# First order of beans



## RSRoss (Feb 3, 2018)

I'm placing my first order of beans this weekend (from Rave) and as a newbie just wanted to check I've not missed anything obvious.

Will be getting 3 or 4 250g bags to try out different blends.

Having looked at some of the older posts I couldn't find a definitive answer so I'd really appreciate if anyone could help with the following.

I will leave the bags to rest for around 10 days from the roasting date before using and then once I open a 250g bag, I will use that before opening the next one. But...

How long will the unopened 250g bags keep from the roasting date?

How long will the opened 250g bags keep once they are opened?

What are the best ways to store them?

Thank you!


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

If you have new gear and are dialling in a grinder from scratch then i would get 500-750 of the same bean.

You will not wanting to be getting to the end of the bag then having to reset and dial in again.

As you get more used to making espresso you will get better at this.

Do you have decent scales.

How long will a bean last should get a good 6-8 weeks

Keep em sealed up between use and you should be good for 3-4 weeks

You can store in the bag , in a cupboard.

You can of course freeze beans and use them at a later date. Id rest them first .


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## MildredM (Feb 13, 2017)

RSRoss said:


> I'm placing my first order of beans this weekend (from Rave) and as a newbie just wanted to check I've not missed anything obvious.
> 
> Will be getting 3 or 4 250g bags to try out different blends.
> 
> ...


For espresso I usually leave mine for around 6 to 10 days post roast date before opening and using.

For unopened bags I personally want to use them before they are about three weeks old.

Opened, I fold the tops down and peg (unless the bags have the integral sealing strip) and use within a week of opening.

I store them in the bag they arrive in. If I know I am not likely to open them within two weeks then I vacuum pack the whole bag (6-10 days post roast) and freeze. You can do the same using an airtight container. I prefer to use them within a couple of months of freezing.

All personal preferences. We use around 100g per day so a bag doesn't hang around long here


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## KTD (Dec 28, 2017)

RSRoss said:


> I'm placing my first order of beans this weekend (from Rave) and as a newbie just wanted to check I've not missed anything obvious.
> 
> Will be getting 3 or 4 250g bags to try out different blends.
> 
> ...


I've begun to notice that all beans age differently, some seem to only produce for two weeks and some are fine for two months, either way both are drinkable so I don't worry too much. somebody with more knowledge or better note taking skills could probably give a better indication of how and why. I'm not after perfection, I don't weigh and I'd never throw any beans, I'm not criticising people who do I just like to keep it simple. I open multiple bags from 5 days, in my opinion it's nicer to have different coffees at close to their best than having the perfect execution every time but no variety


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## Jony (Sep 8, 2017)

I would buy at least a kilo of one coffee, would save you in the long run, and if you have a new grinder coming as well, what sort of coffee do you like.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

KTD said:


> I've begun to notice that all beans age differently, some seem to only produce for two weeks and some are fine for two months, either way both are drinkable so I don't worry too much. somebody with more knowledge or better note taking skills could probably give a better indication of how and why. I'm not after perfection, I don't weigh and I'd never throw any beans, I'm not criticising people who do I just like to keep it simple. I open multiple bags from 5 days, in my opinion it's nicer to have different coffees at close to their best than having the perfect execution every time but no variety


Id expect more then 2 weeks life from a coffee. Perhaps its your technique ?


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## KTD (Dec 28, 2017)

Mrboots2u said:


> Id expect more then 2 weeks life from a coffee. Perhaps its your technique ?


You get the same results with every bean 3 weeks post roast? As you did at 1 week post roast? I don't by a long stretch, And some are way past their best by then but only some and that's the point I was trying to make.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

KTD said:


> You get the same results with every bean 3 weeks post roast? As you did at 1 week post roast? I don't by a long stretch, And some are way past their best by then but only some and that's the point I was trying to make.


That's not quite the point i was making , I would expect to get decent results from a bean past 2 weeks. Some beans may age quicker , that may be a result of the age of the greens and how they have been stores also.

