# How much 'better' are freshly roasted beans compared to supermarket ones?



## wilse (Nov 14, 2013)

Hi folks

Finally I've bitten the bullet and bought an electric grinder.

This got me thinking that I must look at the rest of my hobby, to see if I need to improve!

A little embarrassed to say, I've been using supermarket beans with a Hario Skerton, and a gaggia classic, I have a Knock tamper.

One the whole, this has been an improvement over my Nespresso machine I previously had.

I've never taken the plunge on freshly roasted beans, down to laziness I suppose.

How old are supermarket beans for example, compared to 'freshly' roasted beans?

I now see a whole art unfolding, ratios, bean types, grinds, baskets, machines etc and it's baffling.

I'd just like to pull decent espresso's around 4 per day and make my better half, her morning cappuccino.

Should one store beans in the fridge/freezer.

Cheers

w


----------



## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

There is no comparison....one is coffee, the other....is not.


----------



## stevogums (May 8, 2013)

DavecUK said:


> There is no comparison....one is coffee, the other....is not.


Sums it up really


----------



## Jumbo Ratty (Jan 12, 2015)

I read somewhere beans should be stored in the freezer


----------



## NJD1977 (Dec 16, 2014)

Supermarket beans generally put a best before end on at least 12 months from roast date, and they aren't going to chuck out beans that have been sat on the shelves for 4 months that still have 8 months left before the BB end date. The big supermarket chains will get mass produced roasted beans from a convoluted supply chain which will take weeks before they even hit the shelves from point of roast - e.g. they won't be roasted in local areas using skilled coffee roasters and they'll be palletted up and shipped across Europe before they arrive on the shelves.

In summary - buy fresh roasted, let them sit for 5-7 days and then enjoy.


----------



## Phil104 (Apr 15, 2014)

+1 to the above - the telling sign is packs of beans with no roasted on date - just a use by date at some distant point in the future. You have no idea how long they have been lying around under what stoarge conditions.


----------



## wilse (Nov 14, 2013)

Thanks for the replies.

Phil, are you talking about supermarket beans? As I've never had any without dates on.

I'm getting a feeling that I should STOP buy supermarket beans from now on!









One final ask on this thread.

What is classed as 'cheap' and 'expensive' for a 250g bag of decent roasted coffee beans?

Thanks again for all the replies.

w


----------



## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

Jumbo Ratty said:


> I read somewhere beans should be stored in the freezer


Only if you won't be using them within a month or so of roasting. They're better fresh.

I think 5-6 quid is reasonable for a 250g bag.


----------



## NJD1977 (Dec 16, 2014)

wilse said:


> Thanks for the replies.
> 
> Phil, are you talking about supermarket beans? As I've never had any without dates on.
> 
> ...


The dates you get on supermarket bags are "best before" dates, not "roasted on" dates.

Cheap freshly roasted would be around £4.50/250g and expensive would be up to around £7-8/250g, both excluding delivery which can be a bit of a killer.........you're best off finding a roaster local to you and picking them up yourself regularly.


----------



## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

Rave do kilos of their blends for very good prices.


----------



## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

When you drink very freshly roasted coffee almost every day you soon find anything over a week too stale







....but well stored beans should still be drinking quite well into week 5, tho there will be much less aroma.

reasonable price for coffee . You can get some amazingly tasty coffee for the circa £5 entry level , however there might be a £10/15/20 bag out there which represents better value given its rarity / story / uniqueness. Its all relative.


----------



## foundrycoffeeroasters.com (Jun 19, 2014)

garydyke1 said:


> When you drink very freshly roasted coffee almost every day you soon find anything over a week too stale


.....I agree, this is the curse of the coffee roaster. I'd say two weeks for me though.......usually.


----------



## grumpydaddy (Oct 20, 2014)

This is all new to me but my experience so far tells me that 2 types of freshly roasted beans from Rave that were kept at about 10 degrees in their original packaging for 10 days then used having been decanted into those zip-lock bags with the one way valves taste very nice the first day. By the time 3 or 4 more weeks have passed, the flavour has changed and they are not as enjoyable. I would say therefore that you will get the best from your beans after 1 week from the roasting date but before week 5. that is a 3 week window.... After that I prefer to use them with Milk.


----------



## jackk (Dec 14, 2014)

You can usually get the roasted date on supermarket beans. it states the day number of the year if I remember correctly. ie 324


----------



## Mr O (Jan 14, 2015)

wilse said:


> Hi folks
> 
> I now see a whole art unfolding, ratios, bean types, grinds, baskets, machines etc and it's baffling.
> 
> I'd just like to pull decent espresso's around 4 per day and make my better half, her morning cappuccino.


Same for me, and i can't wait to sample what is an obvious difference that people talk about









Good luck

Mr O


----------



## twotone (Jan 13, 2015)

jeebsy said:


> Rave do kilos of their blends for very good prices.


Aye £9.50 or spend £25 and get free delivery, bit of a no brainer actually.


----------



## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

twotone said:


> Aye £9.50 or spend £25 and get free delivery, bit of a no brainer actually.


Have you tried them yet?


----------



## twotone (Jan 13, 2015)

Mr O said:


> Same for me, and i can't wait to sample what is an obvious difference that people talk about
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Night and day, honestly.

I can't drink instant coffee, haven't had one in years, doesn't bear any resemblance to fresh coffee in fact instant is just dishwater.


----------



## twotone (Jan 13, 2015)

jeebsy said:


> Have you tried them yet?


