Spero Mountain Coffee

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Coffee's Three Primary Foes: Light, Air and Moisture

Whole Bean or Ground?

In order to keep your coffee as fresh as possible, we recommend purchasing it in whole bean form and grinding as needed. Due to the increased surface area exposed to air, coffee begins to deteriorate much more rapidly once it is ground. We offer our coffees pre-ground for drip coffee makers, if desired. However, you may want to consider purchasing a grinder and begin purchasing whole beans. We offer grinders and other coffee related equipment and gifts in our on-line store.

To Freeze or Not to Freeze? That is the Question

Few product questions elicit so many strong opinions as those surrounding coffee. Whenever you are dealing with a subjective topic such as taste, you receive many different points of view. So we may as well throw our two cents into the mix. Our research led us to several general conclusions which are all qualified by the following statement: Coffee is a matter of taste - if it tastes good, don't worry about it too much.

With that said, consider these conclusions:

Optimally, buy as much coffee as you can consume in a one to two week period. Store it in an airtight, opaque container (preferably ceramic or similar which will not absorb odors, plastic is not the best choice) in a cool (not refrigerated), dry location.
If practicality prevents you from purchasing fresh coffee every week, consider buying a larger stock, placing one or two weeks supply in the container mentioned above and freezing or refrigerating the remainder until it is needed. The key is to try and avoid fluctuations in temperature (don't thaw and refreeze/re-refrigerate once coffee is brought back to room temperature).
For every article you seeing declaring the evils of freezing, you can find one strongly advocating it as the best storage technique. Some roasters freeze as soon after roasting as possible. Others shutter at the mere suggestion. Technically, freezing can alter the coffee and, therefore, theoretically, could affect the taste. If you can detect the difference and that adversely affects your coffee tasting experience, then don't freeze. If not, freeze on!
Refrigeration as a storage technique could be an option IF you can protect the coffee from that leftover salmon steak sitting on the next shelf! Therein lies the problem�food odors can and will be absorbed by your coffee and that WILL affect the taste for most people (our experimentation with a sauerkraut flavored decaf has not been well received). There are those that would also argue that moisture (one of the evils mentioned above) becomes a greater concern under refrigeration.

Our conclusion: drink your coffee as quickly as possible and then buy more! Seriously, for the average coffee drinker, unopened whole bean coffee packaged in a one-way valve foil bag (ours are) can be stored for several months, if need be. Once opened, reseal the unused portion in an air-tight container away from heat and light and you should be able to enjoy it for a couple of weeks without noticing a major difference in taste.

Brewing Recommendations

With the risk of sounding redundant, brewing styles are a matter of taste. Enjoy the process of "cupping" (tasting) your various coffee choices prepared with different methods. Many coffee blends can be enjoyed as an espresso or through a drip coffee maker (apologies to those purists who cringe at the thought). Learning to distinguish the subtleties of one coffee over another is a wonderful part of the coffee experience. Have fun while you learn about this beverage you have grown to love (see Recommended Reading below).

We tend to enjoy a full cup of coffee, so our coffee brewing recommendations may produce a little stronger cup than some would prefer. No problem. Reduce the amount of coffee you brew per cup. For drip coffee makers, we prefer cone over standard filters and we do not use a paper filter (but if you prefer a paper filter, we promise not to call the Coffee Police!). We recommend using 2 level tablespoons of ground coffee per 6 oz. of water. If 1.5 suits you better, than that works just fine.

Grinding is another hotly argued arena. Grinding with a good quality burr grinder is preferable (see our store for some options). As we stated above, buying whole bean and grinding as needed should produce a fresher cup. Ground coffee begins losing its aroma within 15 minutes and can go stale within hours if exposed to air. Though utilizing a burr grinder is optimal, buying whole bean coffee and grinding with an inexpensive blade grinder is still better than purchasing already ground coffee. However, if you purchase ground and properly store the coffee and that suits your needs, we will certainly grind your coffee for you.

Except for French Press preparation, a finer grind is better than a courser grind. For those of you self-grinders out there without predetermined grind settings on your machines, grind as fine as possible without losing coffee through the holes in your filter. However, don't grind to a powder. You generally don't want coffee flavored mud. You want the coffee oils to come through.

Again, experimentation is required here as each grinder is somewhat different. Generally speaking, grind fine for espresso (about 15-20 seconds for most blade grinders), medium for drip makers (about 8 to 10 seconds) and coarse for French Press.

SUGGESTED READING

Would you like to learn more about coffee? Try these selections:

Light, interesting reading - Davis, Kenneth. Coffee: A guide to Buying, Brewing and Enjoying.
New York: St. Martin Griffin, 2001

Dicum, Gregory and Nina Luttinger. The Coffee Book, Anatomy of an Industry from Crop to the Last Drop.
New York: The New Press, 1999

Knox, Kevin and Julie Sheldon Huffaker. Coffee Basics, A Quick and Easy Guide.
New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1997

For the serious historian, try this heavy (literally - an 818 page hardback!) reader -

Ukers, William. All About Coffee 2nd Edition.
New York, The Tea & Coffee Trade Journal Company, 1935. (facsimile reprint) Long Beach, CA: Specialty Coffee Association of America, 1993. Tel. (800)647-8292. Web: www.scaa.org