It would be hard to discern why some taste worse at two weeks, one possible reason might be because the variables in making the brew may be inconsistent across a point of time or may need adjusting as it ages. If you are bot weighing in and out , then ts harder to make those fine adjustments .


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## Phil104 (Apr 15, 2014)

RSRoss said:


> I'm placing my first order of beans this weekend (from Rave) and as a newbie just wanted to check I've not missed anything obvious.
> 
> Will be getting 3 or 4 250g bags to try out different blends.
> 
> ...


 A critical factor is how much coffee do you drink across an average week? If you're clear about that then you can judge your coffee buying to fit and then you will have less of a dilemma about how much you have store and not run out if you need to rest to for espresso (you don't say what your coffee making method of choice is). Freezing always works for me (a vacuum sealer is a good investment) and the mighty Scott Rao dug beans out of a freezer that had been there for two years and they were totally good to drink.


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## KTD (Dec 28, 2017)

You pointed at my technique possibly because I said I don't weigh in or out , I'm aware of adjustments and am quite sure that no matter how much you adjust some beans you will not get as good results 2 weeks after /before their prime but you will get a perfectly acceptable drink and that's why I don't believe in using one bag before the next purely in the pursuit of excellence, as long as you don't leave it too long to finish them they should be fine, the same goes the opposite way as @dfk41 points out with the coffee compass mystery beans improving a long time post roast, you wouldn't argue his technique needed improving early doors to get the best out of them, different beans just age differently


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

KTD said:


> You pointed at my technique possibly because I said I don't weigh in or out , I'm aware of adjustments and am quite sure that no matter how much you adjust some beans you will not get as good results 2 weeks after /before their prime but you will get a perfectly acceptable drink and that's why I don't believe in using one bag before the next purely in the pursuit of excellence, as long as you don't leave it too long to finish them they should be fine, the same goes the opposite way as @dfk41 points out with the coffee compass mystery beans improving a long time post roast, you wouldn't argue his technique needed improving early doors to get the best out of them, different beans just age differently


Perhaps i should have used the word process. You wondered why some beans dont seem as good at 2 weeks as others, I suggested a couple of reasons .

Espresso is hard, removing some variables helps , if you are happy with what you make all good.

I was pondering aloud that if you didn't know if your dose was 17 or 18 g , that will make a difference to a how a coffee tastes be it one week or four.

I was misguidedly trying to help .


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## KTD (Dec 28, 2017)

Absolutely appreciate your help and agree my technique could be improved, my replies did seem a little grumpy ,sorry. technique would and does help diminish the change in a bean the majority of the time but that change happens at a different rate with each bean I use, some are way more forgiving and as you pointed out that could be because of the way the green beans were handled and or the roasting.


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## Step21 (Oct 2, 2014)

The roasting process creates chemical compounds that degrade on exposure to air. So once the packet is open they are susceptible to damage from oxygen and give off free radicals. So the least stable compounds break down first and so on. It is a constantly gradual degrading process which makes the beans from a brewing perspective somewhat tricky.

Sometimes beans improve after opening, undesirable as well as desirable compounds degrade. Perhaps the degree of roast plays a part and there are less unstable compounds to break down.

No doubt how the greens were processed and dried, perhaps as well as the type of process (washed, natural etc...) , age since harvest also play a part as well.

The whole thing is complex but there is obviously a general window of usability.


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## RSRoss (Feb 3, 2018)

Thank you all for the replies. Very helpful!

I haven't yet purchased my grinder but am looking at a used Mazzer SJ, but open to others that are equally capable.

The missus and I mainly drink Flat White, Latte and Cappuccino - between us I'd estimate an average of 2 drinks a day Monday - Friday and 4 at weekends so approx 18 drinks a week.

I was planning on trying the Rave Signature Blend so may just go for 1kg of this to start with then based on suggestions above and given we will almost always make drinks with milk.


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