With all the choices that coffee buyer’s have today, there are a few things to keep in mind when you buy coffee on line. The first is that coffee roasters purchase green coffees in bulk and then sell off that inventory as orders come through. The result is that sometimes even good roasters will roast and sell coffee that has been on the shelf for a while. Deep Cello purchases our green coffees in small batches, to keep the stock moving in a way that ensures freshness in the cup. I’ve tried great coffees from solid roasters and found the beans themselves to be something of a shadow of their former selves on occasion.
We also encourage people who buy coffee to find roasters who roast and ship within three days of the roast date, and preferably to order. In my experience, the darker roasts have greater shelf life than the lighter roasts, but in any case, even when value-seal packed, after three weeks, perishable coffee starts to transform and lose volatile organic compounds, flavor and complexity.
I’ve been drinking our Nostromo, our darkest roast. It’s perhaps the best dark coffee I’ve ever had truthfully. It’s got a little carbon, but mostly just amazing coffee goodness. The roast date for that coffee was 1/16 and a full 18 days later, it’s still drinking amazingly well. Again, I speculate that dark coffees have better shelf life based on my own experience. If one is an occasional drinker, then Nostromo would be a good choice.
Coffee buyers have become accustomed to single origin coffees. Indeed, on occasion, these deliver an amazing cup. I had an Esmeralda that shocked me with its flavors. But don’t be fooled by fancy names. We decided early on to take estate coffees and blend them. That way, we can always ensure an interesting cup. You’ll know with a Deep Cello coffee that it will always intrigue you because we blend different coffees, oftentimes single origin, into full palate experiences. Try us and see if you agree!