relation to coffee anyway. Roasted on August 31 is absolutely fine. Just drink them and enjoy them. Had it been July 31 you would have had a point


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## Si macc (May 24, 2017)

Just what I was after! It's just every other order from other roasters has been roast to order but I'm sure it'll be fantastic coffee


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Some roasters have a roasting day, rather than roast each day to order.

I wouldn't fuss over a week, or even two. A bag rarely lasts me more than a week. Had some great cups a month after roast date.


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## cold war kid (Mar 12, 2010)

dfk41 said:


> Roasting to order is not always possible. There is no definition of the word fresh in relation to coffee anyway. Roasted on August 31 is absolutely fine. Just drink them and enjoy them. Had it been July 31 you would have had a point


+1


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## aaronb (Nov 16, 2012)

A week seems reasonable. I'd not even touch it for filter under a week, and espresso even longer. £9 for 250g delivered is at the cheaper end of the speciality scale anyway.

If you are concerned in future it's always worth checking on the website for their roasting policy, if they roast to order or on certain days etc. if not available email them first.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

28th is fine, it has a roast date on it, thats the thing important for me.

As said plenty of roasters don't roast every day, alot will state this at ordering or in the website.

As for " ask them to resolve it " , well they don;t have to, unless its specifically states we roast, each order as it comes in.


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## Si macc (May 24, 2017)

Had my first couple of espressos this morning from the gift bag which was dated 16th August. I needn't have worried as it tasted pretty good evening though it's not been dialled in yet. Should steam through that and on to the main bag! Can't see these lasting long


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

Si macc said:


> Don't want to name the roaster but I bought some beans from an online shop (they also have a coffee shop too) and they're on the higher end of what I normally spend (£9 per 250g - did included postage). I've received them today with a generous first order gift but the 250g bag were roasted on the 28th August. Bit disappointed that they weren't roasted to order but thought more on it and think it's actually timed well for me as I can use them straight away given it was 7 days ago and I normally don't open the bag till now anyway.
> 
> Wondering whether to email them or just let it go? Had I been really organised and order ahead of finishing my bag I would have ended up waiting 7 days from now till I open this bag. Also to add there is nothing on the website stating they would be roasted to order but I would assume at this price and the way the company is presented on the site that this would be a given?
> 
> Your thoughts would be appreciated!


Roasters normally have a few roasting days each week....otherwise it's often not economical to roast as orders come in for smaller roasters. Imagine you have a 5kg roaster and someone orders 250g of coffee a, 250g of coffee b and 250g of coffee C. you are not going to get right on it are you. But if you roast twice per week or once per week, after 6 more days, you might have enough orders to fill the roaster for each type of coffee....or more.

OK you get the coffee 7 days old, so perfectly drinkable immediately and good for at least 7 more weeks if the bag is unopened. If it's all well packed quickly after roasting, it's fine for a lot longer than people seem to think. I have had coffee nearly 3 months old that extracts and looks like it was roasted a week ago. My last coffee was roasted almost 2 months ago and was totally fine and produced the same shot for the same grind as it's twin sister bag did after7 days.

So anything roasted within the last 2 weeks is going to be fine up to 6-7 weeks.


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## dmreeceuk (Apr 18, 2018)

I doubt you would be able to tell the difference in a blind taste test even if it was 2 months past roast date. It might have spent 6 months on a dockside in Columbia for all you know prior to shipping and roasting. A few days/weeks make no difference. This is why some coffee is overpriced because there is a demand for roast to order in small batch when economy of scale and larger batch roasts would result in cheaper coffee which would taste just as good.


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

dmreeceuk said:


> I doubt you would be able to tell the difference in a blind taste test even if it was 2 months past roast date. It might have spent 6 months on a dockside in Columbia for all you know prior to shipping and roasting. A few days/weeks make no difference. This is why some coffee is overpriced because there is a demand for roast to order in small batch when economy of scale and larger batch roasts would result in cheaper coffee which would taste just as good.


What !?


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

DavecUK said:


> What !?


Now now Dave, I am assured by management, that everyone is entitled to their opinion.....no matter!


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## dmreeceuk (Apr 18, 2018)

DavecUK said:


> What !?


Just reconfirming what you said. A few weeks makes no difference and coffee roasters would roast in bigger batches to keep the costs lower.


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

dmreeceuk said:


> I doubt you would be able to tell the difference in a blind taste test even if it was 2 months past roast date. It might have spent 6 months on a dockside in Columbia for all you know prior to shipping and roasting. A few days/weeks make no difference. This is why some coffee is overpriced because there is a demand for roast to order in small batch when economy of scale and larger batch roasts would result in cheaper coffee which would taste just as good.


even I could detect a bean if it was past its best at 2 months!

6 months on the dock in Columbia will be as a green bean and therefore irrelevant

Coffee is not overpriced due to economies of scale, it is per business model

larger batch roasts do not necessarily result in cheaper coffee and cheaper coffee does not necessarily taste as good as expensive coffee

but apart from that you are spot on!


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## MildredM (Feb 13, 2017)

LOLOL and LOL some more! I suppose a 'few' weeks means different thing to different people.

To the OP. If the sellers says the beans are roasted to order, or states a roasting date, then that's the criteria (of roast timing) I would expect to receive. If I myself received an older 10 - 14 days post roast date AND had placed my order a week or so ago, I'd think it was tardy they hadn't been dispatched a bit quicker. But then I am used to the 3 or 4 excellent roasters I buy from. Rather a lot don't live up to their professionalism.


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## dmreeceuk (Apr 18, 2018)

DavecUK said:


> My last coffee was roasted almost 2 months ago and was totally fine and produced the same shot for the same grind as it's twin sister bag did after7 days.


#confused, you said it produced the same shot yet say you can tell the difference :-s


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

dmreeceuk said:


> #confused, you said it produced the same shot yet say you can tell the difference :-s


Did I?


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## Si macc (May 24, 2017)

I guess the differences in tastes from coffee that is 2 weeks old to a few month depends on the beans themselves? Some beans are affected by age more than others?


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## ashcroc (Oct 28, 2016)

dmreeceuk said:


> #confused, you said it produced the same shot yet say you can tell the difference :-s


Think you're getting DavecUK & dfk41 mixed up.


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## Hasi (Dec 27, 2017)

Si macc said:


> I guess the differences in tastes from coffee that is 2 weeks old to a few month depends on the beans themselves? Some beans are affected by age more than others?


Next to decomposition of aromatic components (volatility), it certainly depends on degree of roast - or denaturation, if you will.

Darker as well as erroneous roasts (where too much heat had been applied in the last phase) are more prone to show oily surfaces. Fatty acids oxidise when exposed to the little bit of air left in any packaging.


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## dmreeceuk (Apr 18, 2018)

ashcroc said:


> Think you're getting DavecUK & dfk41 mixed up.


My bad lol


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