Not yet, just finishing off a 500g pack of Stewart's signature blend which was £7, I think, fantastic coffee BTW.


----------



## Mr O (Jan 14, 2015)

twotone said:


> Night and day, honestly.
> 
> I can't drink instant coffee, haven't had one in years, doesn't bear any resemblance to fresh coffee in fact instant is just dishwater.


I bought an Aeropress so i don't have to drink insta*t at work anymore. But it's that good i will be buying another Aeropress for work


----------



## twotone (Jan 13, 2015)

Mr O said:


> I bought an Aeropress so i don't have to drink instant at work anymore. But it's that good i will be buying another Aeropress for work


Never tried Aeropress, easy to use?


----------



## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

You can get good results with the Aeropress but IME you have to be really precise with your measurements


----------



## twotone (Jan 13, 2015)

jeebsy said:


> You can get good results with the Aeropress but IME you have to be really precise with your measurements


Thanks, my son was telling me to go to a coffee shop in Gibson st, across from Stravaigen (sp), he said they do everything in there, Aeropress, espresso, French press etc.

Might go over this weekend, sounds a nice place.


----------



## Mr O (Jan 14, 2015)

twotone said:


> Never tried Aeropress, easy to use?


Very

The same supermarket coffee that ive been using in my drip machine tastes way better in the Aeropress... easy to use easy to clean... Ive got some coffee to use in it that came with it. 3 different packs and the beans were roasted and ground the day before it was shipped, I'm going to open a pack tomorrow. Ive been too busy with the Mazzer and Gaggia..


----------



## Mr O (Jan 14, 2015)

jeebsy said:


> You can get good results with the Aeropress but IME you have to be really precise with your measurements


Ive been using it inverted, 14g - fill to middle of number 2, stir for 5 seconds, steep for 1 minute, top up to number 4 and press (slow) top up cup with hot water to taste.... yum yum...


----------



## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

THat's Artisan Roast, they do Chemex, Aeropress etc in there aye. Papercup on Gt Western Road offer v60 and Aeropress.


----------



## wilse (Nov 14, 2013)

Sorry, back to beans...

If ground coffee is better than instant, and ESE pods better than ground, then Nespresso better than ESE pods and coffee beans better than these... then I'm going to be blown away when I have 'fresh' beans!

One funny observation for me, using Supermarket beans is the taste isn't hugely different when using the Hario hand grinder or my Casadio electric grinder.

I can tell the grind is a let more consistent and finer.

I'm willing to believe It's down to practise, as I haven't even put a full bag through it yet. Will post updates in the Grinder section.

Cheers

W


----------



## icnoble (Nov 25, 2014)

Some supermarket beans can be very good. Monsooned Malabar and Sumatra from Waitrose are both excellent and compare favourably with a well known local roaster which are considerably more expensive. My wife and I have both just retired and we drink a lot of coffee. I could not afford beans at £25 + per kilo.


----------



## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

icnoble said:


> Some supermarket beans can be very good. Monsooned Malabar and Sumatra from Waitrose are both excellent and compare favourably with a well known local roaster which are considerably more expensive. My wife and I have both just retired and we drink a lot of coffee. I could not afford beans at £25 + per kilo.


http://ravecoffee.co.uk/collections/single-origin-coffee/products/indian-monsooned-malabar-aa


----------



## wilse (Nov 14, 2013)

Me neither, there is no way I'll be shelling out that kind of dosh.

Sadly I've been used to paying £4 for 2 bags most of the time. lol.

Funnily enough I think I have a bag, not opened yet. When I read some articles on here, not sure I can be bothered with some of the faff! Scales, glasses with rings, OVP, shower screens, yada, yada, yada.

If anyone listens to Shaun Keavney on 6Music, this is starting to sound like a middle aged shout out!

hahaha

w


----------



## icnoble (Nov 25, 2014)

jeebsy said:


> http://ravecoffee.co.uk/collections/single-origin-coffee/products/indian-monsooned-malabar-aa


I will be trying these soon.


----------



## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

Rave do pretty good discount for a kilo £10-£15 and if you buy 2 kilos free delivery


----------



## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

wilse said:


> Me neither, there is no way I'll be shelling out that kind of dosh.
> 
> Sadly I've been used to paying £4 for 2 bags most of the time. lol.
> 
> ...


Are we suggesting £4 for a bag off coffee is expensive?


----------



## aaronb (Nov 16, 2012)

Mrboots2u said:


> Are we suggesting £4 for a bag off coffee is expensive?


I hope not, £4 for 250g is dirt cheap. I'd say £5-6 per 250g is the standard, going up to £7+ for something special.

If you think thats far too much, then realise that every year many coffee farmers give up and either switch crops or abandon their farm altogether, the roasters we buy from pay far higher than the commodity price or the fair trade commodity price to ensure the farmers are rewarded for their work, arabica is a hard plant to grow especially if you have a bad weather year or get the dreaded leaf rust. These people have families to feed.

Then the roaster has to cover their overheads and pay their staff a wage too, whilst ensuring your coffee is roasted to the highest standard every time.

Like anything in life you get what you pay for. Its Speciality coffee.


----------



## aaronb (Nov 16, 2012)

double post


----------



## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

wilse said:


> Me neither, there is no way I'll be shelling out that kind of dosh.
> 
> Sadly I've been used to paying £4 for 2 bags most of the time. lol.
> 
> ...


Perhaps this coffee thing isn't for you


----------

