Fred's Fresh-Roasted Coffee

All coffee, whether it is whole bean or ground, deteriorates after roasting. Coffee is highly perishable. This is especially true of ground coffee, since so much more surface area is exposed to flavor-robbing air, moisture and light. Since coffee is at its peak about three days after roasting, it is best to buy coffee fresh each week or so and grind just before you brew it (Grind preferrably with a small burr type grinder. A small blade grinder will work but will not give you a consistent size grind.)

You should never freeze or refrigerate your coffee, especially in a frost-free system as it will dry up all the oils and moisture that give coffee its wonderful flavor. Freshly roasted ground coffee will maintain most but not all of its flavor components for a few days when stored in a dark, room temperature, airtight container. Whole bean coffees, which have much less surface area than ground coffees, will store longer and maintain their flavor for about two weeks after roasting. Regardless of how you store your coffee, you will experience more taste and flavors in coffee that is a few days past roasting than coffee that is consumed weeks after roasting.

Remember that air, moisture, and light are coffee's worst enemies and a home grinder will help provide fresh coffee flavor in every pot.

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Fred's Fresh-Roasted

Pure pleasure in a cup

	Despite all the claims about "master roasters" and "secret blends", there is nothing better than freshly roasted coffee made from high quality green beans. Most people will pick out and prefer fresh-roasted coffee over stale coffee. Coffee stays fresh up to 2 weeks after roasting, and fancy packaging doesn't solve the problem, any more than a plastic bag can preserve the taste and character of fresh-baked bread. Most coffees, whether in stores or in big-name coffeeshops, are weeks or even months old before they are consumed as beverage. Click here for more info.
I have been buying green arabica beans and roasting at home since June 2000 and enjoy the best tasting coffee I have ever had....every day. Because I have to roast such small batches, I can only keep up with our immediate family's needs and share my precious java beans on occasion. I do encourage everyone to look into roasting their own coffee at home. I am currently using a new semi-pro model called the Hottop Roaster (see picture below). This produces a half-pound batch of evenly-roasted coffee in about 28 minutes (including warmup and cooldown) ...and it is computer controlled.
	I will continue to use the Hottop for 1/2 pound batches, but have also just completed (as of 2/26/04) constructing a one to four pound roaster using a BBQ grill (like my friend Jim Brockman). Check out my BBQ Roaster! (It's for sale!!) To see a description of some of the coffees I am roasting, click here.