There are two main reasons you may want to buy your coffee beans whole instead of ground:
The most important reason is that whole beans preserve the aroma and flavor much better than the ground ones. It all comes down to surface area; the larger the surface area of the coffee exposed to air (ground beans), the greater the chances of losing its most desirable qualities: fragrance and taste.
Then, there is the choice of preparation method (e.g., french press, espresso machine, Italian Moka, V60, Chemex, Drip, etc.). Some techniques require a more coarse or finer grind than the one you usually get when you buy ground bean coffee. For instance, the French press requires a coarser grind to prevent the particles from contaminating the final brew. In contrast, an espresso machine requires a finer grind so that the pressurized water can extract the most flavor out of the beans.
Roasted coffee beans decay much faster than their green (unroasted) counterparts. Ideally, to get the best out of your roasted coffee beans, you should consume them between 1 week and three months (at the most) after they have been roasted. However, this period applies to unopened bags. Once you open the bag, the decaying process accelerates when the beans become in contact with air. To get the best flavor out of the beans, after opening, keep them in an air-tight container (it can be the original packaging if you take care to remove the air from the bag before closing it). Also, keep them away from light, humidity, and strong odors. Try to use the beans within 1 and 2 weeks after opening.
At Hatillo Coffee, we only roast small batches and send them straight to the Fulfillment Centers to ensure you always get the fresher beans possible. That’s also why you will often find some of our coffee options in out-of-stock status. We don’t send coffee to Fulfillment Centers until the “older” coffee has run out. Unfortunately, our fulfillment centers do not manage coffee stock by its roasted date. The people picking the coffee bags in the warehouses aren’t looking for freshness; they take whatever is available on their shelves. But we got your back; we DO care about ensuring you get the best cup possible.
One more thing, if possible, only grind what you are going to drink. Ground coffee goes bad very fast!
No, no, and no. Refrigerators have high humidity and odors that can and will spoil your precious coffee beans.
The answer is, it depends on what you mean by freshly. Brewing the beans right after roasting is generally NOT a good idea. In fact, the professionals who do coffee cupping (aka. SCA Q-graders) to taste the quality of the roasted coffee beans wait at least 24 hours after roasting to grade the beans. Letting the coffee sit after roasting is also known as the resting period, during which the beans undergo a degassing process. It takes a couple of days for the packaged beans to lose the extra CO2 acquired during the roasting process. Before much of the degassing is complete, Brewing the beans will NOT yield the best aroma and flavor.
On the other hand, brewing coffee that has been sitting on a shelf for more than three months after roasting will not produce the best cup.