July 27, 2021

Green beans for Coffee Roasting

I thought that green unroasted beans would be impossible for the home roaster to get, but that is definitely not the case. Also I will note that an incredible variety is available (far beyond what has been available to me as roasted coffee). And the price is appealing, anywhere from $6 to $9 per pound. I have been paying nearly $20 per pound for roasted coffee, so that is a pleasant surprise.

Coffee harvest times

What coffee do I choose?

How long do green beans last?

One rule is that a coffee is declared "past crop" as soon as the next harvest from that origin arrives. This would be perhaps 15 months after harvest and perhaps 8 months after arrival in this country. The article above states that they try to keep coffees for no longer than 5-6 months and then give the end user 5-6 months to go through the coffee.

Beans from most origins will be 3-4 months old at least by the time you get them. Beans from Africa can be 8-12 months old.

Store coffee where it will be cool, dry and dark. Coffee will absorb flavors. Coffee also needs to breath and a tight container can lead to mold and trouble.

Most people who are serious about their coffee try to consume green beans within 6 months. Aim to have no more than a 1 year supply of coffe on hand. If stored well, storage times of 2 years and longer are not unreasonable.


Have any comments? Questions? Drop me a line!

Tom's coffee pages / [email protected]