I agree with the exception of this: Folgers tastes like stale dirt (sorry, just my opinion). Good coffee tastes amazing. 2 buck chuck tastes like decent wine. $50 merlot tastes like slightly more complex decent wine. In other words, wine doesn't have the big differentiation in taste potential that coffee does. The same goes for beer in my opinion.
While I'm unconvinced that there really is something here, I'm having fun investigating after learning so much at the Expo Coffee Tasting Hopefully I can provide some personal evidence / results / experimentation in the near future.
To me, the most intriguing possibility is this: Mr. Chaz (since I forgot his real name) said he pulls ALL his coffee that is 2+ weeks old off the shelf and out of restaurants because it is no longer fresh. Imagine how many more customers he could pull if his coffee lasted 3 weeks long instead of 2 just because he brewed in a dehumidified/purified environment. It opens up some marketing doors for him if there is something to this.
I agree with the exception of this: Folgers tastes like stale dirt (sorry, just my opinion). Good coffee tastes amazing. 2 buck chuck tastes like decent wine. $50 merlot tastes like slightly more complex decent wine. In other words, wine doesn't have the big differentiation in taste potential that coffee does. The same goes for beer in my opinion.
While I'm unconvinced that there really is something here, I'm having fun investigating after learning so much at the Expo Coffee Tasting Hopefully I can provide some personal evidence / results / experimentation in the near future.
To me, the most intriguing possibility is this: Mr. Chaz (since I forgot his real name) said he pulls ALL his coffee that is 2+ weeks old off the shelf and out of restaurants because it is no longer fresh. Imagine how many more customers he could pull if his coffee lasted 3 weeks long instead of 2 just because he brewed in a dehumidified/purified environment. It opens up some marketing doors for him if there is something to this.
You're absolutely right that Folgers tastes like ass. What I'm saying is that once you control for the important factors (quality of beans, quality of the roasting process, skill of the roaster), the end product that is produced with subtle variables like roasting altitude and ambient humidity of the roasting room will be pretty minute. If you could truly double-blind that and have the same roaster do the same beans in both environments, and then perceive a difference, I'd be shocked, but I'm a skeptic.
That's not to say Frank's wrong that coffee over 2 weeks isn't worth drinking. You have to draw a line somewhere on freshness, and it really speaks to his commitment to quality that he draws his so soon. I buy one pound of whole beans from him and it usually lasts me just over 2 weeks, and I personally don't perceive a dropoff in quality, and I'd happily pay a discounted rate for 2 week old beans, but he won't dilute the quality of his brand by offering that, so props to him.
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Folgers tastes like stale dirt (sorry, just my opinion). Good coffee tastes amazing.
2 buck chuck tastes like decent wine. $50 merlot tastes like slightly more complex decent wine.
In other words, wine doesn't have the big differentiation in taste potential that coffee does. The same goes for beer in my opinion.
While I'm unconvinced that there really is something here, I'm having fun investigating after learning so much at the Expo Coffee Tasting
To me, the most intriguing possibility is this: Mr. Chaz (since I forgot his real name) said he pulls ALL his coffee that is 2+ weeks old off the shelf and out of restaurants because it is no longer fresh. Imagine how many more customers he could pull if his coffee lasted 3 weeks long instead of 2 just because he brewed in a dehumidified/purified environment. It opens up some marketing doors for him if there is something to this.
That's not to say Frank's wrong that coffee over 2 weeks isn't worth drinking. You have to draw a line somewhere on freshness, and it really speaks to his commitment to quality that he draws his so soon. I buy one pound of whole beans from him and it usually lasts me just over 2 weeks, and I personally don't perceive a dropoff in quality, and I'd happily pay a discounted rate for 2 week old beans, but he won't dilute the quality of his brand by offering that, so props to him.